For Immediate Release
July 14, 2004

Contact:
Gena Arthur, (919) 765–2916
Mark Stinneford, (919) 765–3745

BCBSNC Of North Carolina Foundation Awards Grants
Grants to 14 organizations total more than $183,000

Chapel Hill, NC – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC Foundation) has awarded 14 grants totaling more than $183,000 to organizations that promote programs and services improving the health and well–being of North Carolinians.

Grants were awarded to programs helping women, children, and seniors with priority given to programs stressing physical activity, offering health screenings and promoting health education and safety.

The YWCA of the Greater Triangle, Raleigh received $20,000 for its model ENCOREplus® breast cancer screening program. Part of the YWCA of the USA women’s health initiative, the program is cited as one of the strongest of its kind in the nation. ENCOREplus® provides free mammograms to women 40 and over without health insurance or who have an annual deductible over $200; women with incomes lower than $30,000 or women at high risk for breast cancer mortality, such as, African–American women or those who have a family history of breast cancer.

“Over the past 10 years, the YWCA ENCOREplus® program has provided thousands of medically underserved women in Wake County with no cost breast cancer education and screening services,” said YWCA of the Greater Triangle executive director Leigh Duque. “Thanks to the Foundation’s generous grant, the YWCA can now reach out to women in Johnston County with the potentially life saving breast health services they so need and deserve.”

Yadkin County Health Department received a $16,345 grant for their “Healthy Hearts of Yadkin” program, which offers free cholesterol and glucose screenings to the public and to eighth grade students in nine elementary schools to prevent heart disease and diabetes. According to the 2003 Yadkin Community Health Assessment, 47 percent of Yadkin County residents reported they had high cholesterol, 44 percent had high blood pressure, 29 percent had heart disease or had had a heart attack, and 26 percent had diabetes.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the CDC,” said April Pardue, health promotion coordinator for the Yadkin County Health Department. “It’s important that we screen students at a young age, because studies show that lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure can reduce the risk of developing heart disease.”

Additional grant recipients are:

• American Lung Association, Raleigh–awarded $25,000 for six statewide asthma camps.
• Coordinating Council for Senior Citizens, Durham–awarded $10,000 for programs for seniors directed at intervention for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
• Council on Adolescents of Catawba County, Hickory–awarded $13,800 to develop and pilot an interactive healthy lifestyles component as part of existing courses on entering adolescence.
• Council on Aging in Union County, Monroe–awarded $5,254 to provide medical equipment to seniors who cannot afford to rent or purchase the equipment.
• Friends of the Chapel Hill Senior Center, Chapel Hill–awarded $5,700 for a foot–health care assessment program for at–risk populations.
• Glory to Glory House of Refuge, Raleigh–awarded $10,000 to offer shelter and residential support services to assist women in regaining control of their lives, including healthy lifestyle management.
• HAVEN in Lee County, Sanford–awarded $8,340 to serve families seeking services for domestic violence/sexual assault with a focus on the Hispanic population.
• Learning Together, Raleigh–awarded $6,000 for dance classes for children with disabilities to increase physical activity and enhance gross motor skills.
• National Kidney Foundation of NC, Charlotte–awarded $10,000 to expand services at Kidney Kamp, a camp for children living with kidney and urological diseases.
• Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind, Raleigh–awarded $13,000 for a health and wellness program for those who are blind and have chronic health issues.
• United Family Services, Charlotte–awarded $25,000 to provide hospital–based intervention for domestic violence
• Walltown Neighborhood Ministries, Durham–awarded $15,000 for a program designed to respond to families living in multidimensional crisis and poverty.

“These organizations are making a real difference in the lives of North Carolinians,” said Kathy Higgins, vice president of the BCBSNC Foundation. “Through their innovative approaches to complex health and social issues, these dedicated local grantees serve as models for communities throughout our state.”