The Wellness Community of the East Bay Receives a $10,000 Grant From Verizon to Continue to Enhance Comprehensive Cancer-Support Services
The Wellness Community of the East Bay has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, to fund the use of technology to identify the best community-based psychological and social support and education strategies for cancer patients and their families.
With this grant, Verizon's support for The Wellness Community over the past three years totals $50,000.
The grant will pay for implementation of ResultsPlus, a data management system designed to record patient activity within The Wellness Community's system of services and determine the most successful practices based on patients' specific circumstances.
James Bouquin, The Wellness Community executive director, said: "This partnership with Verizon has helped The Wellness Community make a positive impact in cancer patients' lives. Without the ResultPlus database management system, it was very difficult to determine what services are the most effective for specific cancers and at different stages."
Since Verizon's initial grant of $20,000 to The Wellness Community in 2007, the organization has helped more than 800 patients learn more about treatment options, how to manage their treatment and recovery, and how to become more effective partners with their medical treatment team.
Elva Lima, Verizon vice president of strategic programs, said: "Matching cancer patients to the most effective services by using the ResultsPlus database is part of Verizon's commitment to improve the delivery of health care through technology. We are proud to partner with The Wellness Community on this endeavor."
The Verizon Foundation supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.
About the Wellness Community
Since 1990, The Wellness Community has offered San Francisco and the East Bay a unique menu of services under one umbrella: professionally facilitated support and networking groups, mind/body/exercise classes, educational programs, and a variety of social activities. In addition, special programs bring this same high level of service to Spanish speakers and children/teenagers whose parents have cancer.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 87 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
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