Copic Insurance Company has announced that its Copic Medical Foundation will focus its 2025 grant funding on efforts to reduce fragmentation in health care. Gerald Zarlengo, MD, Chairman and CEO of Copic Insurance Company, said the foundation is part of the legacy of Harold “Hal” Williamson, the first external, non-physician board member, and reflects his commitment to community service.
Since its inception in 1991, the Copic Medical Foundation has provided over $12 million in funding aimed at improving patient care and medical outcomes across several states. For 2025, the foundation’s grant cycle will prioritize projects that address patient safety concerns related to fragmented care. According to Zarlengo, “A top concern in the field of patient safety, breakdowns in care from a fragmented health care system can lead to readmissions, missed diagnoses, medication errors, delayed treatment, duplicative testing and procedures, and reduction in quality of care leading to general patient and provider dissatisfaction.”
The foundation is seeking proposals for scalable or replicable solutions that test new ideas or expand existing ones with potential for broader application. This will be the last grant cycle focused on reducing fragmentation; a new focus area will be announced for 2026.
Applications for the 2025 funding cycle are open from November 1, 2024 through January 15, 2025. Eligible programs include those that improve patient safety through systems changes or tools for better care delivery and pilot programs aimed at reducing medical errors. Applicants must demonstrate potential for uptake by the wider health care community and have either a 501(c)(3) designation or an identified fiduciary.
Past recipients in Colorado include Mile High Health Alliance’s “Orange Flag” Project (which used data analytics to aid emergency department personnel), Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation’s ImPACT Navigation Hub (a resource hub supporting transitions from pediatric to adult care), West Mountain Regional Health Alliance’s Community Resource Network West Mountain (a platform coordinating support for individuals experiencing homelessness), and Metropolitan State University of Denver’s interprofessional education pilot for EMTs and nurses.
Applications are due by January 15, 2025 at www.copicfoundation.org. Questions can be directed to mhintze@copic.com. Notification regarding support will be sent by March 31, 2025.
“A top concern in the field of patient safety, breakdowns in care from a fragmented health care system can lead to readmissions, missed diagnoses, medication errors, delayed treatment, duplicative testing and procedures, and reduction in quality of care leading to general patient and provider dissatisfaction,” said Gerald Zarlengo.
“We’re excited to fund approaches that take on these safety concerns. For the Foundation’s grant funding, contributing to a solution means supporting scalable or replicable solutions, focusing on the testing of new ideas or growing existing solutions, and then seeing avenues for larger application,” Zarlengo added.
This announcement comes as Copic celebrates its 40th anniversary.
