The grant will fund a new program to help address food insecurity and build health center partnerships with the goal of improving patient health outcomes
HENRICO, Va. – As part of its ongoing work to address food insecurity, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation announced today a $400,000 grant for Virginia Community Healthcare Association (VCHA) to launch a ‘Food as Medicine’ program.
VCHA serves as the primary care association for Virginia’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). The Association is an integral part of Virginia’s health safety net, which includes Community Health Centers (CHCs), nonprofit rural health clinics, community-based providers of primary care, health departments providing primary care services, and other similar organizations.
“Understanding food’s critical role in health is essential for effective prevention and treatment of diet-related diseases that lead to chronic illnesses,” said Tracy Douglas, VCHA Chief Executive Officer. “With the support of this generous grant, VCHA’s Food as Medicine program is designed to meet Virginia’s CHC patients where they are in their food choices, furthering our mission to enhance our member health centers’ ability to provide affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare to the communities they serve, and expanding our reach to residents who face challenges in accessing high-quality healthcare services.
As the philanthropic arm of the company, the Anthem Foundation promotes the organization’s commitment to improving lives and communities. The Anthem Foundation has invested more than $30 million over the past three years to support programs that address food insecurity by helping individuals reach optimal health through good nutrition. Nearly seventy percent of the grant participants with chronic conditions are reporting improved health.
“This grant represents our ongoing mission for whole health embracing healthy lifestyles and addressing social determinants of health and their impact on lives of Virginians,” said Aaron Lambert, president of Anthem HealthKeepers in Virginia. “Making healthy food choices creates the solid foundation that our members need to live meaningful, productive lives.”
The Anthem Foundation grant will support VCHA’s nutrition-based initiatives to assist Virginia’s 200+ FQHC sites and community partners in their efforts to improve nutrition status for patients and their health outcomes. The program is aimed at promoting optimal health through food and nutrition education while alleviating the cost barrier to nutrition services.
ABOUT VIRGINIA COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION
Virginia Community Healthcare Association (VCHA), established in 1980, is a non-profit membership organization that serves as the primary care association for Virginia’s community health centers and lookalike health centers. VCHA’s mission is to advocate on behalf of, educate and elevate our member health centers by enhancing their ability to provide affordable, accessible, quality healthcare to the communities they serve regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, visit www.vcha.org.
ABOUT ANTHEM BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD FOUNDATION
The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a philanthropic arm of the Elevance Health Foundation. The Foundation works to address health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through strategic partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; mental health; and food as medicine. Additionally, the Foundation also responds to disasters when our communities need us the most. The Foundation coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation and its blog at www.medium.com/elevancehealthfoundation.
