• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Blue Cross Foundation Grants Promote Good Health Among Minnesota's Immigrant Populations

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 15:00 CST

EAGAN, Minn., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation announces $610,300 in grants under its Healthy Together: Creating Community with New Americans program.

Healthy Together is a statewide initiative to promote good health among Minnesota's immigrant populations. It builds on the Foundation's grantmaking experience to help people with cultural differences navigate the health care system and recognizes that our state is home to a growing number of immigrants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

"The funded projects serve new Minnesotans from all over the world," said Daniel Johnson, executive director of the Foundation. "To help Minnesota truly be the healthiest state in the nation, we need to understand and address the health needs of our changing communities."

Healthy Together focuses on the intersection of health, immigrant integration and social adjustment.

Recent grants, by type of program, include: Mental Health and Social Adjustment

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, $150,000 over three years to promote healthy social adjustment and integration of Hmong refugee adults who have recently resettled in Minnesota from Wat Tham Krabok camp in Thailand.

Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, $80,000 over two years to develop a collaborative effort to heal torture survivors living in northwest Hennepin County through New Neighbors/Hidden Scars.

Mental Health Collective, Minneapolis, $10,000 to develop a plan for education, outreach and mental health services to African and Latino immigrants in south Minneapolis.

Open Cities Health Center, St. Paul, $90,000 over two years to support a Hmong mental health case manager, connect patients to resources and help providers increase the cultural appropriateness and effectiveness of various treatments.

Riverview Place, Fargo, ND, $10,000 to replicate a successful mentoring program with retired professionals and immigrants in the Fargo-Moorhead area and bring it to three additional cities.

Western Mental Health Center, Marshall, $50,000 over two years to hire a Community Health Worker to provide mental health outreach, support and education to immigrants in the greater Marshall area.

Capacity Building

Bosnian Women's Network, Columbia Heights, $10,000 to help develop the board and staff of this organization established in 2000 to serve Bosnians living in the Twin Cities Metro area.

Community Assistance for Refugees, Mankato, $10,000 to develop a coordinated system among six local agencies that provide resettlement support, training, immigration assistance and case management services to Somali families who are new arrivals to the Mankato area.

Eastern European Medical Society, Maplewood, $10,000 for board and staff training for this newly established organization serving new Americans who emigrated from post-communist Eastern European countries.

Hmong American Family, St. Paul, $10,000 for board and staff training in governance and nonprofit management as it provides services to prevent family violence and promote emotional and physical well-being.

Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, Rochester, $10,000 for board and staff training in mental health issues, advocacy and resources.

Liberian Women's Initiative of Minnesota, Brooklyn Park, $5,000 for this new organization to develop its board and staff.

Minnesota Directors' Forum, St. Paul, $10,000 to conduct a community needs assessment for an Asian and Pacific Islander health care center in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Slavic Community Center, St. Paul, $10,000 for strategic planning, and board and staff development to provide services to Russian-speaking residents living in the Twin Cities.

Exchanges Between Immigrants and the Receiving Community

City of Blackduck, Blackduck, $10,000 to help build relationships between the emerging Latino population and the greater community.

Heartland Community Action Agency, Willmar, $10,000 for the Willmar Area Multi-Cultural Market, and partner with Somalis, Latinos and other ethnic groups who want to start or expand a business.

Somali-American Self Development Organization of Southeast Minnesota (SASDO), Owatonna, $10,000 to build relationships among new Somali Americans and the broader community in Owatonna and identify solutions to critical issues facing the changing community.

Understanding the Need for Interfaith Intercultural Togetherness and Education (UNIITE), St. Cloud, $10,000 to plan curriculum for health care providers on the cultural, religious and health care concerns and practices of five different faiths using a complementary approach to integrate traditional faith and cultural practices with Western approaches to health care.

Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, Woodbury, $10,000 to plan an education and training program to familiarize new Hmong immigrants with this state's law enforcement and judicial systems.

YWCA, Mankato, Mankato, $10,000 to plan a program for young immigrant women to become involved in the civic life of their new community.

Other Related Grants

Minnesota International Health Volunteers, Minneapolis, $85,300 to advance and sustain the Community Health Worker Peer Network, providing professional development, peer learning and support opportunities for CHWs.

For more information on Healthy Together and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, visit us on the Web at http://www.bluecrossmn.com/foundation or call (651) 662-3950 or toll free 1-866-812-1593.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation looks beyond health care today for ideas that create healthier communities tomorrow. By addressing key factors that determine health -- beyond genes, lifestyle and access to health care -- the Foundation's work extends beyond the traditional reach of the health care system to improve community health long-term and close the health gap that affects many Minnesotans. Since it was established in 1986, the Foundation has invested more than $18 million to improve health in Minnesota. It is the state's largest grantmaking foundation to exclusively dedicate its assets to that purpose.

First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation

CONTACT: Monika Strom of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota,+1-651-662-6889

Web site: http://www.bluecrossmn.com/foundation

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category