CORTLAND, N.Y. — Recently, Cortland Regional Medical Center was one of seven nonprofit Central New York organizations to receive an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Award. Nearly 60 applications were submitted. Each award recipient will receive up to $4,000 allocated by the company to help fund health and wellness programs within the five-county Central New York region.
Through a competitive application process, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Community Health Awards support programs that have clear goals to improve the health or health care of a specific population.
The awards focus on improving the health status of the community, reducing the incidence of specific diseases, promoting health education and enhancing overall wellness. Winning organizations are selected based on the proposed program’s scope of need, goals and the number of people expected to benefit from it.
Cortland Regional received an award for its smoking cessation program for pregnant women. New moms must attend at least four of the six, free smoking cessation sessions. As long as the women remain smoke-free, they receive $25 in free diapers each month for six to 12 months postpartum.
“Amidst the complicated, challenging landscape of today’s healthcare, it’s easy to lose sight of the small changes we can make to support better lifestyle choices,” said Mark Webster, Cortland Regional President and CEO, “If this award can help us convince at least one mom to quit smoking, that is one more step in the right direction for our community’s overall health and well-being.”
The other six nonprofit organizations selected were:
- Auburn YMCA-WEIU, Auburn
- Clear Path for Veterans, Chittenango
- Foodnet Meals on Wheels, Ithaca
- Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, Ithaca
- Prevention Network, Syracuse
- WCNY, The Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York, Syracuse
