BCBS Foundation Pledges $10 Million in Challenge Grants to Fight Obesity in Louisiana
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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Posted by: Matt Mullenix
"Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana” will help communities to support healthy living...
 The Blue Cross Foundation will award grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million!
Applicants must provide at least a one-to-one match in funding, which may come from various sources.
Up to half of the matching funds may be in kind.
Those interested can find detailed information about the grant requirements and application timeline at www.OurHomeLouisiana.com.
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"The Blue Cross Foundation is committed to improving the health of our state, and this is a major public health concern,” said Mike Reitz, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
"Obesity contributes to a long list of chronic conditions—such as heart disease and diabetes—that diminish the quality of people’s lives in Louisiana while pushing healthcare costs higher.”
The company is partnering with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, noted for its work to combat childhood obesity and recognized as the foremost academic nutritional research center in the world, to administer the grant program, called Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana.
Announced September 14, 2011, at Pennington’s fourth annual Childhood Obesity Conference in Baton Rouge, the grant program will offer matching financial assistance to nonprofit organizations for projects that promote healthy eating, active living and environmental change. "This represents a great example of a private–public partnership that can benefit all Louisianians,” said Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, associate executive director for population science at the Pennington Center. Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana aims to improve statistics like these released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and the Louisiana Obesity Council:
• Our state ranks fifth highest in the country for obesity • Nearly half of Louisiana’s schoolchildren are overweight • Almost one third are classified as obese
The Foundation’s website at www.OurHomeLouisiana.org offers resources for applicants, including ways to reach out to potential partners in each local area.
Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana is looking for projects that address the causes of obesity through changes in policies, practices, social support and the physical environment. Projects should incorporate several of the following efforts:
• Encourage healthy lifestyles
• Include/promote physical activity
• Promote fitness and nutrition education
• Support parental involvement in children’s lives
• Provide access to safe facilities and neighborhoods for physical activity
• Directly support adequate and healthy nutrition
The Blue Cross Foundation will award grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million.
Applicants must provide at least a one-to-one match in funding, which may come from various sources. Up to half of the matching funds may be in kind. Those interested can find detailed information about the grant requirements and application timeline at www.OurHomeLouisiana.com.
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