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SQ Foundation awards "Better Health for Living" grants, improving care through distribution of Pharmacy profits
10/28/2011 12:11:00 PM
Contact: Kevin Roberts RHD Communications 215-951-0300 (ext. 3714)
or kevinr@rhd.org
Chester County Community Dental Center will be able to provide vital dental services to 42 underserved, uninsured and underinsured individuals living in some of the poorest communities in Chester County thanks to a grant from The SQ Foundation.
The SQ Foundation announced the recipients of its annual “Better Health for Living” grants, as the success of SQA Pharmacy Services once again benefits other organizations striving to improve health care for all. The SQ Foundation is the Pharmacy’s grantmaking foundation, distributing a substantial portion of SQA’s profits to others. The recipients of the 2011 grants are:
• Chester County Community Dental Center (Coatesville, Pa.)
• The Malta House of Care (Hartford, Ct.)
• St. Catherine Laboure Medical Clinic (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• The Hearing and Speech Foundation (Maryville, Tn.)
• VNA Health at Home (Watertown, Ct.)
Resources for Human Development CEO Bob Fishman announced the recipients of the grants. RHD, a national human service nonprofit with headquarters in Philadelphia, founded SQA Pharmacy in 2006 as a full-service pharmacy that serves community-based residential facilities. A percentage of SQA profit distributions are disbursed, through the SQ Foundation, to non-RHD organizations working to expand affordable health care.
“We established SQA Pharmacy Services with the hope that one day we could grant most of its profits to nonprofit and governmental entities that share our commitment to decent health care for everyone,’’ Fishman said. “Now we can say our experiment works.
“We are extremely grateful to The SQ Foundation Advisory Committee, who took on the challenging task of recommending which organizations were most deserving of these grants. It was a very difficult process, but we’re pleased to know that many underserved, uninsured and underinsured individuals will have more and better access to health care of all kinds through these much-needed grants.”
In all, The SQ Foundation distributed $25,000 in grants of $5,000. A total of 93 applications were received and reviewed by the SQ Foundation’s advisory committee.
Investors of SQA Pharmacy Services formed The SQ Foundation in 2009 to establish a grant-making foundation that would enhance the health and underserved populations and advocate for an environment that provides access to affordable health care services. This is the third series of grants awarded by The SQ Foundation. In 2009 The SQ Foundation made a $10,000 gift to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, and in 2010 awarded five grants.
SQA Pharmacy is a social enterprise corporation and part of RHD’s venture capital effort that began in 1990 to develop crossover businesses, which are for-profit enterprises structured to serve investors, employees and their communities, or nonprofits with commercially sustainable activities that support a social agenda.
In addition to the 160 diverse human service programs it operates in 14 states, RHD is a pioneer in developing and advocating for socially conscious, crossover businesses and advises organizations interested in the crossover model and advocates for the development of crossovers to foster economic development and address society’s ills.
In its five years in business, SQA Pharmacy has grown to $6.7 million in annual revenues and, with new partners it will continue to expand regionally and nationally. For more information or participation in SQA’s expansion, please call or email Stan Shubilla at 215-951-0300, ext. 3155; or stan@rhd.org.
