Center of American Indian and Minority Health Receives Grant From Medtronic Foundation

Joycelyn Dorscher, M.D., director of CAIMH, thanked the Foundation and explained that the grant will help continue some programs that may have been eliminated because of the loss of federal funding.   "We truly appreciate Medtronic's gift and leadership in helping us support our Native American medical students.  With their help we can continue to make an impact educating Native American students to return to their communities, deliver culturally-sensitive medicine and, ultimately, improve the health of the underserved Native American population," she said. 

In addition to supporting the Center philanthropically, the Medtronic Foundation also hosted other Minnesota foundations at a meeting  to learn about  the Center's program and its benefit to Native American students and communities.  As a result, Otto Bremer Foundation gave $70,000 to support the program, while other foundations are currently reviewing grant requests from the Center. 

"We actively look to support health programs that make a difference at the local level, especially in communities where people do not have equal access to healthcare," said David Etzwiler, executive director of the Medtronic Foundation.  "We applaud the Center's outreach efforts to develop more Native American doctors, many of whom we know will return to their communities to provide much needed health services."

The grant to CAIMH is part of the Medtronic Foundations' "Health in the Community" program, which supports organizations that provide healthcare and promote healthy lifestyles to socio-economically disadvantaged people.

The Minnesota Medical Foundation (MMF), a nonprofit organization that raises millions of dollars annually for health-related research, education and service at the University of Minnesota, continues to lead the initiative to find other support for the Center.  "The Center had developed an impressive set of programs that help Native Americans in many ways," commented Becky Malkerson, CEO of the MMF.  "Our organization feels passionately about helping them and continuing the momentum that Dr. Joy, her staff and supporters had started."

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology. The Medtronic Foundation's grant making is focused in three areas: health, education and community.

The Center of American Indian and Minority Health was created by legislation to encourage and support American Indians to enter careers in medicine. With offices on the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses of the University of Minnesota Medical School, the center is one of four Native American Centers of Excellence nationwide devoted to preparing American Indian physicians to address health disparities in American Indian communities with culturally-sensitive medical care.  In 2007 the Center lost more than one million dollars in federal funding because of Title VII and other federal program budget cuts.