New foundation will seek solutions to healthcare problems

A Pennsylvania insurance provider has launched a new think tank for solutions in health care. “The Independence Blue Cross Foundation” has an ambitious goal: to change how health care is delivered in our region.

The 10 million dollar foundation has several main areas of focus: making care accessible to uninsured people and developing the future health-care work force with a focus on nursing education. Grant dollars will also support research into new approaches to delivering healthcare.

Independence Blue Cross CEO Daniel Hilferty says grant dollars will support 15 private health clinics already in place in underserved communities, and scholarships for nurses: “We hope through our nurses program, through the clinics that we’re going to fund, and other innovation programs, that we can develop answers to some of these questions around access, quality, and care.”

Hilferty says with its many universities and top notch hospitals, this region is an ideal place to develop new approaches to making quality healthcare accessible to more people. “We have an opportunity to call upon those resources, those experts in the field of healthcare,” said Hilferty, “and find ways to better serve the population and find answers to some significant problems that we have.”

Hilferty says training a more highly skilled nursing workforce is key, since nurses will be providing a greater portion of care.