For Immediate Release
March 23, 2004

Contact:
Kate Green, (919) 765-4069
Gena Arthur, (919) 765-2916

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation Awards Grants
(Grants to 11 organizations total more than $128,000)

Chapel Hill, NC — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC Foundation) has awarded 11 grants totaling more than $128,000 to organizations that promote programs and services improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians.

Programs receiving priority for BCBSNC Foundation funding meet the needs of the uninsured, eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities, or promote physical activity, screenings and health education. The YWCA of the Central Carolinas in Charlotte received $20,500 for a fitness initiative program that supports at–risk youth and women through its Youth Development and Women in Transition project. Diabetes Management Solutions in Raleigh, received $10,980 for a pilot program offering education and diabetes management to patients from a mobile diabetes classroom located right outside their doctor’s door.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2003, diabetes was the fifth leading cause of death and the third most costly disease in the United States. North Carolina is ranked 14th overall in the prevalence of diabetes1. Diabetes Management Solutions Executive Director, Kim Hanchette, credits caring physician practices, like that of Wake Forest Family Physicians, for working in partnership with her organization.

“In this pilot, we will coordinate care, provide support, education and follow-up, as well as serve as the liaison to the office staff to make sure no appointment has been missed,” said Hanchette. “It’s a partnership that will help people with diabetes receive good medical care, quality education and the emotional support they need to manage their disease–right at their doctor’s back door.”

Additional grant recipients are:

• Chatham County Public Health Department, Pittsboro—awarded $8,850 for a diabetes support group and volunteer training to reach more of its target population.
• El Centro Hispano, Durham—awarded $10,000 to increase access to and utilization of health care services by underserved and uninsured Latino women and their families.
• Graham Children’s Health Services of Toe River, Burnsville—awarded $20,465 for preventive care for Hispanic and other uninsured children at school–based health centers.
• Healthy Children of Rowan County, Salisbury—awarded $10,000 to establish an after-hours physical fitness program combining physical fitness, nutrition, and character building.
• Housing for New Hope, Durham—awarded $10,000 to establish a comprehensive and sustainable health program for residents of five housing programs.
• Interfaith Assistance Ministry, Hendersonville—awarded $8,430 for a computer in every office to expedite the access and exchange of information for the Medi–Find program.
• The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston–Salem—awarded $7,000 to expand health education workshops, physical fitness classes, and enrichment programs to engage and support an active lifestyle for older adults.
• Lincoln Community Health Center, Durham—awarded $12,057 to install an individually held paging system that allows patients to attend sessions and visit other locations in the facility and be alerted privately, efficiently, and in a respectful manner for prescription dispensing.
• Mecklenburg Medical Alliance Endowment, Inc., Charlotte—awarded $10,000 for a program for the uninsured poor, in which physician volunteers meet with patients to provide diagnostic services, pharmaceutical assistance, and hospital services as needed.

“These programs address a myriad of health challenges faced by North Carolinians,” said Kathy Higgins, vice president of the BCBSNC Foundation. “Our grantees demonstrate tremendous commitment by bringing innovative programs into their local communities. These programs improve health and serve as models for success in communities across the state.”

The BCBSNC Foundation recently awarded a $10 million grant to the N.C. Association of Free Clinics (NCAFC) to strengthen and expand the clinics’ health services to the uninsured and underinsured across North Carolina. The grant, to be distributed over five years, is the largest ever to be made by the BCBSNC Foundation and the largest to be received by the Association.