10 Grants to SC Organizations
COLUMBIA, SC – The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation has approved 10 grants in its latest grant cycle to health-related organizations serving South Carolina’s economically disadvantaged citizens.
Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina is expanding opportunities for local community coalitions to implement evidence-based healthy eating and active living strategies with training opportunities and small implementation grants. This project expands efforts by supporting more local coalitions to increase access to healthy foods and safe places for physical activity and further builds on the letsgosc.org website to search for local places to eat smart and move more.
Edisto Regional Health Services is receiving funds for the training and certification of 10 licensed practical nurses or certified medical assistants to become skilled health coaches. The health coaches will address the social determinants of health and improve health literacy by engaging patients within and beyond clinic walls. They will serve as points of contact for an estimated 13,000 patients in rural, primary care practices in Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.
The Med-Ex Academy at Greenville Health System is building a collaborative “pipeline” model focusing on preparing minority students for entry to and success in medical school. This pilot program is designed to increase the number of Claflin University undergraduates accepted into medical school. South Carolina is well below the national average in primary care physicians per residents.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College will establish the first Paramedic-to-RN Bridge program in the Pee Dee. The Paramedic-to-RN program creates a streamlined nursing education program that allows students to receive credit for demonstrated medical and patient-care knowledge from their experience as paramedics and accelerates the timeline in which paramedics receive an associate degree in nursing (ADN). As many as 30 people could graduate from the program, potentially impacting 36,000 patients annually.
The Children’s Trust of South Carolina will strengthen the integration of data, develop community-friendly action tools and enhance ACE Master trainings to prevent and address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This project will assess the need for family resource centers in South Carolina and providing a better understanding of emotional abuse and neglect in South Carolina, one of the most common types of both ACEs and maltreatment. In South Carolina, 62 percent of adults report having experienced at least one ACE, while 38 percent have experienced two or more.
SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy will implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program with at least 500 college students at five South Carolina college campuses. It will also conduct an evaluation of the impact of using a community health worker model to reach vulnerable females ages 17-19 years who are not connected to the health care system. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, unplanned births account for nearly one in 10 dropouts among female community college students.
South Carolina Free Clinic Association will receive funds to increase access to medical, dental and behavioral health services, as well as prescription medications, at free clinics for approximately 40,000 uninsured adult patients. Funds will also be used to document the impact and reach of free medical clinics and assist with a certification process for free clinics.
United Way of Kershaw County will increase its ability to deliver fresh produce to more rural locations that are classified as food deserts. Additional locations will be reached and will be offered education on how to cook and prepare produce.
Welvista will increase operational efficiency and continue to deliver medications directly to patients, which will result in improved medication adherence and pharmaceutical management of health conditions by overcoming barriers of transportation and prescription cost. Benefits of a single-source pharmacy include comprehensive review, utilization tracking and counseling.
About the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation
Headquartered in Columbia, the foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Its mission is to promote and support healthier South Carolinians, particularly the economically vulnerable, by supporting solutions to address gaps in health care and serving as an agent of change to support innovation and value-added public-private partnerships.