Giving Back to Our Communities

Fidelis Care and the Centene Foundation Award $1.1 Million to The Jed Foundation to Protect the Mental Health of New York’s Youth

Funding will help expand emotional well-being resources, educational workshops, and training programs for community-based organizations that foster communities of care statewide

September 20, 2024, NEW YORK CITY — Fidelis Care, a leading health insurer providing quality, affordable coverage to New Yorkers, and the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, announced today a $1.1 million grant to The Jed Foundation (JED), a national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults.

With this grant, JED will expand its current services, providing at least five youth-serving community-based organizations (CBOs) with consultation or strategic planning services, including expert guidance, educational workshops, and training programs, equipping young people with life skills and connecting them to mental health care when they are in distress.

“We are thrilled to support the vital work of The Jed Foundation with this grant,” said Vincent Marchello, Chief Medical Officer at Fidelis Care. “At Fidelis Care, we recognize the importance of mental health services in creating healthier communities. This investment underscores our commitment to ensuring youth and adolescents have access to the critical support they need to thrive.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), it is currently estimated that nearly one in five 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States experience a major depressive episode every year, and almost half of teens 13 to 17 say they would seek out professional help only as a last resort. In New York State, the need for enhanced mental health support for school-aged youth is critical: in 2021, 57% of New York 12- to 17-year-olds with depression had not received any care in the last year.

“JED is grateful to Fidelis Care and the Centene Foundation for their commitment to supporting the emotional well-being of New York youth and for providing the resources to help them thrive,” said John MacPhee, JED Chief Executive Officer. “This partnership will allow us to bring JED’s lifesaving work to community-based organizations across the state and help them build on their mental health safety nets and approaches, while positively impacting the lives of thousands of young people.”

The inaugural group of CBOs includes Bottom Line, an organization that partners with degree-aspiring students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds as they get into and through college and launch mobilizing first careers; Hetrick-Martin Institute, which provides free, year-round programs and services for LGBTQIA+ youth and allies aged 13 to 24 in New York City; and Prep for Prep, which provides first-rate educational, leadership development and professional advancement opportunities for young people of color in New York City.

"Through decades of experience at Bottom Line, we have seen that the condition of a student's mental health plays a significant role in their overall journey to becoming a college graduate and professional,” said Sheneita R. Graham, Director of Culturally Responsive Programming at Bottom Line. “Our role at Bottom Line is to build strong relationships that assist us in determining need and connecting students to resources that will help them thrive personally to persist academically. Partnering with The Jed Foundation grants us the opportunity to expertly assess our mental health policies, processes, and resources to ensure we provide our students with thoughtful, high-quality support."

"Hetrick-Martin Institute is pleased to be working with The Jed Foundation to improve our ability to recognize young people in distress and conduct suicide risk assessments," said Bridget Hughes, Chief Program Officer at Hetrick-Martin Institute.

"We are so grateful to The Jed Foundation for hosting two workshops for our incoming college freshmen as part of our annual College Transition Retreat,” said Corey Rhoades, Director of Undergraduate Affairs at Prep for Prep. “The presenters shared their expertise and tailored the sessions in a way that was uniquely relevant and engaging for our students."

To learn more about ways to provide community-based organizations with consulting, evidence-based best practices, and data-driven guidance to protect youth mental health and prevent suicide, visit JED’s website .

Screener Program Provides Support to Families Impacted by Social Determinants of Health

SDoH-chart

Fidelis Care’s innovative SDoH screener program was launched two years ago as a grassroots health equity initiative to address conditions in the environments where people are born, live, work, and play that affect their health, well-being, and quality of life. Social Determinants of Health can affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes – particularly among vulnerable populations and in underserved areas.

The screener enables trained Fidelis Care representatives to assess an individual’s immediate needs and challenges related to SDoH through a brief series of questions covering areas such as access to transportation, food, and secure and safe housing. More than 450,000 Fidelis Care members have participated to date.

Click here to learn more about the different Social Determinants of Health and find available resources.

Learn how Fidelis Care impacts the communities we are privileged to serve.

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National Pharmacy Week: Improving Patient Outcomes

10/16/2024 • Posted by Fidelis Care in Health and Wellness

Brett Douglas picture
(Brett Douglas, PharmD, AAHIVP, Fidelis Care Clinical Pharmacy Team Lead)

National Pharmacy Week is October 20 to 26. It’s a time to recognize the crucial role that pharmacists and technicians play in keeping our communities healthy. From personalized care to medication management, pharmacists and pharmacy workers are essential to improving patient outcomes and overall well-being. In observance of National Pharmacy Week, Fidelis Care talked with Clinical Pharmacy Team Lead Brett Douglas about his career journey.

Fidelis Care: What inspired you to enter the pharmacy profession, and what do you find rewarding about it?

Douglas: My grandfather, W.C. “Pa-Paw” Mangum, was a pharmacist starting in the 1930s in the small rural town of Magee, Mississippi. He died before I was born so I never got to meet him. I heard many stories from my mom about how he would make house calls in the middle of the night, which is not something we think of pharmacists doing today. This was in a very small town and the profession was different then. I got a job at a pharmacy when I was in high school, and I was hooked – I loved helping patients. Working as a pharmacist is so rewarding. It allows me to be kind to someone who is likely not feeling so great and just wants to feel better.

Fidelis Care: What are your day-to-day duties at Fidelis Care? How do you help members stay healthy?

Douglas: My daily duties can vary. Between drug recalls, regulatory changes, and new drug launches, our team must be flexible and ready to accommodate any changes in the pharmacy industry during a given week. I am fortunate to work with amazing Pharmacists, as well as Care Managers who speak to our members to help them in very real ways to get and stay healthy. The “magic” happens when I have a conversation with a provider and get a better understanding of a member’s clinical picture. I can then pass that information on to the member’s Care Manager, which allows them to help the member in a focused, informed way. One specific example is my work helping members living with HIV. If I speak to a provider, making sure the member is on an appropriate HIV regimen but needs updated lab work, I often follow up later and can see in the medical record that the patient came in for labs and their HIV is under control. We have come a long way in HIV care, but unfortunately stigma is still a significant barrier to care. If I play any part in getting a member’s HIV to undetectable, it means the world to me and is why I love being an HIV pharmacist. It’s personal to me and to my community.

Fidelis Care: What is your advice to young people interested in a career in pharmacy?

Douglas: Even if your goal is to be a clinical or hospital pharmacist, spend some time in retail pharmacy. It’s important to understand what your fellow pharmacists in the retail setting do to help patients, even if your career takes you down a different path. While it’s important to keep up with the latest developments and clinical studies, don't underestimate the importance of creative thinking skills as well. Problem solving is not always about deciphering the statistics – often you need to take a step back and evaluate a situation from a different point of view. Don’t let fear of being wrong keep you from asking questions of your teachers, colleagues, and mentors.

Fidelis Care: What is your message in observance of National Pharmacy Week?

Douglas: National Pharmacy Week is a time to take a moment and think about people in your life – teachers, mentors, current colleagues – who inspire you to be the best pharmacist you can be. If there is someone in your life who has made a significant impact in the way you practice pharmacy – reach out to them and let them know how much they inspired or continue to inspire you.

Brett Douglas, PharmD, AAHIVP, is the Fidelis Care Clinical Pharmacy Team Lead. He supports Case Management for members living with multiple health conditions such as HIV, Sickle Cell Disease, and Hemophilia. In addition, he works in the development and administration of Quality-related outreach campaigns based on QARR/HEDIS measures. Brett received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Before joining Fidelis Care, he worked in a Specialty Community pharmacy in New York City for 17 years and served a large population of patients living with HIV, among other specialty conditions.

Additional Resources:

Fidelis Care Pharmacy Benefit