JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF), is presenting a $100,000 grant to be paid over two years to the Florida Heart Research Institute in Miami-Dade County. The funding will be used to support Mission To Health, an outreach program for health screening for the Pan African communities in the Miami-Dade area.
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With this grant, the Florida Heart Research Institute will use large churches serving the Pan African population to provide individuals with screening tests such as blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, HDL and glucose. Each church will offer wellness programs as part of the initiative.
“This grant will allow us to expand our screening programs to stop heart disease among at-risk populations in South Florida,” said Kathy DuCasse, CEO, Florida Heart Research Institute.
The Blue Foundation is dedicated to making a constructive contribution to the health and well being of all Floridians -- especially the underserved and uninsured. The Florida Heart Research Institute grant is one of nine, totaling $582,108, that The Blue Foundation will present this winter to nonprofit health clinics and community outreach programs across Florida.
“The Florida Heart Research Institute’s programs are closely aligned with the goals of The Blue Foundation,” said Susan Towler, executive director of The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. “Through this funding and the resulting health screening and wellness programs, we can work together in the fight against heart disease.”
The Blue Foundation annually awards up to $1 million in grants during two grant cycles. With the completion of the winter grant cycle, The Blue Foundation will have awarded 103 grants totaling nearly $5.5 million over its first five years in operation.
The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of BCBSF incorporated in the state of Florida. The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, and its parent, BCBSF, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information on The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, please visit its web site at http://www.bluefoundationfl.com .
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CONTACT: Michael Hutton, Ph.D., +1-904-905-8383, or Susan Wildes,+1-904-905-3045, both of The Blue Foundation