A Medical Device Daily

Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF; San Francisco) reported fourth-quarter grants of $5.8 million to 25 nonprofit organizations, bringing its total 2008 giving to $37.1 million. The funding supports work to increase access to healthcare and coverage, improve the quality of health care and end domestic violence.

"During these difficult economic times, we must strengthen our network of services and care so they are there when Californians need them," said Crystal Hayling, BSCF president/CEO. "Our foundation is prioritizing safety net services that provide immediate help to those in need, while working toward long-term change to our health care system."

Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the largest healthcare grant-making organizations in California.

In other grants news, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation at Abbott Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis) is the recipient of $1 million, a donation from the law firm Zimmerman Reed (Minneapolis) which won a $114 million settlement last year in a class action lawsuit related to faulty heart defibrillators made by Medtronic (Minneapolis), according to a report by the Star Tribune (Minneapolis).

The money will be used to continue development of a registry that gathers safety data about defibrillators and pacemakers from six hospitals across the country.