LakeFront Hartwell

SENECA, SC - The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation recently made grant awards totaling $2,886,791 to community groups serving health care needs in South Carolina.

The latest round of grants, decided in November, includes grants to 12 groups. The recipients are:

• Collaboration: Connecting the Communities of Care, Columbia, S.C., for data integration for quality health improvement project.
• East Cooper Community Outreach, Mount Pleasant, S.C., for expansion of restorative dental services.
• Hospice of Charleston, North Charleston, S.C., for KidsPath program serving pediatric patients.
• McLeod Health Foundation, Florence, S.C., for The Diabetes Initiative.
• Palmetto Conservation, Columbia, S.C., for More Kids in the Woods obesity reduction effort.
• Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic, Seneca, S.C., for nurse practitioner funding.
• South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Columbia, S.C., for sexual risk reduction program.
• S.C. Department of Mental Health, Columbia, S.C., for school-based mental health program in 10 school districts in Bamberg, Colleton, Clarendon, Fairfield, Jasper, Marion, Marlboro, Williamsburg, Darlington and Hampton counties.
• South Carolina Hispanic Outreach, Columbia, S.C., for Healthy People Program serving Hispanics and Latinos in the Midlands of the state.
• Children's Chance, Columbia, S.C., for general fund serving families affected by pediatric cancer.
• Lake City Free Medical Clinic, Lake City, S.C., for start-up funding.
• S.C. Office of Rural Health, Columbia, S.C., to automate data collection and analysis.

"We're pleased to offer these grants to support health care for uninsured and underinsured populations in our state," said Foundation Executive Director Harvey L. Galloway. The Foundation has awarded a total of $10,299,848 in grants since 2003.

Headquartered in Columbia, the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation is a philanthropic affiliate of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. It was created to identify and help solve South Carolinians' health problems, with special emphasis on access, affordability and quality of health care. The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.