The Wellmark Foundation Funds Six Health Improvement Projects in Iowa

April 16, 2007

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Contact:
Angela Feig
515.245.4551
feigab@wellmark.com

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Wellmark Foundation funded six health improvement grants in Iowa totaling $331,501 at its recent board of directors meeting. Organizations receiving grants in the designated health priority areas include:

Depression

• The National Catholic Rural Life Conference in Des Moines received a $28,660 grant to develop a depression education program in rural central Iowa. A mini-grant from the Foundation in 2006 funded the planning process for the program, which will equip individuals to identify depression, intervene when needed and access services in their community.
• The University of Iowa Foundation received $88,410 in grant funds to develop a depression training program for nurses working with older adults in Iowa. The program seeks to improve the quality of life of older adults through improved education of nurses who care for them.

Diabetes

• The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Foundation in Cedar Falls will use a $45,788 grant to pilot a diabetes education and prevention program in Black Hawk County. The program will work to improve the health-related behaviors and health status of residents with diabetes or at risk for developing the disease.
• Van Buren County in Keosauqua received a $46,143 grant to develop a community-wide diabetes education, prevention and support program. The program will strive to educate residents about the signs and symptoms of diabetes and to establish a free health screening program.
• A $35,300 grant will allow the YMCA of Greater Des Moines to expand a diabetes education and prevention program for children to the South Suburban YMCA. The program, which was funded in part through a previous Wellmark Foundation mini-grant, has been successful at the Riverfront YMCA and John R. Grubb YMCA in Des Moines.

Health Literacy

• The Iowa Health Foundation in Des Moines will use $87,200 in grant funds to create a health literacy staff development guidebook for health care organizations. Various health care professionals will use the guidebook in efforts to increase the health literacy of their clients.

The Wellmark Foundation has provided nearly $12 million to fund 350 health-related grants in Iowa and South Dakota since 1997, including $574,147 this cycle. “The Wellmark Foundation collaborates with non-profit and governmental organizations in Iowa and South Dakota to build healthier communities,” says Matthew McGarvey, director of The Wellmark Foundation. “We are happy to support these comprehensive projects that will positively impact the health outcomes of many individuals and communities in Iowa,” says McGarvey.

The Wellmark Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation created by Wellmark, Inc., doing business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Visit The Wellmark Foundation's Web site at www.wellmark.com/foundation for a list of grant recipients and grant application instructions. Applications for the next round of community responsive grants are due June 19, 2007. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and The Wellmark Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.