Excellus BlueCross BlueShield announces Health Equity Innovation Award recipients

SYRACUSE, NY – Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is excited to announce the recipients of its Health Equity Innovation Awards, designed to support community programs and services that focus on combating racial and ethnic health disparities across upstate New York.

Last fall, Excellus BCBS called on organizations to apply for grants that would fund initiatives, programs, and research that confront the fundamental causes of health inequities, with an emphasis on the impact of structural racism. The health plan hopes the awards will help to enhance the physical and mental health of our communities, reduce social disparities in health care, and promote equitable access to health services.

The funding, which totals more than $500,000, will benefit 19 nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the Central New York/Southern Tier, Rochester, and Utica/North Country regions. From an application pool of nearly 300 submissions, recipients were selected based on their well-defined objectives and quantifiable results aimed at diminishing health disparities and advancing health equity.

In the Central New York/Southern Tier region, Excellus BCBS Health Equity Innovation Award funding will support the following initiatives:

• Cayuga County Community Health Network, Inc.​: Program will support the training of doulas, create opportunities for them to become Medicaid-certified providers, and provide referrals to doulas for birthing individuals, increasing access to maternal health care for birthing individuals in Cayuga County.​
   
• Cortland Area Communities That Care Coalition, Inc.: Program will support daytime spaces for individuals experiencing housing insecurity. The space will provide access to critical support services, including meals and hygiene facilities, and connect participants to essential health-related services. ​
   
• Crouse Health Foundation​: Program will support integrating community-based doulas into Crouse Health's care team, creating a more inclusive and supportive environment that respects expectant families' diverse needs and experiences. The project will emphasize collaboration and communication between health care providers and doulas to improve patient satisfaction, support safe pregnancies and childbirth, eliminate pregnancy-related health disparities, and improve health outcomes for new mothers and babies.
   
• Farnham Family Services: Program will support the Recovery Engagement and Access Coordinator for Health (REACH) team, consisting of a care coordination specialist, vocational counselor, certified recovery peer advocate, and counselor assistance, to focus on the social and economic factors that impact individuals' health and well-being across their lifespan.
   
• Hopeprint, Inc​.: Program will encourage community members to utilize a network of neighborhood spaces for community-based education and resources focused on maternal and mental health. This includes a non-medical clinic that acts as a trusted hub for assistance in accessing maternal mental health and social determinants of health services.
   
• SAGE Upstate: Program will support the Take Care Together initiative to reduce health disparities by countering isolation. The initiative will engage 50+ participants in weekly social, fitness, and health education activities and record their experiences to gain an understanding of the impact of social connection.
   
• Syracuse Community Health Center: Program will support a mental health early intervention program designed to help pregnant and postpartum women navigate the physical and emotional changes experienced during pregnancy. A psychiatric nurse practitioner will use a combination of evidence-based therapies delivered via individualized and monthly group sessions. The program will also provide educational resources and referrals.
   
• Broome County Council of Churches: Program will tackle food insecurities by funding a mobile grocery bus that delivers access to food in underserved areas of Broome County.
   
• CareFirstNY: Program will address the need to support behavioral and mental health in the community by providing specialized support for those coping with loss and other grief-related matters for children and adults.
   
• Economic Opportunity Program: The Empowerment program will address known needs of women and girls in Chemung County by helping to meet the physical needs of women of in emergency situations.
   
• Family Service Society: Program will provide free behavioral health screenings to address the need to support behavioral and mental health in local youth.
   
• Meals on Wheels of Chemung County: Program will establish a cafe to address hunger and food insecurity in the community, by providing free meals-to-go with a focus on helping the elderly population.

For the latest information on Excellus BCBS’s community investments and partnerships, visit ExcellusBCBS.com/community.
 

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Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a nonprofit health plan with 1.5 million upstate New York members. The company's mission is to help people live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. Its products and services include cost-saving prescription drug discounts, wellness tracking tools and access to telemedicine. With more than 4,200 employees, the company is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce to foster innovation and better serve its members. It also encourages employees to engage in their communities by providing paid volunteer time off as one of many benefits. To learn more, visit ExcellusBCBS.com.