The philanthropic arm of Louisville, Kentucky-based insurer Humana has launched a new program focused on addressing the social determinants of health by supporting community organizations tackling problems running the gamut from social isolation to access to healthy food with $7 million in grants.
The funding is being directed at nine organizations in seven areas that Humana has designated as “Bold Goal” communities where the company is hoping to help people improve their health by 20 percent by 2020.
Social determinants have seen increasing focus in recent years as research has shown their outsized impact on patients’ health outcomes even compared to clinical practice. The new effort from Humana follows similar announcements from health plans and providers including Intermountain Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente.
“The Humana Foundation’s new Strategic Community Investments will have a tangible impact on the health and well-being of communities across the U.S. through our collaboration with local organizations across all sectors,” Humana Foundation CEO Walter Woods said in a statement.
“We look forward to celebrating the successes of our partner organizations as they report targets and milestones of their projects in the coming year.”
The grant recipients will have the opportunity to get follow on investment based on the results they have in applying their initial funding. Here’s an overview of the programs being supported by the foundation’s $7 million contribution.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Louisville, Kentucky-based educational nonprofit Family Scholar House received a $560,000 grant to expand its HEROES program, which is geared toward unemployed and under-employed single parents and former foster youth, and assists with food security, social connection, sustained employment and asset security.
“The Humana Foundation’s investment will propel Family Scholar House as we expand our outreach activities and service to our community; moreover, it offers us opportunities to learn, grow, leverage relationships, build support, and strengthen our community,” Family Scholar House CEO Cathe Dystra said in a statement.
Also located in Louisville, community organization Metro United Way received $770,000 to expand its pilot financial literary program, which coaches economically distressed families as they move to financial independence.
In San Antonio, Texas, nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services received $1.02 million to address social isolation through its Senior Planet San Antonio program which connects seniors through internet connected technology and training courses.
The San Antonio Food Bank also received a $833,000 grant to help address senior health and social isolation through a model which uses food insecurity as an entryway to provide comprehensive services to community members.
Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Healthy BR is being supported by the both Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundations to improve access to affordable healthy foods in the region’s food deserts.
Knoxville, Tennessee-based InterFaith Health Clinic and its partner Catapault 4D were given $1.02 million to boost its Truck2Table program, which is also focused on providing affordable and healthy food to underprivileged populations.
Florida-based grant recipients were the AARP Foundation, which received a $540,000 grant to partner with health clinics to screen seniors for food insecurity and help them apply for food stamps, Wholesome Wave which received $620,000 to improve access to healthy food and The University of Florida which got $820,000 to promote social connection, food security and job security for minority, underserved and low-income seniors and their families.
Photo: vaeenma, Getty Images
