PORTLAND, Ore.–  The Cambia Health Foundation announces a grant of $1.5 million to the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF).  This investment will establish an endowment to fund innovative projects at UCSF’s Division of Palliative Medicine (DPM) and an annual leadership symposium beginning in 2021.

The first DPM innovation project, prioritized in response to the self-isolation and quarantine efforts put in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19, is a new clinician training program focused on expanding access and delivery of serious illness care services via telemedicine. Providing care by video is not the same as treating patients in person but in most medical schools this type of specialized training is in its infancy or non-existent.  Through the development of a series of educational modules, students and other trainees will learn the skills necessary for using telemedicine successfully including how best to orient patients to the technology, maintain confidentiality and privacy, and address sensitive topics.

“We are honored to partner with UCSF’s Division of Palliative Medicine to transform the health care experience of seriously ill patients and their families” said Peggy Maguire, President and Board Chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “COVID-19 has reinforced the importance of palliative care and expanded opportunities for virtual engagement.  Our goal in supporting this innovative project is to ensure that palliative care professionals have the skills and resources necessary to provide quality palliative care like telehealth, so that ALL people impacted by COVID-19 and other illnesses receive personalized care that is aligned to their wishes.”

“We appreciate the deep commitment of the Cambia Health Foundation to improve care for people with serious illness,” said Steve Pantilat MD, Chief, UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine. “Their generous gift to establish this endowment in the UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine will support innovations in care that will help us develop, implement and test models to increase access, address inequities, improve the quality of care, and develop the leaders who will make this happen.”

About Cambia Health Foundation 
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to making health care more person-focused and economically sustainable. Founded in 2007, the foundation has funded almost $70 million in grants to advance patient- and family-centered care for all. Cambia Health Foundation strategically invests in philanthropy to change the way people experience health care from birth to natural completion of life.  Learn more at www.cambiahealthfoundation.org, and follow us on Twitter:@CambiaHealthFdn.

About UCSF
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals, as well as affiliations throughout the Bay Area.

CONTACT
For Cambia Health Foundation                    
Mary Frances Baldes
503-225-4940
maryfrances.baldes@cambiahealth.com