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2012 SESSION

12104517D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 471
Offered February 29, 2012
Commending the Virginia Health Care Foundation on its 20 years of service to the Commonwealth as a public-private partnership and its excellent record of productivity and innovation in substantially leveraging state dollars to increase access to primary health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians.
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Patrons-- Howell, W.J., Brink, Cline, Cox, M.K., Dance, Filler-Corn, Garrett, Hope, Ingram, Jones, Kory, Landes, Lopez, McClellan, O'Bannon, Orrock, Peace, Plum, Putney, Spruill, Torian, Toscano, and Watts; Senators: Barker, Colgan, Hanger, Howell, Lucas, Marsh, Martin, McDougle, McEachin, Miller, Y.B., Northam, Puller, Stosch and Watkins
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WHEREAS, the recent United States Census shows that the number of uninsured Virginians jumped by 100,000 in 2010 as a result of the recession, creating a total of more than one million Virginians with little or no access to health care; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth contains 88 health professional shortage areas and 65 dental shortage areas where there are not enough doctors or dentists to provide care to local citizens; and

WHEREAS, the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Commission on Health Care established the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) in 1992 to help create and grow a health care safety net in the Commonwealth that would increase access to primary health care for Virginia’s uninsured and medically underserved citizens; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF has served the Commonwealth for 20 years, awarding a total of 352 grants that have provided more than 2.3 million patient visits to Virginia’s uninsured and medically underserved; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF acts as a venture philanthropist, carefully scrutinizing grant proposals and investing in projects that will be sustained for the long term, a strategy that has resulted in an increase in the number of health safety net providers from 33 to 193 in the last 20 years; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF’s strategy of rigorous project evaluation, three-year limited funding, and focus on long-term community support has resulted in an impressive continuation of 89 percent of its “graduated” projects for at least three years after the expiration of foundation funding; and

WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2011, the VHCF’s entrepreneurial approach generated $26.3 million in new federal funds for Virginia that helped expand four community health centers and brought the total of new federal community health center funds generated by VHCF to $37.3 million since 2005; and

WHEREAS, with its entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, the VHCF has developed tools for Virginia’s health care safety net organizations, such as The Pharmacy Connection—a special software program that facilitates access to free medications available through the brand-name pharmaceutical companies’ Patient Assistance Programs—that helped obtain a record-breaking $198 million in free medications for 57,700 sick uninsured Virginians last year and over $1 billion in free medicines since VHCF created the software; and a special dental discount program for Virginia’s community-based dental safety net providers in conjunction with the Patterson Dental Company, which has saved $700,000 in just four years; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF has raised $9 million in challenge grants and matching funds to underwrite innovative initiatives, such as A New Lease on Life, which integrates the delivery of basic mental health services with primary medical care via collaborations with community services boards and local free clinics or community health centers; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF has also established several special initiatives to help Virginia’s most fragile citizens navigate complicated government systems to obtain the health care they need, including: Project Connect, which just enrolled its 58,000th child in the state’s Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan (FAMIS) program; the Rx Partnership (RxP), which in its first six years of operation has obtained free medicines worth over $64 million for Virginia’s uninsured citizens, working in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Abbott, Alcon, AstraZeneca, and sanofi aventis U.S.; and SeniorNavigator, a multifunctional Internet tool that has earned state and national recognition as a valued public service, helping seniors and caregivers to navigate the complex array of health and aging services; and evolved into a valued public service; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF’s unique public-private approach has been recognized nationally by the federal Bureau of Primary Health Care, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Harvard School of Public Health and was the recipient of the Innovation in Government Award by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF’s many accomplishments have been achieved with low administrative costs, which only represented 11.3 percent of total expenditures in fiscal year 2011; and

WHEREAS, the VHCF provides a tremendous return on the Commonwealth’s investment, averaging a return of more than $11 for every dollar expended for the last 20 years and underwriting 135 jobs for Virginians in fiscal year 2011; and

WHEREAS, many of Virginia’s finest corporations and organizations have made financial commitments to the VHCF during the past year, including: Alliance Group, Ltd., Altria, AMERIGROUP Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, BB&T, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Bon Secours Virginia, Carilion Clinic, CBI Research, Inc., Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc., Danville Regional Foundation, Davenport Asset Management, Delta Dental of Virginia, DentaQuest, DMV Employees’ Association, Dominion Foundation, Dominion Resources, Inc., Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, Eli Lilly & Company, ExxonMobil, Falls Church Lithotripsy, GlaxoSmithKline, PLLC, Grantmakers in Health, Halifax Regional Foundation, HCA Virginia, Inova Health System, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves, LogistiCare, M.H. West & Co., Inc., Martha Jefferson Hospital, Mary Washington Healthcare, McGuireWoods, Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Medical Society of Virginia, Merck & Company, Inc., New Horizons Healthcare, Oakwood Foundation, Owens & Minor, Inc., Patterson Dental, Pfizer, PhRMA, Riverside Health System Foundation, Robins Foundation, Sentara Healthcare, South Riding Family Dentistry, PLC, St. Mary’s Ambulatory Surgery Center, SunTrust Bank Mid-Atlantic, The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas, Tuckahoe Orthopaedic Associates, Union First Market Bank, University of Virginia Health System, VCU Medical Center, Verizon Foundation, Virginia Association of Health Plans, Virginia Business magazine, Virginia Cardiovascular Specialists, Walmart Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Williamsburg Community Health Foundation; and

WHEREAS, over the past 20 years, the VHCF, through its combined efforts, has helped more than 600,000 uninsured and medically underserved Virginians obtain primary health care; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Health Care Foundation on the occasion of its 20 years as a public-private partnership, its outstanding service to the Commonwealth, and its many successful efforts to increase access to primary health care for Virginia’s uninsured citizens; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Health Care Foundation’s many private sector partners and encourage them to continue their support of this effective and dynamic organization by making significant contributions to increase access to primary health care for Virginia’s uninsured and medically underserved citizens; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That Virginia’s other corporate citizens and philanthropic entities be encouraged to contribute their various talents and resources to the efforts of the Virginia Health Care Foundation; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Health Care Foundation as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for its dedication to quality health care for all Virginians.