A Medical Device Daily

El Camino Hospital District (Mountain View, California) board of directors approved the FY2010 Community Benefit Plan, identifying $4.9 million in grants to be funded from district tax receipts. The board also approved a contingency fund of nearly $200,000 for additional projects and sponsorships.

The board approved a further $265,000 in Community Benefit grants and sponsorships from non-hospital district funds to be spent in the area served by the newly-acquired El Camino Hospital Los Gatos.

In selecting Community Benefit initiatives, El Camino Hospital is targeting the unmet needs of underserved populations.

In other grants news, the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida (Jacksonville), the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (Jacksonville), has been chosen as one of 10 foundations nationwide to receive funding from Partners Investing in Nursing's Future, a national initiative to help address the long-term shortage of available nurses across the country. This is the first Florida organization to have been funded through Partners Investing in Nursing's Future.

To help develop solutions and lead efforts within Florida, the Blue Foundation has been awarded a two-year grant of $250,000 to promote the use of simulation technology in Florida nurse education. The grant to The Blue Foundation will be matched by funds from BCBSF.