Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona&rsquo;s Mobilize AZ initiative has
awarded grants to seven local community organizations, providing funding
to help combat diabetes and address social determinants of health.&nbsp;
The
grants will support projects that improve health outcomes for patients
living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, or gestational
diabetes, or which impact systems that contribute to improving diabetes
outcomes, including health disparities.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The local organizations
receiving the grant funds are a crucial part of our community, doing
incredible work to help the more than 600,000 Arizonans living with
diabetes,&rdquo; said Pam&nbsp;Kehaly, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Arizona. &ldquo;The grants will help them improve health outcomes for some
of Arizona&rsquo;s most vulnerable populations by expanding resources for
diabetes prevention and management, while addressing unmet social
needs.&rdquo;&nbsp;
BCBSAZ is honored to announce this year&rsquo;s grantees and how each one will use the contribution to enhance their efforts:&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
 <li>Area
 Agency on Aging&nbsp;(Maricopa County)&ndash;&nbsp;Through a partnership with Dignity
 Health East Valley, AAA will expand capacity to deliver the
 evidence-based Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) by training
 new health educators. Educators will work with people ages 50 and older
 living with diabetes to address condition management and unmet social
 needs that impact health. 
 
 </li>
 <li>Asian Pacific Community in
 Action&nbsp;(Phoenix) &ndash; APCA will work to improve health literacy and
 diabetes management among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by using
 a Community Health Worker model. A Community Health Worker will provide
 language-appropriate education and culturally competent services that
 lead to better diagnosis and comprehensive diabetes care for Asian
 Americans and Pacific Islanders.&nbsp; 
 
 </li>
 <li>Chicanos Por La
 Causa&nbsp;(Phoenix) &ndash; CPLC will engage 30 patients who have a serious mental
 illness, prediabetes, and are at risk for obesity in an evidence-based
 diabetes prevention program at its Centro Esperanza Clinic. The
 organization will also address unmet social determinants of health and
 provide onsite diabetes tests to remove access to care barriers. 
 
 </li>
 <li>Mariposa
 Community Health Center&nbsp;(four locations in Nogales, Rio Rico, Tubac and
 Patagonia) &ndash; Through the Comer Bien (&ldquo;Eat Well&rdquo;) initiative, Mariposa
 will improve healthy eating and access to healthy foods to improve blood
 sugar control for patients with uncontrolled diabetes. The health
 center will foster innovative partnerships with local food banks and
 markets, and provide health education taught by a Community Health
 Worker. 
 
 </li>
 <li>MHC Healthcare&nbsp;(23 locations in Marana and Tucson)&ndash; MHC
 will improve diabetes health outcomes with the purchase of a HgA1c
 machine to engage and educate patients about their blood glucose
 results. Point of care testing and education will address barriers to
 accessing care, improve understanding of the diabetes health condition,
 and support diabetes management. 
 
 </li>
 <li>Mission of Mercy&nbsp;(Phoenix and
 Avondale)&ndash;&nbsp;The organization&nbsp;will launch and expand multi-faceted
 diabetes screening and management services at its Avondale Clinic where
 52% of patients have diabetes. The program will also provide access to
 fresh produce from an onsite farmer&rsquo;s market, in partnership with
 Gregory&rsquo;s Market. 
 
 </li>
 <li>St. Vincent de Paul&nbsp;(Phoenix)&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The
 nonprofit&nbsp;will improve clinical metrics, health literacy, and health
 outcomes for high-risk community members with diabetes by increasing
 access to evidence-based, culturally sensitive diabetes education and
 individualized counseling. 
 
 </li>
</ul>
Since 2018, BCBSAZ has awarded
more than $1 million in grants to organizations dedicated to addressing
diabetes. For more information about BCBSAZ&rsquo;s commitment to the
community, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mobilizeaz.com/diabetes/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.mobilizeaz.com/diabetes</a>.

BCBSAZ provides grants to seven local organizations to help fight diabetes

We are thrilled to announce that we are granting over $395,000 to seven local community organizations focused on combating diabetes.