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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2004

Contact:
Cecilia Laiché, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

Craig Tomiyoshi, IW Group
(213) 622-6513

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION APPOINTS NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Saba Brelvi Oversees Grantmaking in Diversity in the Health Professions and Women’s Health

Woodland Hills, CA – The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) announced the appointment of Saba Brelvi as program director. Brelvi oversees the Foundation’s grantmaking related to the issues of diversity in the health professions and women’s health.

“Saba’s experience, education and insight make her a real asset to the Foundation’s staff,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO. “I am confident that her contributions will enhance the Foundation’s health grantmaking across the state.”

Brelvi brings experience in both public health and philanthropy to her position as program director. Her responsibilities include reviewing letters of interest and grant proposals and making funding recommendations related to the issues of diversity in the health professions and women’s health. Before joining TCWF, Brelvi was director of health services for Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Francisco. Prior to that position, she worked as research and program associate for Grantmakers In Health and as program coordinator for Mission High School Health Center in San Francisco. Brelvi earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts degree in community health from Brown University.

“The California Wellness Foundation is truly committed to improving the health of underserved Californians,” Brelvi said. “I am happy to be part of this mission and welcome the challenges of managing the Foundation’s grantmaking related to the issues of women’s health and increasing diversity within California’s health workforce.”

The California Wellness Foundation is a private, independent foundation created in 1992, with the mission of improving the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The Foundation prioritizes eight issues for funding: diversity in the health professions, environmental health, healthy aging, mental health, teenage pregnancy prevention, violence prevention, women’s health, and work and health. It also responds to timely issues or special projects outside the funding priorities.

Since its first year of operation, TCWF has awarded 3,417 grants totaling $426 million. It is one of the state’s largest private foundations, providing an average of $40 million in grants each year in pursuit of its mission.

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Note to reporters & editors: "The" in The California Wellness Foundation name is part of the Foundation's legal name. Please do not drop or lowercase the "T."