“Employers are going to be the critical voice in the coming debate about health care reform,” says Donna Marshall of the Colorado Business Group on Health. Read more

The U.S. health care system has been undergoing profound change for more than a decade. Health care costs have been skyrocketing and the uninsured population is growing.

Hospitals and community health centers are struggling to meet the needs of this growing uninsured population at a time when state and federal health care funding is in jeopardy.

Given the complex dynamics of the health care system, Rose Community Foundation recognizes that improving access to quality care requires well-informed, visionary leaders. For this reason, the Foundation promotes initiatives that develop health-policy and public-health leadership.

While Rose Community Foundation invests in health leadership that can improve access to quality care over the long term, it also works to effect more immediate change. Committed to improving access to care for low-income children, youth and families, the Foundation continues to support efforts to enroll them in programs such as Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), a publicly supported health insurance program.

Because at least half of all premature deaths are the result of lifestyle choices that individuals may be able to change, Rose Community Foundation is also committed to supporting health promotion and disease prevention programs. This includes such things as smoking, overeating, not exercising enough, failing to wear a seatbelt or drinking too much. In addition, the Foundation funds community organizations that provide information about the steps individuals can take to prevent such conditions as diabetes, teen pregnancy, HIV, heart disease and cancer.

Click on the following links to see Rose Community Foundation's Grant Guidelines for Health, or to contact Whitney G. Connor, Program Officer in Health.