The Highmark Foundation Supports The Expansion Of Wellness Initiatives For Allegheny County Families
Grants provide access to health education programs
October 23, 2008
PITTSBURGH ý The Highmark Foundation recently awarded $322,700 to two nonprofit organizations in Allegheny County to support the expansion of programs that provide access to health and wellness facilities and education for families. The grants will benefit a wellness education initiative for underserved children and adults and a pre-natal and early childhood training program for expectant mothers.
It is important that individuals of all ages have access to resources that can help them learn how to live healthier lifestyles, said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. These programs are providing much needed opportunities for underserved families in the Pittsburgh region to engage in wellness education and training courses.
The following grants were awarded under the Highmark Foundation's general health funding category, which focuses on addressing four key areas of health care concern: chronic disease, communicable disease, family health and service delivery systems.
About Centers for Healthy Hearts and Souls
A 2007 assessment of four Pittsburgh communities ý Braddock, Central North Side, Beltzhoover and the Hill District ý showed low rates of physical activity, high rates of diabetes, childhood obesity and tobacco use among children and adults in the region. There is also a lack of family wellness facilities and health education programs to teach how to treat or prevent a condition before it becomes chronic or unmanageable.
The Centers for Healthy Hearts and Souls was awarded $246,000 over three years to support the expansion of the Healthy Individual, Family and Community wellness initiative to provide residents in the four aforementioned communities with access to opportunities to participate in organized wellness activities to improve their health habits. The program is an 18-week health promotion, disease prevention and spiritual-based initiative consisting of three curriculums: fitness and nutrition, diabetes management and youth corps.
The program is currently being delivered in the Lower North Side, Wilkinsburg and East Liberty communities and reaches more than 700 individuals. The expanded program is expected to serve 500 new individuals each year, reaching 1,500 individuals by the end of the grant.
About Ohio Valley General Hospital Foundation
Women's health experts recommend that women initiate prenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy. Approximately 25 percent of the 14,249 births in Allegheny County are to females under the age of 24; more than 18 percent of these young mothers do not receive prenatal care or it is delayed until after the end of the first trimester.
The Ohio Valley General Hospital Foundation was awarded $76,700 over three years to establish the Growing Strong Healthy Families: Best Beginnings program for low-income, uninsured, underinsured and underserved expectant mothers. The pre-natal and early childhood program aims to improve the quality of life for uninsured teens, low-income women and their children in the Ohio Valley.
The Best Beginnings program will focus on risk reduction (such as eliminating exposure to alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse) to prevent or reduce adverse outcomes and healthy lifestyle behaviors through education. The 24-session program includes one-on-one interactions with a physician, obstetrical nurse or educator and a dietitian and interactive group sessions. The program plans to engage 100 women to participate from the time of birth until the child is two years old.
About the Highmark Foundation
The Highmark Foundation, created in 2000 as an affiliate of Highmark Inc., is a charitable organization and a private foundation that supports initiatives and programs aimed at improving community health. The foundation's mission is to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who reside in the Pennsylvania communities served by Highmark Inc. The foundation awards two types of grants: Highmark Healthy High 5, which includes a focus on the health and well-being of children in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, self-esteem, bullying and grieving; and its traditional four areas of general health focus, which include chronic disease, communicable disease, family health and service delivery systems. Where possible, the foundation looks to support evidence-based programs that impact multiple counties and work collaboratively to leverage additional funding to achieve replicable models.
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