The Virginia Health Care Foundation is one of the key elements of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s strategy to buttress local primary care delivery systems and strengthen the health safety net.

VHCF was initiated in 1992 by the Virginia General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care to promote and fund innovative public-private partnerships that increase access to primary care for Virginia's uninsured and medically underserved.

As a public/private partnership, VHCF combines the flexibility and nimble nature of the private sector with the resources and institutional wherewithal of the public sector.

Operating with an entrepreneurial spirit, VHCF works on multiple fronts to increase access to care for Virginia’s uninsured and medically underserved. 

Since the Foundation's founding, VHCF health safety net grants have helped provide more than 1.6 million patient visits to uninsured Virginians and to those in underserved areas.

In addition to grantmaking to support community-based projects, VHCF has initiated several important statewide programs, including:

	The Pharmacy Connection and other VHCF medication access initiatives make prescription medications available at low or no cost to eligible Virginians suffering from chronic illnesses.  The Pharmacy Connection alone already has generated more than a half a billion dollars in free medications;
	VHCF's Children's Health Insurance Initiative enrolls eligible children and expectant mothers in state-sponsored health insurance through Virginia’s FAMIS programs;
	VHCF's Healthy Communities Loan Fund and other initiatives targeted to Virginia's underserved areas have helped bring more providers to meet communities' health care needs;
	SeniorNavigator, the state's leading resource for seniors, caregivers and families, began as a VHCF initiative and now is an invaluable independent source of information and referral for the aging and disability communities.

We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished since VHCF was established. Through VHCF grants and initiatives, we have helped hundreds of thousands of uninsured and medically underserved Virginians obtain the care they need. Many challenges remain, however, and VHCF stands ready to tackle them by continuing to build and foster partnerships, solidify proven initiatives and launch new endeavors.