$85,000 is being awarded to support three initiatives in Mohawk Valley
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield recently announced the recipients of its 2023 Health Equity Innovation Awards.
The awards represent more than $520,000 in financial support for community programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities across the Health Plan’s Upstate New York service area.
“At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, our mission is to help people lead heathier more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. We’re committed to community partnerships and using our resources to support initiatives that directly target health disparities, promote access to care, and address the underlying social determinants of health, to help ensure everyone can reach their full potential,” said Simone E. Edwards, Excellus BCBS’s vice president health equity and community investments.
Earlier this year, Excellus BCBS invited organizations to apply for awards of up to $30,000 each to help fund initiatives, programs, and research that specifically target the root causes of health inequities, with a focus on addressing structural racism. Award categories include, but were not limited to, improving the community’s physical and mental health, reducing social disparities in health care, and ensuring access to health care services.
Excellus BCBS’s funding will support 20 nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations across the Rochester, Central New York, Utica/North Country, and Southern Tier regions. With more than 180 applicants, a comprehensive review process included input from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to assess each proposal. Grant recipients were selected based on clear, defined goals and measurable results for reducing health disparities and improving health equity.
In the Utica region, $85,000 is being awarded to support the following three initiatives:
• Madison County Rural Health Council, Inc.— Doula Initiatives.
Program provides doula services to pregnant residents in Madison County who qualify as low-income or may have challenges accessing prenatal, birth, and postnatal support.
• Mohawk Valley Prenatal & Maternity Support — Sister Circle, Black Birth & Breastfeeding Initiative.
Program will provide a three-day culturally sensitive workshop-training taught by DONA International-certified doula trainers. Through a rigorous application process, women of color (preferably mothers themselves), who are passionate about childbirth and breastfeeding, will be selected to be trained as labor doulas and postpartum doulas, which includes lactation support training.
• AdkAction.org, Inc .— Nourishing our Neighbors with the Fair Food Program.
Program will provide access to local foods by distributing monthly stipends through vendor-restricted smart cards. Smart cards give participants the ability to purchase foods they enjoy and want to cook, from fresh produce to pasture-raised meat, local eggs, dairy, and grains.
For the latest information on the health plan’s community investments and partnerships, members, providers and employers are encouraged to visit, ExcellusBCBS.com/community.