Blue Cross Foundation grants promote health

Companies find health equals wealth

Published Aug 20, 2012 at 1:00 pm (Updated Aug 21, 2012)

Fresh Beginnings and the Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground, both Baton Rouge programs, now have $4.5 million to help residents adopt healthier lifestyles.

The funding drives from the Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana, a statewide grant program pioneered by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. This program, the first of its kind in Louisiana, aims to reduce Louisiana's rising obesity rate by providing financial support to innovative partnerships that promote healthy eating and active living.

The Blue Cross Foundation will award $1 million each to Fresh Beginnings and the Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground. Fresh Beginnings will match the grant by nearly $1.27 million in pledged support from other community organizations, bringing the total impact to $2.27 million. Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground will match the grant by $1.2 million in pledged support from other community organizations, bringing the total impact to $2.2 million.

“Fresh Beginnings and the Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground are precisely the sort of transformational efforts the Challenge Grant Program was designed for,” says Christy Reeves, director of the foundation. “Combining the Foundation's grant with support from other organizations, Fresh Beginnings and the Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground are bringing local nonprofits together to make far-reaching changes that combat obesity and create healthier communities.”

Both projects are collaborations of local nonprofits and government agencies. Fresh Beginnings will use the funding to improve three areas in north Baton Rouge, which have limited access to supermarkets and outlets for fresh food. The Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground will use the funding to build a 4-mile trail corridor and introduce a mobile recreation program to the city.

Fresh Beginnings and the Capital Area Pathways Project and Mobile Playground are two of 12 programs statewide that will receive a total of $10.2 million in grants from the Blue Cross Foundation. The grants sparked $16.8 million in matching funds, culminating in $27 million statewide to help reduce obesity, which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems.

Throughout the funding period, which begins Sept. 1, the Blue Cross Foundation will work with Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge to administer the grants and measure their effectiveness, helping to improve the health of Louisiana communities. The progress of the programs will be posted at ourhomelouisiana.org.