Blue Cross Foundation Awards Grants
Focused on Reducing Health Disparities

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation awarded $886,000 in grants under its new initiative, "Healthy Together: Creating Community with New Americans." The initiative promotes good health among Minnesota's immigrant population, helping people with unique cultural needs navigate the health care system.

Healthy Together is the first of four Blue Cross Foundation strategic initiatives that address root causes of health disparities in the state. Projects funded under Healthy Together address social adjustment and mental health, strengthen the capacity of immigrant-led organizations and their attention to health, and foster exchanges between newcomers and the receiving community.

"While Minnesota is consistently named one of the healthiest states in the nation, many Minnesotans don’t share that health — particularly people of color, new Americans and people living in poverty," said Daniel Johnson, executive director of the foundation. "By addressing key health determinants — creating social, economic and environmental change — we can truly call Minnesota one of the healthiest states in the nation."

Key grants:

• Centre for Asians and Pacific Islanders: $89,000 over three years to partner with the Minneapolis public schools to improve mental health and education-related outcomes within the North Minneapolis Hmong community

• Centro Campesino: $150,000 over three years to develop leadership among rural Latino youth and families and build organizational capacity for this Owatonna-based organization

• Comunidades Latinos Unidos En Servicio: $100,000 over two years to hire a bilingual, bicultural mental health professional to provide services to Spanish-speaking people on St. Paul's East Side

• Hmong American Partnership: $150,000 over three years to improve the mental health and social adjustment of new Hmong refugees in the Twin Cities through Welcoming Circles and other related projects in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties

• La Familia Guidance Center: $100,000 over two years to develop and offer a comprehensive, family focused social adjustment program for newly arrived Latinos

• Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees: $12,000 to identify and understand patterns, trends and gaps in philanthropic support of immigrants and refugees among Minnesota foundations

• Ready4K: $150,000 over 27 months to increase school readiness and improve the early childhood development of Twin Cities Hmong preschoolers

For more information about the Creating Community with New Americans initiative, visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Web site.

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