UnitedHealthcare is awarding $1 million in Empowering Health grants to six community-based organizations in Mississippi to expand access to care and address the social determinants of health for uninsured individuals and underserved communities.
The grants will assist individuals and families experiencing challenges from food insecurity, social isolation and behavioral health issues, and support local health promotion and health literacy efforts.
Grant recipients in Mississippi include:
- Community Health Center Association of Mississippi - $285,000 to implement a comprehensive health literacy initiative targeting communities with the lowest health literacy rates, develop culturally appropriate health literacy resources and a food insecurity screening tool for community health centers, and hire additional support staff.
- American Diabetes Association - $200,000 to launch a Wellness and Resource Series targeting low-wealth individuals and families for diabetes prevention and education with access to on-demand virtual programming, an at-home wellness kit and connections to free or low-cost resources and services.
- Mississippi Urban League - $175,000 to support the Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, focused on reducing health risks linked to obesity in some of the most underserved communities in Jackson, including fitness and nutrition education classes and increased access to healthy foods.
- Metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi - $150,000 to expand the food access program to rural and low-wealth communities by adding four food distribution sites and purchasing a refrigerated mobile food truck.
- Mississippi Food Network - $100,000 to provide students and their families facing food insecurity with regular access to nutritious food at five school-based pantries in the Jackson Public School District.
- Families as Allies - $90,000 to implement a strong parent-to-parent peer support pilot program for parents with children in the juvenile court system, including resources to help their children, and court navigation assistance when system barriers are encountered.
