Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois awards $1 million in community grants to Advance Wellness Can’t Wait campaign

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is awarding 15 community-based organizations a total of $1M in funding to promote expanded access to preventive health care resources, including wellness visits, screenings, vaccinations, and health education. These grants are part of BCBSIL’s Wellness Can’t Wait campaign, which focuses on empowering people to take a proactive approach to their health aimed at impacting their long-term wellness.

“To help our communities stay healthy, it’s important that we provide opportunities for as many people as possible to make their health a priority. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is proud to partner with hyperlocal community organizations that do so much to make wellness care and resources accessible on a neighborhood level,” said Harmony Harrington, vice president of government and community relations, BCBSIL. “This Thanksgiving week, we want to express our thanks for our community partners who are working with us to help Illinois residents maintain regular checkups and health screenings.”

Many Illinois residents had understandably put off in-person appointments for non-urgent care at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to navigate the pandemic, it is important people get back on track by making preventive care a priority.

Organizations receiving individual grants ranging between $25k and $160k include:

Albertsons (Osco)
Angel Harvey Family Health Center of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago
Blessing Health System
Chicago Department of Public Health
Chicago Family Health Center
Edgar County Health Department
Erie Family Health Center
Family Christian Health Center
Heartland Health Centers
Howard Brown Health
Lawndale Christian Health Center
Malcolm X College
Midwest Asian Health Association
Mobile Care Chicago
Pillars Community Health

These organizations will use the funding to host local events, share educational resources and spread the word about how residents can access care in their communities. Services provided as a result of the grants will include COVID-19 and flu vaccinations, routine pediatric and adult vaccinations, access to dental, behavioral, infant and maternal health care, and wellness screenings.

BCBSIL offered this special round of Wellness Can’t Wait grant funding through its Care Van® Immunization Initiative, which includes reinvesting payments from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) for providing quality care to Medicaid Members.