History

In the 1970's, a group of community and business leaders sought a way to improve the health of the Greater Rochester community. They formed an innovative health plan, the health maintenance organization Preferred Care, that operated successfully and with sustained growth for more than 25 years.

As the influence of managed care has waned in recent years, the board of directors of Preferred Care considered new approaches that were true to the original intent of the founding board - to improve the health of the Greater Rochester community. The board concluded that an independent private foundation would have the most significant impact on the health of the community. It was the hope of the Preferred Care board that improvements in health for every member of the community would improve the quality of life for its members and therefore strengthen the entire community.

In 2006, Preferred Care merged with another highly respected New York State not-for-profit plan, MVP Health Plan. In turn, MVP Health Plan contributed $200 million toward the development of a community foundation and the Greater Rochester Health Foundation (GRHF) was born. Through the creation of this foundation, the financial value of Preferred Care is being retained in the community. The independent foundation is governed by a community-based board of directors and managed by a professional staff.

The creation of the Greater Rochester Health Foundation is intended to be a sustainable source of funding to encourage local organizations to replicate the best evidence-based practices in community health, and to make it possible for the Rochester area to be the origin of new innovations in community health.