Seven CNY nonprofits receive Excellus funding awards for health programs

DeWITT — Programs that seven Central New York nonprofits offer will benefit from a total of more than $27,000 in community health awards from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS). 

Excellus, the largest health insurer in Central New York, announced the awards in a news release on Oct. 27.

“These awards complement our existing grants and sponsorships with agencies that work to enhance quality of life, including health status, in Central New York,” Dr. Arthur Vercillo, regional president of the Rochester–based health insurer, said in the release.

Excellus awards the funding to organizations that have programs aimed at improving “the health of a specific segment of the community,” said Vercillo. 

It awards the funding based on need, program goals, number of people expected to benefit from the program, and “positive” impact on the community’s health status, Vercillo said.

The health insurer awarded funding of up to $4,000 to seven organizations in Excellus BCBS’s eight-county Central New York region. Nearly 45 applicants had sought funding.

The recipients include Consortium for Children’s Services in Syracuse, which will use the money to fund “Baby Beginnings,” a program that the organization expects to reach up to 2,000 new mothers and their families at Crouse Hospital, according to Excellus.

The program educates new moms on topics that include sudden infant-death syndrome, the importance of checkups and immunizations, postpartum depression, and infant care. 

Food Bank of Central New York in Syracuse will use its funding for “Diabetes and You,” a program that connects emergency-food program recipients in Onondaga and Oswego counties with diabetes education by a registered dietitian who specializes in working with food-insecure populations.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY in Syracuse will use its award to fund the “high-risk pregnancy outreach program,” which provides temporary lodging to women receiving care at the regional perinatal center for high-risk infants and awaiting delivery at Crouse Hospital.

The program also provides support for caregivers of expectant mothers who are awaiting delivery of high-risk babies. The program expects to serve 45 women in its first year. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Jefferson County in Watertown will utilize its funding for the “4-H Choose Health” program. The research-based curriculum addresses the high percentage of overweight and obese schoolchildren in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, Excellus said. 

The program promotes wellness, increased physical activity, and nutrition education at 4-H Club camps, county fairs, and after-school programs across the two counties.

Cortland County Community Action Program in Cortland is working on “Pump It Up for Health,” a communitywide education and outreach program that encourages new mothers to exclusively breastfeed for at least the first six months of their baby’s lives.

Cortland Prevention Resources, a division of Family Counseling Services, will offer “Keep A Clear Mind,” a parent-child, take-home drug-education program. It is geared toward fifth-grade students and tackles such topics as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use and making good choices.

The program seeks to help parents learn the facts about substance abuse and help their children learn refusal skills. It includes student-activity books, incentives, and parent newsletters, Excellus said.

The recipients also include Hospicare & Palliative Care Services of Tompkins County in Ithaca, which will expand the organization’s communitywide bereavement programs. The goal is to add three new monthly bereavement groups, including one for children, a second for bereaved spouses, and a third for grieving parents.      

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com