Grantmaking Impact and Lessons Learned after 18 Years

Dear Friends of the Foundation:

2014-15 marks eighteen years since the initiation of the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation's grantmaking program. Eighteen years is hardly a blip in human history, yet look what has occurred in health and medicine in just these last eighteen years:

• Stem cell research.
• Bans on smoking in public places.
• Unceasing change and consolidation in the health care industry.
• The mapping of the human genome and its promise of personalized medicine.
• The advent of the electronic medical record and the field of population health.
• The Affordable Care Act and all it has meant for access to care for millions of the uninsured and other Americans.
• And, after decades of growth, a bending of the cost curve in health care delivery.

As a local grantmaker in health and medicine, Mt. Sinai has worked to ensure that the people of Greater Cleveland benefit from the progress being made in this vast and changing field. Yet, as we reach this 18-year milestone, we have no intention of spending any significant time looking back at our accomplishments instead of looking forward to what remains to be done.

But not to pause here and reflect upon both our impact to date and lessons learned would constitute nothing less than irresponsible stewardship.

For those who were not around eighteen years ago when the hospital was sold and the Foundation developed the philosophical underpinnings of its grantmaking program, we hope you will learn about our early vision as well as our ongoing commitment to improving health status through this year's video annual report presentation. We call it "Chai Impact."

On behalf of the Foundation and all those we serve, thank you for your ongoing interest and support of our efforts.