Oklahoma Nonprofits Receive Nearly $1 Million in Grants From Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma awarded 21 nonprofits across the state more than $993,000 in Blue Impact^℠ grants. The grants target social and economic factors affecting Oklahomans' health and wellness. Fifty percent of the grants were awarded to rural communities and statewide programs, while the remaining funds were awarded to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.

"As an Oklahoma-grown company, we are uniquely aware of the factors that affect our state's health," said BCBSOK President Stephania Grober.. "Our Blue Impact grants target barriers to a healthy life, such as having a good-paying job, nutritious food and stable housing."

Through the Blue Impact grant program, BCBSOK invests in and partners with nonprofits offering sustainable, measurable programs to reach Oklahomans in five areas of focus. The impact areas include:

Economic Opportunity and Stability: Addressing issues such as poverty, barriers to employment and upskilling.

• Hope House: hopeForward
• Oklahoma State University Foundation: BSN summer program
• Pivot: Transitional living work experience
• SidexSide: Curating talent and employer mutuality
• Youth Medical Mentorship: Bilingual curriculum and programming

Nutrition: Supporting efforts to improve food security and increase access to nutritious food.

• Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma: Mobile market expansion
• Hunger Free Oklahoma: Summer nutrition programs
• Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma: Medically tailored meals

Neighborhood and Built Environments: Focusing on affordable healthy housing and access to transportation and physical activity.

• Family Promise of Lawton: Shelter diversion
• Legal Aide Services of Oklahoma: Stable housing
• Tulsa Higher Ed Consortium: Youth housing program
• United Way of Eastern Frontier Country: Ride United youth transportation access

Locally Defined Health Solutions: Addressing local health and human service needs.

• City Care: Low barrier night shelter
• Tulsa Area United Way: United for ALICE in Oklahoma

Optimal Health Outcomes: Helping close gaps in care, including immunizations, diabetes and cardiovascular care, behavioral health, early detection cancer screening and maternal and infant health.

• A Chance to Change: A Chance to Recover
• Emergency Infant Services: Specialty formula
• Legacy Parenting Center: Healthy Beginnings
• MetaFund: Collaborative Electronic health records
• Oklahoma City Indian Clinic: Racing for Wellness
• OU Health: Mobile lung cancer screening
• Resonance: Substance use recovery

"By partnering with nonprofits working to improve the health and lives of Oklahomans, we can amplify their reach and impact to our state's health," Grober said. "We are committed to improving the health and wellness of all Oklahomans."

For information about BCBSOK's Blue Impact grants, visit bcbsok.com.

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About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
For 85 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has been committed to meeting the health care financing needs of Oklahomans. As the state's oldest and largest private health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma provides health care benefit plans for more than 850,000 Oklahomans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.