S.C. BlueCross Foundation Awards More Than $1.7 Million in Grants to S.C. Organizations

COLUMBIA, SC – August 4, 2010 – The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation has approved grant applications totaling $1,710,933 for health-related programs in South Carolina. The grants are for periods of one to three years.

Since the Foundation was established in 2003, it has granted more than $29,866,088 to address such issues as childhood health, community health, the increasing need for free medical clinics, mental health, obesity, diabetes, nursing and health research.

The Foundation decides on its grant awards twice a year. The latest round includes funding for groups located throughout the state. The recipients are:

• Children in Crisis (Dorchester County) for operations support.
• Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center (Charleston) for intervention and treatment services.
• Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina (Florence) for “Reality Works” education and teen pregnancy prevention.
• South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy for development and implementation of pregnancy prevention strategies for underinsured and uninsured 18–19 year olds.
• American Heart Association (Allendale, Bamberg, Clarendon, Dillon, Hampton, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg and Williamsburg counties) for “Mission: Lifeline in South Carolina’s Poorest Counties.”
• Sistercare, Inc. (Columbia) for counseling program.
• South Carolina Office of Rural Health for Benefit Bank® of South Carolina bridge funding.
• Beaufort Women’s Center for operations support.
• Free Medical Clinic of Aiken County for operations support.
• Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina (Charleston) for an in-house medical clinic.
• Free Medical Clinic of Newberry County, Inc. for operations support.
• Good Neighbor Medical Clinic (Beaufort County) for operations support.
• Grace Outreach – Charleston Dental Clinic for operations support.
• Helping Hands Free Medical Clinic (Marion County) for operational support.
• Mission of Hope Medmission (Lexington County) for a mobile medical unit.
• Pregnancy Center & Clinic of the Lowcountry (Hilton Head Island) for direct prenatal medical care and STI diagnosis and treatment to the uninsured in Jasper and Beaufort counties.
• Rural Area Leadership Institute (Dillon County) for operations support.
• SC Free Clinic Association for operations support.
• Wallace Elementary (Marlboro County) for the Academy of Physical Fitness and Healthy Living.
• Greenwood Genetic Center (Florence) for Pee Dee Genetic Center staffing.

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation (www.bcbsscfoundation.org) is a independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Its mission is to promote the health of South Carolinians and to expand access to health care for the economically disadvantaged by supporting integrated research, education and community service.