7.06.2006 - 08:35am ET

(CSRwire) JACKSON, MS - The Foundation for the Mid South (FMS) has received a $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to offer grants to community-based health care providers and to support their efforts to serve vulnerable populations in the hurricane-affected areas. The RWJF funding matches and joins a recent donation awarded to FMS from The Baxter International Foundation and benefits The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund.

"By utilizing FMS's experience and existing networks in the Mid South, we can expect an efficient grants process that will distribute funds to organizations in the hardest-hit areas in a fair and equitable manner," said Dr. Ivye Allen, president of the Foundation for the Mid South. "With this generous funding, we hope to restore the network that delivers essential services and addresses the enormous health and human services needs by those displaced and laid low by the storms."

The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund was initially established by a grant made from The Baxter International Foundation to the Foundation for the Mid South. During the first grant cycle, $250,000 in operating support was awarded to health and health care organizations to re-establish their services in the aftermath of the Hurricanes. In the upcoming, second grant cycle, the Mid South Health Initiative Advisory Committee--comprised of health field leaders and practitioners from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas--will guide the identification of local service providers and the development of the grants process for the matching funds. The Committee was established in January 2006 to determine priorities and actions steps for addressing systemic health service and delivery problems in the region.

About The Foundation for the Mid South

The Foundation for the Mid South is a not-for-profit, regional development foundation that invests in people and strategies that build philanthropy and promote racial, social, and economic equity in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Operating since 1989, the total impact of the Foundation's work is estimated at $150 million in new resources for the region.
About The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely change. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org.

About The Baxter International Foundation

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., helps organizations increase access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively on increasing access to healthcare in 2002 - particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved - in and near communities where Baxter employees live and work.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.

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