HCSC Awards $9M+ to Support Healthier Communities

CHICAGO, Aug. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) is providing more than $9M to community organizations in the states through its 2023 Major Grant Program. HCSC is the largest customer owned health insurer and operates health plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

These grants will provide critical funding to address the social determinants of health (SDOH), and support HCSC's newly redesigned community investment areas of focus, which recognize the importance social and economic factors have on health and wellness:

• Economic Opportunity and Stability: Addressing issues such as poverty, removing barriers to employment, providing good jobs, and upskilling.
• Nutrition: Supporting efforts to decrease hunger and increase access to nutritional food.
• Neighborhood and Local Assets: Focusing on affordable healthy housing, access to transportation, and access to physical activity.
• Locally Defined Health Solutions: Addressing hyperlocal health and human service needs.
• Optimal Health Outcomes: Helping close gaps in care, specifically around six priority areas: immunizations; diabetes care; cardiovascular care; behavioral health; early detection cancer screening and maternal & infant health.

"HCSC is pleased to contribute to the resilience and ongoing efforts of local community organizations in driving positive change," said Clarita Santos, HCSC executive director of corporate and civic partnerships. "The meaningful impact they make every day, reflects our commitment to expanding access to care, supporting community development, and addressing social determinants of health."

2023 grantees include:

In Texas:

• Bonton Enterprises, Which runs a community farm and aims to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity and lay a foundation where change yields health, wholeness, and opportunity as the norm.
• My Possibilities, the first full-day, year-long continuing education and job placement program in North Texas, aimed to give adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities the chance at higher education and an opportunity to let their untapped possibilities shine.

In Oklahoma:

• Madison Strategies, which supports the provision of educational opportunities, career pathways, soft skills, and career advancement training for marginalized communities in north Tulsa.
• Hunger Free Oklahoma feeds children in Oklahoma schools who are currently unable to access federally-funded summer meal programs.

In New Mexico:

• New Mexico Ramp Project

provides no-cost ramps to low-income individuals across the state who are disadvantaged by mobility issues so that they can safely enter and exit their residences.

• La Plaza de Encuentro

supports low-income Latina immigrants in building skills to generate income in the home health industry as small business owners, independent contractors, community health educators and members of a worker-led cooperative

In Illinois:

• Cultivate Collective is developing and scaling an evidenced-based community model where education, wellness, sustainability, and economic vitality work in harmony to drive meaningful, multi-generational impact.
• NAMI Illinois, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

In Montana:

• St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation
  raises awareness and reduces stigma associated with mental illness, especially among youth.
• Montana Pediatrics, which supports Montana Pediatrics efforts to address two primary challenges concerning health care delivery: limited access to pediatric care and a waning primary care workforce in rural areas of the state.

About Health Care Service Corporation

Health Care Service Corporation is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer, with 18 million members in its health plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A Mutual Legal Reserve Company, HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

SOURCE Health Care Service Corporation