News

Blue Shield of California Foundation Announces $9M in Grants

This week, Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) announced nearly $9 million in new grants for helping the state meet pressing health needs. The funds will be directed to supporting community health clinics at a time when public funding is shrinking and a growing number of uninsured Californians depend on their services.

Last year, California’s community clinics suffered over $80 million in state and local budget cuts. At the same time, clinics are reporting a record increase in the number of uninsured patients as a result of high unemployment. Some clinics are reporting a 50 percent increase in the number of uninsured patients.

Over the last six years, BSCF has invested nearly $40 million in over 200 community clinics and their associations across the state of California. These clinics are able to stay open and continue to provide care to Californians in need because of core support from BSCF’s Clinic Initiative.

In addition to direct support for California clinics, BSCF also awarded $100,000 to residents of San Diego for healthcare coverage to develop a San Diego Roadmap to Health Coverage and Care. With the help of the Foundation, the organization will assess the local need for better access to care, identify options for expanding coverage, and develop a plan to strengthen local safety net providers.

Now more than ever, California health care needs core support. I believe the best way to provide an immediate lifeline to vulnerable families is to support California’s community clinics. Support grants can make a critical difference.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about grants

  • March
  • 12th, 2010
  • 8:00 am

Filed under: News

Dyson Stresses Science and Engineering Innovation

This week industrial engineer James Dyson stressed the role of science and engineering with the release of a new report entitled “Making the UK the leading high-tech exporter in Europe”.

Dyson – who is perhaps best known for his bagless vacuum cleaners – is calling for more investment and support for innovative engineering. Together with some of Britain’s most highly regarded industrial leaders, he has developed a number of policy recommendations which the next government should follow to make the UK more competitive and help the country leave the recession behind.

“We need to inspire and enlighten people: science and engineering can change lives, society and the economy,” said Dyson. “High tech exports create real wealth and jobs, and will help set us on a course for sustainable prosperity. If we don’t capitalize on our engineering expertise now there’ll be no turning back.”

The report suggests a stronger bond between universities and companies should be developed by changing the way education is structured. It says large scale projects must be put in place to prove the UK’s ability with high-tech infrastructure, claiming research and engineering has been ignored for decades in Britain.

I personally believe James Dyson is right. The UK has some inherent strengths. It’s the sixth largest manufacturing economy in the world, and has four of the top ten global universities. If they harness the best of both worlds, they can grow their high value add industries in a big way.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about innovation

  • March
  • 11th, 2010
  • 9:00 am

Filed under: News

GreenRoad raises $10M from Generation Investment Management

GreenRoad announced last month that it has raised $10 million in financing from Generation Investment Management, the investment firm co-founded by Al Gore in 2004.

GreenRoad, which is developing technologies to encourage safe and fuel-efficient driving behavior, intends to use the proceeds to accelerate the deployment of its GreenRoad 360 service among new and existing customers.

GreenRoad 360, the company’s proprietary-based service, provides drivers and fleet managers with real-time, comprehensive and preventative feedback, analysis, reporting and coaching on drivers’ abilities, maneuvers, and patterns.

According to GreenRoad, driving behavior is the largest single contributor to driving safety and fuel efficiency, and costs the US and Europe over $500 billion dollars per year. A typical GreenRoad customer sees up to a 50% reduction in crash costs and up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption within the first year. As a result, GreenRoad delivers an innovative solution that saves lives, saves fleets money in top vehicle expense categories (fuel, crash, wear & tear, insurance), and provides a cost-effective way to reduce emissions.

GreenRoad is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, with sales offices throughout the U.S. and UK and an R&D Center in Or Yehuda, Israel, which has 90 employees. The company was founded in 2003 by Chief of Safety Hod Fleishman and CTO Ofer Raz.

I am excited to see Generation working with GreenRoad. GreenRoad’s job is to make our roads safer and greener, and I look forward to seeing what the two can do together to lead the way to cleaner, safer, and more cost-efficient transportation.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about innovation

  • March
  • 10th, 2010
  • 12:34 pm

Filed under: News

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This week, Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) announced nearly $9 million in new grants for helping the state meet pressing health needs.

This week industrial engineer James Dyson stressed the role of science and engineering with the release of a new report entitled “Making the UK the leading high-tech exporter in Europe”. Dyson – who is perhaps best known for his bagless vacuum cleaners – is calling for more investment and support for innovative engineering.