Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation Announces Emergency Preparedness Grant Program in Wake of Hurricane Katrina
Published:
January 10, 2006
BCBSNC Contact:
Mark Stinneford, (919) 765-3745
Chapel Hill, NC – With the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina prompting a focus on crisis planning across the country, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC Foundation) has created a new grant program to help nonprofit groups and government agencies prepare to help vulnerable populations during natural disasters and other emergencies.
The BCBSNC Foundation will award one-time grants of up to $50,000 each to help agencies and groups create or improve plans to assist the chronically ill, low-income, elderly and non-English speaking populations during crises.
"North Carolina is particularly prone to weather–related emergencies – from floods to hurricanes to ice storms," said Kathy Higgins, president of the BCBSNC Foundation. "While our state has made great strides in improving its emergency preparedness and response systems, opportunities for further improvement remain, especially in the areas of communication and coordination. This grant program is an opportunity for the Foundation to help organizations prepare before the next natural disaster hits our state."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North Carolina was affected by 40 percent of the 62 weather–related disasters that struck the United States between 1980 and 2004, more than any other state in the country. Each disaster cost at least $1 billion, according to estimates. The state also has a high proportion of vulnerable groups, with 14 percent of North Carolina’s population living below the poverty level, 12 percent with an age of 65 or older, and approximately 21 percent being disabled.
The emergency preparedness grants may be used to create new emergency preparedness programs or to expand existing programs. The BCBSNC Foundation is currently accepting applications in this grant category, and the application deadline is March 3, 2006. Applications and additional information are available at the Foundation’s Web site, www.bcbsnc.com/foundation
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is a separate, independent, nonprofit Foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians. The Foundation's focus areas include: Health of Vulnerable Populations - improving health outcomes of populations served by safety net organizations; Healthy Active Communities - increasing physical activity and encouraging healthy eating habits; and Community Impact through Nonprofit Excellence - increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. BCBSNC Foundation invests programs and services in response to grant requests and proactively creates initiatives or partners with organizations to address specific needs. It also coordinates several Signature Programs, among them, the Be Active Kids® and Healthy Community Institute for Nonprofit Excellence. More information is available at www.bcbsncfoundation.org.