INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, today announces it has reached its three-year, $90 million grant commitment to improve accessibility and further health equity across the country. Since July 2021, the Foundation has awarded $97.3 million in grants all toward programs that are improving maternal and child health, encouraging food as medicine, reducing substance use disorder, and providing community resiliency/disaster relief. Through these grants and associate engagement programs, the Foundation has provided funding to over 12,000 nonprofit partners across the country.
“In 2021, the Foundation re-envisioned its approach and identified key focus areas where we believed we could make the greatest impact in advancing health equity,” said Lance Chrisman, President of Elevance Health Foundation. “Through these efforts, Foundation-funded programs have impacted 43 million Americans and have been used to develop and implement programs focused on the health needs in underserved communities and for those who have limited access to healthcare resources.”
Organizations that have received grants from the Foundation are already directly impacting millions of individuals, with several recording early clinical outcomes:
- Maternal and child health: Pre-term birth rate among participants in grant funded programs is 8.75% better than the national average of 10.4%
- Substance use disorder: 61% of eligible participants who need alcohol and/or substance use dependence treatments are receiving care
- Food as medicine: 80% of eligible participants have reported that their chronic conditions have improved and 79% have reported overall improved health
“Socioeconomic and other external factors overwhelmingly influence our health, and it’s our goal to strengthen healthcare resources for those who need it most,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer at Elevance Health. “By targeting the Foundation’s key focus areas, we’ve been able to support communities, increase access to healthcare, and deepen the nation’s collective understanding of the social drivers that influence much of our overall health.”
The Foundation has provided grants for organizations both nationally and locally to support efforts like Creating Healthier Communities’ Black Birthing Initiative focusing on improving outcomes for Black mothers, Feeding America’s Food As Medicine program assisting people across the country in accessing public food programs, and Shatterproof’s educational curriculum addressing the stigma around addiction among healthcare professionals.
Looking ahead, Elevance Health Foundation will continue its work to further improve health equity through a new five-year commitment in January 2025, coinciding with the Foundation’s 25th anniversary. Focus areas and commitment amount are forthcoming. For more information about Elevance Health Foundation, please visit elevancehealth.foundation.
ABOUT ELEVANCE HEALTH FOUNDATION
Elevance Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health Inc. The Foundation works to advance health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; substance use disorder; and food as medicine. Through its key areas of focus, the Foundation also strategically aligns with Elevance Health’s focus on community health and becoming a lifetime, trusted health partner that is fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. To learn more about Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation or follow us @ElevanceFND on X and Elevance Health Foundation on Facebook.
