Tag: Grant

Community Health Center of Richmond Received a $500,000 Grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation to Advance Maternal Health Outcomes

A $500,000 grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation will help narrow the maternal health inequity gap across Staten Island and surrounding communities.

To celebrate the start of Black Maternal Health Week, Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation today presented a $500,000 grant to the Community Health Center of Richmond, Inc. (“CHCR”) to improve maternal and child health outcomes in the borough of Richmond County, Staten Island, New York. The grant will support CHCR’s ongoing work to sustain healthy
pregnancies, reduce preterm births, and foster strong parenting by improving access to culturally competent, quality prenatal and postpartum care.

“High quality, culturally competent maternal healthcare not only ensures the health and wellbeing of moms and babies, but also serves as a vital public health resource that lifts up and supports entire families, communities and health systems across New York,” said Mark Levy, MD, President, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus. “This latest partnership between Empire and CHCR is going to help build a brighter, healthier future for mothers and babies throughout the state.”

CHCR will utilize grant funds to:
1. Expand maternal health education for patients during their third trimester, including childbirth education, birthing plans and empowering women to speak with their caregivers.
2. Expand postpartum follow-up and create more opportunities to connect families with resources.
3. Implement group prenatal care model, Centering Pregnancy, and expand cohorts across CHCR’s locations.
4. Support Staten Island Perinatal Network for Better Birth Outcomes as it transitions from a coalition to an independent sustainable not-for-profit corporation.
5. Grow innovative partnerships with select chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (one of the nation’s oldest Black fraternities) to increase breastfeeding education and awareness across the communities of each alumni chapter.

According to the New York Department of Health, the maternal mortality rate in New York was 18.9 per 100,000 live births, and women with less than a high school education are almost three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than women with at least a college degree. Additionally, Black women are almost four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

CHCR and Empire celebrated the grant announcement with a check presentation ceremony at CHCR’s health center located at 135 Canal Street, 3rd Floor, Staten Island, New York, that featured remarks from CHCR CEO, Dr. Henry Thompson, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus President Dr. Mark Levy, medical experts and borough representatives, including Drs. Anthony Ferreri, Joseph Conte, and Ginny Mantello.

The parent foundation of Empire BlueCross BlueShield has committed nearly $30 million in grants through 2024 to make significant progress on improving maternal and child health outcomes across the country.

[Press Release] Staten Island PPS Receives Grant From Altman Foundation To Promote Workforce Development Outcomes Through Registered Apprenticeship Programs

 

Staten Island PPS Receives Grant From Altman Foundation To Promote Workforce Development Outcomes Through Registered Apprenticeship Programs

Staten Island PPS received $250,000 over 2 years to support the efforts to train 350+ community members in four apprenticeship titles

Staten Island, NY, December 2022 – Staten Island PPS received a grant from the Altman Foundation for $250,000 to further support the efforts from SI PPS to fill workforce gaps brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and will streamline the process from training to employment.

“The award from the Altman Foundation will support the PPS in its goal to provide pathways to gainful employment for those affected by the opportunity gap created by disparities” said Joseph Conte, PhD, the Executive Director of the PPS. “With related grants, the PPS seeks to create a pipeline of qualified candidates to fill workforce shortages throughout New York in entry level jobs in healthcare, specifically Community Health Workers (CHW), Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPA), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), and Home Health Aides (HHA). This grant will also support recruitment, cultivation, maintenance, and expansion of Staten Island PPS’s network of healthcare and service providers who are committed to hosting and providing paid on-the-job training.”

“The PPS is playing a vital role in attracting funding for training and employment to the members of the community who have been affected by the opportunity gap,” added Brahim Ardolic, MD executive director at SIUH. “Many don’t get a fair chance to even believe they can achieve something, let alone the resources necessary to reach for it. This has nothing to do with a person’s abilities and everything to do with the opportunities available to them. This work levels the playing field. We are going to see thousands of lives changed in Staten Island and beyond.”

“Our team is extremely grateful for this support from the Altman Foundation” added Mary Han, Director of Workforce. “This will allow us to dedicate a resource on engaging youth from underserved communities and follow them through their training and employment journey.”

[Press Release] Staten Island Performing Provider System and Partners Announce $4 Million Investment From The Secure Future Project and Northwell Health to Combat The Opioid Crisis

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Announce Plans to Explore the Adoption of this Innovative Program in Their Jurisdictions

Staten Island, NY, NOVEMBER [10], 2021 – In the face of an unprecedented 50% increase in overdose deaths across the United States, the Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) and partners announced a game-changing $4 million investment to combat the opioid crisis, funded both by Northwell Health and by a $3 million grant from the Secure Future Project and its founders.

 

The grant—provided by The Secure Future Project and its founders, Fabienne and Doug Silverman and Jennifer and David Millstone—will launch “Hotspotting the Opioid Crisis,” a data-driven program designed to provide high-risk individuals with peer-centered, recovery-focused care. This program will be implemented by SI PPS alongside local treatment providers and the Office of the Richmond County District Attorney, with the goal of providing care before, not after, an opioid overdose.

 

In collaboration with the MIT Sloan School of Management, SI PPS has developed a predictive algorithm to focus the initiative’s efforts on community members who are most at risk of suffering from an overdose. Many of these individuals have been inadequately engaged in care, have left treatment programs, or have been impacted by system-wide issues such as a lack of access to in-person services. The “Hotspotting the Opioid Crisis” program will deploy fully-funded teams whose sole focus will be on preventing opioid harm by engaging and coordinating these high-risk individuals in their recovery journey, thereby improving outcomes and delivering value to the health system.

 

County Executives Pat Ryan of Ulster County and Steve Bellone of Suffolk County also announced that they will actively explore the adoption of the “Hotspotting the Opioid Crisis” model in their respective counties. ushering in an exciting new state-wide paradigm for combating the Opioid Crisis in New York.

 

Former New York Congressman and The Secure Future Project Senior Advisor, Max Rose notes, “Next year, more people will likely die from the Opioid crisis than COVID. This is a crisis of the gravest proportions which demands not more of the same, but an innovative, bold, and data-based strategy. The Secure Future Project is honored to be supporting this hotspotting pilot not only because it will save lives on Staten Island, but also because it will set the framework for a new statewide and nationwide model to combat this horrific epidemic. In short, because of this amazing investment and partnership, lives will be saved and healthcare provision will be transformed.”

 

“For more than two decades, the opioid crisis has ravaged New York, taking thousands of lives and tearing apart countless families,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “By intervening before it’s too late, SI PPS will serve as a vital resource for the people of Staten Island and will help stop high-risk individuals from falling through the cracks. I am confident that the $4 million investment being announced today by The Secure Future Project and Northwell Health will work hand-in-hand with the hundreds of millions of dollars my office has already secured for New York City to tackle this epidemic. Just as I have worked tirelessly to end the devastation from opioid addiction, SI PPS is doing incredible work to combat the opioid crisis and protect New Yorkers.”

 

“The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on our region, causing heartbreak for far too many families,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “As we work to end this pandemic once and for all, I have already spoken with Northwell Health about the possibility of bringing this innovative, data-driven initiative to Suffolk. I believe this approach can make a real difference, and I’m recommending the program architects present before our Opioid Task Force for consideration in Suffolk County.”

 

“We know that the pressures created by COVID-19 have led to an increase in opioid overdoses and fatalities in Ulster County and around the nation,” Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said. “In light of this, we must double down on our efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. In Ulster County we are expanding our High Risk Mitigation team and using our recently received opioid settlement funds to combat this crisis. I am confident that these initiatives along with programs like the Hotspotting the Opioid Crisis model⁠, will help to save lives.”

 

“This is an exciting and unique collaboration with SI PPS that could result in a significant amount of learning—not just about what works, but also about how and why it works and how it can be adapted and scaled to other groups,” said Dr. Anne Quaadgras, director of MIT Sloan’s Initiative for Health Systems Innovation (HSI).

 

“The majority of the tools available in our criminal justice system are reactive, yet for anyone battling a substance use disorder, particularly as fentanyl has become even more prevalent, failing to be proactive is too often the difference between life and death. That is why this initiative is so important, because identifying those at risk and deploying resources, including peer recovery coaches, to work alongside them and connect them to services before they suffer an overdose, will undoubtedly save lives, keep families whole, and make Staten Island a healthier and safer place,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. “As always, we are incredibly proud to be working in partnership with the Staten Island Performing Provider System, Staten Island treatment providers, former-Congressman Max Rose, and the founders of The Secure Future Project, who all have shown tremendous leadership on this important issue.”

 

“The opioid crisis cannot be addressed alone. It takes allies,” said Brahim Ardolic, Executive Director of the Staten Island University Hospital. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic has burned in the background, and all of the data suggests that it will keep burning as we come out of the pandemic. We need to use that data to our advantage.”

 

Dr. Ardolic pointed to how predictive modeling like MIT’s algorithm has been successful in positioning ambulances in the community for better emergency response time after each call. Joseph Conte, Executive Director of the Staten Island PPS, said, “With this generous funding, our goal is to design and implement an evidence-making program that will contribute to attacking the substance use disorder problem on Staten Island and beyond.”

 

For more information, contact:
Lauren Tepfer
ltepfer@statenislandpps.org
(917) 830-1149

Staten Island PPS Receives Grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield

STATEN ISLAND PPS RECEIVES GRANT FROM EMPIRE BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD FOUNDATION FOR $100,000 TO ADDRESS RACIAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

Staten Island, NY, MARCH, 2021 – Staten Island PPS received a $100,000 grant from Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation as part of the Healthy Generations Program. The Healthy Generations Program focuses on targeting specific, preventable health concerns—and addressing the disparities and social determinants that affect them—to create a healthier generation of Americans. Empire is committed to investing in programs that focus on preventable health conditions while addressing disparities and social determinants of health, which is at the core of the work Staten Island PPS has achieved together with our partners over the last five years.

“At Empire, we are committed to improving the lives and health of everyone in the communities we support,” said Jennifer Kuhn, Empire Medicaid Plan President. “Through this partnership, we’ll continue to provide meaningful resources dedicated to addressing racial inequalities and health disparities that adversely impact communities of color.”

The focus of the grant is highly aligned with SI PPS population health activities – to create systemic change to better address health disparities, especially in communities of color. It will support collaborative health care by incorporating mental health into primary care services, improving access to mental health services and addressing social determinant of health needs.

The $100,000 funding from this grant will be braided into additional program support to build the capacity of our 70 partner organizations to do this work. “Our greatest strength is our comprehensive partnership network” according to Dr. Joseph Conte, Executive Director of the Staten Island PPS. He added, “Together, our work allows providers and CBOs to adjust to the changing conditions stemming from COVID-19 and mitigate the pressures on our healthcare system, while still addressing the multitudes of health crises that we faced before the virus”.

Specifically, this grant will be used to help increase screening and identification of individuals, specifically for substance use disorder, and increase referrals and access to substance use disorder treatment and services, and other behavioral health resources. Staten Island PPS will also use this grant to fund and collaborate with BIPOC led organizations to understand and address racial disparities, ensuring health care providers on Staten Island are providing culturally competent care. “SI PPS is grateful for this funding from Empire”, says Ashley Restaino, Managing Director of Strategy and Operations at SI PPS. “It will help us achieve our mission of not only improving overall health for Staten Islanders but addressing racial disparities that negatively impact BIPOC communities. We are eager to understand health equity issues from the voices of community members and use our influence in the provider community to implement positive changes.”

The activities from this program will create ongoing benefits to communities of color. It will integrate behavioral health into primary care services and help make mental health routine. Our SDoH platform will provide access to additional social resources on an ongoing basis. Cultural competency training, provided under the grant, will also support and encourage a more diverse and culturally sensitive healthcare environment.