SDOH
Health Insurance Providers Actions Concerning SDOH
posted by AHIP
on April 20, 2021
- Blue Shield of California –A new series of five guides about youth mental health were introduced today by Blue Shield of California’s BlueSky program through a collaboration with the Child Mind Institute. Published on the BlueSky website, the collection covers a wide range of youth mental health issues, including trauma, racism, depression, LGBTQ+ issues, and anxiety. The guides provide tips on how to identify mental health challenges, as well as resources for taking action to address concerns and access professional help.
- Blue Shield of California has made a $40-million contribution to the Blue Shield of California Foundation to support its efforts to end domestic violence and to make California the healthiest state. The nonprofit health plan has contributed more than $150 million to its foundation over the past four years.
- Blue Shield of California Through their jointly-operated Community Resource Centers, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and L.A. Care Health Plan are rolling out a series of drive-thru and walk-up food pantry events across Los Angeles County in response to the growing food insecurity burdening nearly every community. The food distribution events, which will start February 20, 2021 and run throughout the year, are free and open to everyone. All safety guidelines recommended by public health officials will be followed. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank reports an estimated 1 in 4 people in Los Angeles County lives with food insecurity – the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the hunger problem that already existed. Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 people struggled with access to food.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois announced that an expanded pool of 175 non-profit organizations will each be receiving $20,000 in grants to address crucial needs for people across the state as a result of COVID-19.Last month, BCBSIL opened applications for this second round of quick-release funding as part of its COVID-19 Community Collaboration Fund. The grant program is aimed at supporting community-based organizations doing work in five focus areas – access to care, hunger, shelter and behavioral health care, and COVID-19 health education and vaccine access.Originally announced in February as a $1.5M grant opportunity, BCBSIL more than doubled the amount of available funds by reinvesting payments from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services for providing quality care to Medicaid members.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is providing new resources to help improve the health outcomes of pregnant women and their infants in underserved communities across Illinois.BCBSIL is announcing more than $350,000 in grant funding to six community-based organizations working to improve maternal health outcomes on Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has opened an additional round of quick-release funding to support community-based organizations supporting five focus areas – access to care, hunger, shelter and behavioral health, and COVID-19 health education and vaccine access. This grant cycle will again offer 75 grants of $20,000 and is open to prior recipients of BCBSIL’s COVID-19 Community Collaboration funding. However prior grantees are not guaranteed a second award. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois awarded $1.5 million to 75 organizations during the first round of the COVID-19 Community Collaboration Fund in May 2020.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana working together, Blue Krewe, Drop Mobility, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Bike Easy, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and the City of New Orleans have developed a path forward to launch a fleet of 500 e-assist bikes by Sept. 1, 2021.E-assist bikes make bicycling more accessible and available to a wide swath of people who may not otherwise choose to ride. “Blue Bikes promotes healthy exercise and brings more transportation options to residents and visitors alike, which has the potential to improve Louisiana’s historically poor health outcomes,” said Rod Teamer, Blue Cross director of Diversity Program Business Development. “More and more, we’re seeing the connection between addressing social factors, like transportation access, and people becoming healthier.”
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has granted more than $4 million to 95 nonprofits across the state working to meet the needs of communities in response to COVID-19 since mid-March.Efforts supported through Foundation grant funding include:
- Providing food to kids, financially insecure families and seniors
- Supporting healthcare needs, including securing critical supplies for providers, connecting individuals to care and mental health resources
- Funding direct economic support , housing assistance and keeping families financially stable
- Sustaining essential services disproportionately affected by stay-at-home orders, such as sober housing, services for sexual assault victims and a limited scope of education-related services
- Supporting regional groups organizing disaster response in communities across Louisiana, and supporting nonprofits through community relief funds operated by local community foundations
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has granted more than $4 million to 95 nonprofits across the state working to meet the needs of communities in response to COVID-19 since mid-March.Efforts supported through Foundation grant funding include:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is providing an additional $400,000 in grants to nonprofits and regional funds across Massachusetts to support communities of color most impacted by COVID-19, address the ongoing food insecurity crisis and provide support to teachers and students to aid in the safe reopening of schools. These recent donations bring Blue Cross’ total value of community COVID-19 support to $10.6 million.$270,000 will be distributed as part of Blue Cross’ COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants. This second round of grants is awarding $10,000 to 27 organizations serving communities of color most impacted by COVID-19. The first round of grants, distributed in April, provided $240,000 in funding to 24 community organizations supporting essential and front-line organizations addressing food access, basic needs, and support to first responders, health care and retail workers.Blue Cross is also contributing $125,000 to support teachers and students during school re-openings and remote learning. Funding will be awarded to the American Federation of Teachers and The Massachusetts Child, a charitable organization founded by Massachusetts Teachers Association members in 1996 to help students struggling with financial need. Through Blue Cross’ support, teachers will be able to access support to purchase supplies including personal protective equipment and technology to facilitate online learning as well as necessities for students in need like hygiene materials and warm winter clothing.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation donated $300,000 to six community-based nonprofits to support permanent house initiatives that can help improve racial and economic health equity. Supportive housing has been linked with intensive case management and voluntary life-improving services such as health care and child welfare.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus (Blue Plus) announced a new program with Second Harvest Heartland and Project Well to study the impact of comprehensive dietary support on maternal and infant health outcomes.The research project will recruit pregnant Black and Indigenous Blue Plus members with indicators linked to high-risk pregnancy to participate and receive up to seven months of nutrition benefits and services. The program will also take into consideration the nutritional needs of the whole household, including other children.Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus donated $400,000 to six organizations to help with housing stability initiatives. Inadequate housing can contribute to health inequities and has been linked health problems such as chronic disease that can impact childhood development.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico has awarded nearly $350,000 in Healthy Kids, Healthy Families (HKHF) grants to 15 community-based organizations statewide for 2021. The organizations were chosen through a competitive grant application process. The HKHF grant program is designed to encourage health education, promote physical activity, prevent and manage disease, and support safe environments. The program works through investments and partnerships with nonprofit organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs that improve the lives of New Mexicans.
- BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina is working with Benefits Data Trust, Manna Food Bank, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC to increase enrollment in Food and Nutrition Services and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The collaboration is designed to raise awareness of the program, destigmatize participation, reduce barriers to enrollment, and provide support through the enrollment process. A separate prescription-based food purchasing program, Eat Well, which is led by Durham-based Reinvestment Partners, provides eligible members with a monthly benefit stipend, which can be used to purchase fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables without added sugar or salt.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is teaming up with the athletic departments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University to deliver over 2,000 meals to those in need in the Triangle area.This collaboration is an extension of Blue Cross NC’s meal delivery efforts to address food security throughout North Carolina. With help from its partners, Blue Cross NC has delivered over 16,000 meals to the people who need them the most.
- BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota Caring Foundation will provide a limited number of one-year grants annually of up to $50,000 to North Dakota communities and organizations undertaking efforts to support health and community-based wellness and prevention. With the addition of these CaringforCommunities SPARK (Strengthening People, Access, Resources and Knowledge) Grants, the goal is to enhance collaborative efforts and community involvement that results in long-lasting change. As evidence continues to grow showing that where we live and what services and supports are available have a significant impact on our health, the Caring Foundation will be investing additional resources at the community level in 2021 to strengthen opportunities to build collaboratives that invest locally to enhance healthy lifestyles, address service gaps and promote health equities.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island has directed the focus of its BlueAngel Community Health Grant program toward improving access to safe and affordable housing. Building on an initial grant of $500,000 in 2020, BCBSRI has now awarded an additional $500,000 in a second round of funding to nine local organizations aimed at closing the gap for Rhode Islanders whose health outcomes are directly tied to housing quality.
- Cambia – Through a grant from the Cambia Health Foundation, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare funded an innovative “reverse-integration” pilot program at their Prescott Terrace supportive housing program that provides housing and other support to individuals who have spent decades on the streets and suffer from significant physical and behavioral health challenges.
- CareOregon, Columbia Pacific CCO, a part of the CareOregon, has made a $400,000 investment to support the Iron Tribe Network. The funding will help fill housing gaps in the Columbia County region. Specifically, this funding will go towards the purchase of property in Columbia County that will provide space for up to 11 families.The Iron Tribe Network offers peer support, housing and family reunification services to individuals and families overcoming pressures and barriers while in transition to leading a life that reflects their values.
- CareSource has created a $5 million affordable housing investment fund, the CareSource Fund for Appalachia with the Ohio Capital Finance Corporation (OCFC). Additionally, CareSource is donating $1 million to the Ohio Capital Impact Corporation (OCIC) to promote digital equity in southeast Ohio’s Appalachian counties. The $1 million donation will be used to improve Appalachia residents’ access to digital resources, including the installation of building-wide internet service, individual unit Wi-Fi hotspots, dedicated space for telehealth services and other supportive opportunities.Through CareSource Fund for Appalachia, the Ohio Capital Finance Corporation will leverage resources to assist Ohio’s Appalachian residents with access to the internet with goals of improving health and education outcomes. By providing low-cost bridge financing, the fund will generate additional equity and cost savings to support real estate improvements.CareSource has announced $750,000 of funding to jump start permanent supportive housing programming in Franklin County to address the risks of COVID-19 spread in congregate settings including the local jail and homeless shelter system.The support will fund the FreshStart project to identify, engage and house up to 30 CareSource members with elevated mortality risk for COVID-19 due to chronic behavioral and physical health needs who have had multiple interactions with jails and are experiencing housing instability. The program seeks to reduce reentry into congregate settings that place individuals and communities at risk for contraction and spread of COVID-19.
- CareSource is providing the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio with $1 million to help support shelter and housing services this winter. Housing insecurity is one of the primary factors that increases an individual’s risk of contracting COVID-19.
- Centene is working with Samsung Electronics America to expand access to telehealth for individuals living in rural and underserved communities. The initiative will supply providers with Samsung Galaxy A10e smartphones to disseminate to patients who would not otherwise have the ability to receive their health care virtually. Additionally, some providers will receive Samsung Galaxy tablets to use to conduct telehealth visits. With this initiative, Centene and Samsung will deploy 13,000 Galaxy A10e smartphones, with 90 days of free wireless service, to approximately 200 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), other providers and community support organizations throughout Centene’s markets, with a particular focus on rural and underserved areas. The providers and organizations will then determine which of their patients need the devices and distribute them accordingly. Centene previously announced the creation of a Medicaid Telehealth Partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to help FQHCs quickly ramp-up their capacity to provide telehealth solutions to meet the needs created by the COVID-19 crisis.
- The Cigna Foundation has announced an open call for applications for its new Health and Well-Being grant program, part of an ongoing initiative to improve access to care and eliminate health disparities.In 2021, the Cigna Foundation plans to award over $3 million in grants to support non-profits and community organizations focused on addressing these challenges. Non-profit organizations are invited to apply for grants beginning March 22. The grant cycle will close on April 23. Additional opportunities to apply for this grant program will be available throughout the year. Grants will be awarded this July.Qualified non-profits must specifically address health and well-being with programs that focus on health navigation to improve overall access to care, treatment and medications.
- CVS Health has surpassed $200 million in affordable housing investments in California as part of an ongoing commitment to address housing insecurity throughout the country. Over the past years, the company and its subsidiaries have invested in over 130 affordable housing communities across California, facilitating the construction or rehabilitation of more than 12,500 affordable homes. This milestone was achieved with CVS Health’s recent closing of a $12.1 million investment to help finance LINC Housing’s new development in Los Angeles County’s Avocado Heights. Equal (named for LINC Housing’s dedication to equality, as well as the neighborhood’s equestrian history) will provide 80 homes for families with low incomes and individuals who have experienced homelessness. LINC Housing will provide a wide range of social and supportive services to help residents maintain housing stability.
- CVS Health is investing $12.4 million to build 60 new units of affordable housing in south Phoenix, as well as to expand the company’s no-cost preventive health screening program in the greater Phoenix area.As the company works to address social determinants of health in the Phoenix area, it will also expand its national workforce initiatives program in Phoenix to help break the cycle of poverty by providing meaningful employment services and training to the community. This work will include expanding the company’s registered apprenticeship program and experience program to provide community members and job seekers with the tools they need to succeed in meaningful careers.
- Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has provided “smile bags” for Drive-Thru Dental Days in Phoenix, Mesa, and Yuma. The bags contain basic dental care necessities, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. The events, created by the Arizona Dental Foundation and the Arizona Mission of Mercy, are intended to help underserved communities by distributing oral hygiene kits and providing car side oral hygiene instruction.
- Delta Dental of California – The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation made a $500,000 grant to Meals on Wheels San Francisco to improve the oral health of the Bay Area’s most vulnerable seniors. Meals on Wheels already provides special diets for clients with challenges chewing or swallowing, making them a natural partner to work on issues related to vulnerable older adults and oral health. The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation aims to find ways to understand the oral care challenges older adults face and works with partners on solutions to address and remove those barriers.Proper nutrition is essential to oral and overall health, and there are specific relationships between oral health and food insecurity that make this partnership especially relevant. Food insecurity is linked to an increased risk of dental caries, which causes tooth decay.
- EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care offers nutrition classes, diabetes education, and more to help with a healthy diet and lifestyle. All classes are free to EmblemHealth members and non-members alike.This program is expanding into areas that are considered food deserts, where access to affordable, healthy food is limited. The Health Hub in East New York offers free wellness programs and social support services to the community, as well as primary and specialty care.
EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care partners with local farmers markets at its locations to provide community members with fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables
- Fallon Health has announced that applications for its Community Impact Grant program are being accepted. Fallon will award $100,000 in grants in 2021 to help fund innovative community-based programs that support areas or populations that are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 crisis or that provide services to seniors that overcome or mitigate social isolation. The application period will close at 5 p.m., April 30, 2021, with grants announced and awarded in September 2021.
- The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation is awarding $120,000 through its “Healthy Youth, Healthy Community” racial equity grants program. Six organizations supporting and working with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) youth in Connecticut, Mass., Maine, and New Hampshire will each receive $20,000. These grants will help BIPOC youth improve the overall health and racial equity of their community.
- Health Alliance Plan donated $100,000 to Henry’s Groceries for Health to provide food and promote nutrition. Henry’s Groceries, a collaboration between Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) and Gleaners Community Food Bank, is designed to mitigate food insecurity and improve health outcomes for vulnerable patients.
- Health Net has announced a $26 million investment to improve the collection and reporting of patient encounter data — furthering its commitment and partnership with the state to reduce disparities and improve quality of care for vulnerable populations in California. With more than 13 million, or nearly one in three Californians, currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, this initiative is a key to understanding how underserved communities are navigating and accessing care statewide.Health Net has committed a total of $50 million to fund a multi-year, multi-phased Encounter Data Improvement Program. Envisioned and developed in collaboration with the Department of Managed Health Care, the program is designed to identify and overcome barriers to the timely submission of complete and accurate patient health data across business lines — with an initial focus on the state’s Medi-Cal providers.
- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware has contributed $1 million to help build Villa Maria, The Ministry of Caring’s newest senior housing project in Wilmington’s historic Brandywine Village neighborhood.Once completed, Villa Maria will provide 72 affordable one-bedroom apartments for qualifying low- and moderate-income seniors over the age of 62.
Highmark Delaware has made this leadership gift to Villa Maria as part of a bold strategy to invest in community initiatives that reduce health inequities while dramatically improving the health of residents in the markets it serves.
Knowing that health is impacted by a broad range of social determinants, including housing, Highmark Delaware has made a commitment to driving major positive change through these kinds of community investments.
- Humana Healthy Horizons, the Medicaid business of Humana, is partnering with GoNoodle®, an interactive mindfulness and physical activity platform, to help more than two million K-6th grade kids, their parents and teachers. The partnership will impact families across seven states along with thousands of participating schools and teachers. Those states include Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. Humana and GoNoodle will engage users with custom, downloadable activities that align with Humana’s goal of improving the health of the communities it serves.Whole person health and wellness has always been a focus of both Humana and GoNoodle – and the circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought it to the forefront for more educators and parents. As the world has been focused on critical physical health needs, educators and parents have also been struggling to keep the kids in their lives moving and active during heavily-sedentary, online learning.
- Humana has committed $1.5 million in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to address social determinants that can substantially impact the health of the nation’s youth, including food insecurity and access to healthy lifestyle information. Humana’s investment will also promote equity and inclusiveness to empower youth to reach their full potential.Humana will provide nation-wide support to activate Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Healthy Habits curriculum across their 4,700 Club footprint and will co-sponsor 10 community gardens to be designed, built, and maintained by Club members with support from the local community as well as Humana’s members and employees.
- Independence Blue Cross is now offering members access to a program to help them reduce student loans and improve their financial well-being. Philadelphia-based GradFin is now available at no cost to Independence consumer plan members and commercial group customers.Independence is among the first health insurers to team up with GradFin and the first Blue plan to implement the program. The Independence GradFin program is unique in that its services are available to Independence members and those in their household, even if the household members are not enrolled in the insurer’s medical benefits. Similarly, for commercial group customers GradFin is a value-added service, so even if an employee does not elect to.receive their medical benefits through Independence, they and their family still have access to GradFin services.
- Inland Empire Health Plan continues to partner with community organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to fight for racial equality in the Inland Empire.To help strengthen Black-led and Black-empowering organizations, IEHP has also partnered with Inland Empire Community Foundation, the Black Equity Initiative, and the Inland Empire Funders Alliance providing a $50,000 sponsorship to the Inland Empire Black Equity Fund.The health plan is taking steps beyond financial support and sponsorship, working with local health and community organizations to host webinars on issues specifically affecting Black and Hispanic communities. In addition, IEHP is committed to supporting equity in all public policies by staying involved and compliant with the state’s upcoming California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal Initiative, known as CalAIM.The most recent activity includes a $2,000 sponsorship to the Center Against Racism and Trauma’s (CART) first I.E. Antiracist Summit. Held on March 17, this virtual event teaches IE residents about the Anti-racism Movement and how to actively fight against racism. Registration for this event can be found at destroyracism.org/events.
- L.A. Care Health Plan – Los Angeles County’s Department of Health Services Housing for Health Division, in partnership with L.A. Care Health Plan, has received a $19,958,664 grant from the state of California as part of the state’s Housing for a Healthy California Program.Through this grant, Housing for Health will be able to offer rental subsidies for five years to more than 250 L.A. Care Medi-Cal members experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. The grant was secured due to L.A. Care’s board-approved commitment of $7 million over the same period to Housing for Health, allowing that organization to provide intensive case management for each of the program members.
Housing for a Healthy CA is an opportunity to expand Housing for Health’s current partnership with L.A. Care to address homelessness and expand housing resources in Los Angeles County. Individuals experiencing homelessness often require intensive case management, an approach that helps individuals maintain their housing and achieve an optimum quality of life by addressing health and mental health needs, while building social and community relations.
This collaboration will allow eligible L.A. Care members to receive necessary health care and supportive services in the appropriate setting, which can reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, inpatient hospital stays and nursing home care.
- Kaiser Permanente will donate grants totaling $500,000 to 4 nonprofit, community-based organizations in Washington to address systemic racism the state. The grants will focus on civic engagement and policy, health care, education, and business and cultural development.Together these grants aim to dismantle discriminatory policies, systems, and practices and will touch nearly 52,000 individuals across the state.Kaiser Permanente has donated $25 million to support Enterprise Community Partners, a national affordable housing nonprofit. The funding will support up to 1,000 new permanent housing units for formerly homeless Californians.
- L.A. Care Health Plan Through their jointly-operated Community Resource Centers, L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan are rolling out a series of drive-thru and walk-up food pantry events across Los Angeles County in response to the growing food insecurity burdening nearly every community. The food distribution events, which will start February 20, 2021 and run throughout the year, are free and open to everyone. All safety guidelines recommended by public health officials will be followed.The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank <reports an estimated 1 in 4 people in Los Angeles County lives with food insecurity – the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the hunger problem that already existed. Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 people struggled with access to food.
- Molina Healthcare of Texas contributed $20,000 to the North Texas Food Bank to help replenish necessary food supplies for area residents experiencing high levels of unemployment or reduced income due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Thundermist Health Center and Algorex Health have partnered on an innovative food program to address extreme food insecurity in Woonsocket. The “Neighborhood-Thundermist Food Access Program” is a six-month pilot aimed at 140 Neighborhood Medicaid members who live in Woonsocket and access health care through Thundermist’s Woonsocket location.The program’s primary objective is to test whether supplemental groceries delivered to the homes of members with significant food access challenges have a positive impact, particularly when combined with the engagement of a clinical team, on the health and quality of life of participants. Rolled out over the December holidays, the pilot program will culminate in mid-June and use both quantitative and qualitative measurements to determine impact on participants’ health.
Participants in the program receive weekly or bi-weekly, depending on household size, boxes of shelf-stable foods delivered to their homes to address gaps in food access. The boxes also include face masks and hand sanitizer to support pandemic safety measures. The design of the program was informed by social determinants of health data and is unique compared to other food intervention programs in Rhode Island because of its integration of clinical engagement with participants.
- Priority Health– Total Health Care USA and Priority Health have announced the first round of grant recipients named by the Total Health Care Foundation. Created as part of the merger agreement between Priority Health and Total Health Care, the Total Health Care Foundation’s first round of grants total more than $1.8 million and are going to Southeast Michigan organizations that are committed to improving the health and well-being of the individuals they serve. The creation of the Total Health Care Foundation demonstrates Priority Health’s commitment to finding solutions to the health disparities and social determinants of health facing Michigan residents such as food and housing shortages, economic stability and health issues.
- Priority Health is continuing its support of the Battle Creek Family YMCA/Battle Creek Diaper Initiative and St. Luke’s Diaper Bank in Kalamazoo. Through October 6, Priority Health will support local families in need of diapers, as 1 in 3 families in the U.S. struggle to provide enough diapers for their children, according to a study conducted by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) and Huggies.
These extended partnerships are in addition to the nearly 230,000 diapers distributed last year in Southwest Michigan through the support of Priority Health.Priority Health has launched a new web presence that focuses on social determinants of health and health inequities. The new landing page, available to the general public, is meant to serve as a central hub for all content related to Priority Health’s efforts towards addressing SDOH.
The landing page provides visitors with educational background information on SDOH, a recently published report from Priority Health highlighting their work and programs that address health inequities, and links to programs, news coverage and articles related to the topic.
- Priority Health is continuing its support of the Battle Creek Family YMCA/Battle Creek Diaper Initiative and St. Luke’s Diaper Bank in Kalamazoo. Through October 6, Priority Health will support local families in need of diapers, as 1 in 3 families in the U.S. struggle to provide enough diapers for their children, according to a study conducted by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) and Huggies.
- Tufts Health Plan Foundation donated $900,000 in funding to 64 community organizations to help support efforts to address basic needs like food access, housing assistance, and other fundamental supports to help stay safe and healthy.
- UCare is funding more than 20,000 meals for Minnesotans through a $132,000 donation to Second Harvest Heartland. UCare is also supporting winter markets that are large-scale distributions of produce, emergency food boxes, protein and dairy. The markets are held weekly throughout the Twin Cities metro area and in Greater Minnesota.
- UPMC Health Plan and UPMC recently launched “Freedom House 2.0”— a project designed to recruit, train and employ first responders from economically disadvantaged communities, many of which have been significantly impacted by COVID-19.Run through the UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care, the program will provide training and support in two, 10-week cohorts to individuals facing health and economic disparities. The training will focus on traditional emergency medical services (EMS) and on equipping first responders to help address critical, non-emergency psychosocial needs— such as poorly managed chronic medical and behavioral health conditions and a lack of access to resources to address them— that comprise a significant portion of 911 calls.
