Member

Login to your account, make a payment, see benefits and more.

Members

Manage Your Plan

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Members
Providers

Login to your account, download forms, view auth grids and more.

Providers

Provider Resources

About Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Providers
Shop For a Plan

See plan benefits, coverage areas, get a quote and more.

Shop for a Plan

Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Shop for a Plan
AAA
HomeMemberHelpful ToolsHealth ResourcesSocial Determinants of HealthGiving Back

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.

Fidelis-JED-Social

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.

More News:


Think Pink: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
10/17/2022 • Posted by By Dr. Nicole Belanger-Reynolds, Dr. Sharon McLauglin, and Dr. Kathie Rones, Fidelis Care Medical Directors in Health and Wellness, In The Community, Member News, Women's Health

Living-with-Sickle-Cell-Fidelis-Care-Support

1) What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control and may form a tumor. There are different kinds of breast cancer.

 

2) Who gets breast cancer?

  • About 12%, or 1 in 8, women in the United States will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
  • It is the second most common cancer among U.S. women, behind skin cancer.
  • Each year in the United States, about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women. About 42,000 women in the U.S. die each year from breast cancer.

 

You may not know…

  • Many women who get breast cancer do not have any risk factors. This is why screening is important for all women.
  • Men can get breast cancer, too. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man.

 

3) What breast cancer screening is covered?

Per the New York State Department of Health, the law covers:

  • A single, baseline mammogram for women 35 to 39 years old,
  • Yearly mammograms for women 40 years of age or older, and
  • Mammograms for women at any age who are at an increased risk of breast cancer because they have a prior history of breast cancer, or they have a first degree relative (e.g., parent, sibling, child) with breast cancer.

 

4) How do I get screened for breast cancer?

Breast cancer screening is fully covered through New York's Medicaid program. Call your health care provider to schedule your appointment. 

 

Find a mammogram facility near you: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMQSA/mqsa.cfm

 

5) Should I get screened for breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic?

YES!

Early in the pandemic, as many as 3.9 million breast cancer screenings were missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide. The significant decrease in women getting mammogram screening for breast cancer led to fewer early-stage and more late-stage breast cancer diagnoses. 

If you are due for a mammogram, DO NOT WAIT. Call your health care provider to schedule your screening as soon as you can.

Health care providers are taking steps so that breast cancer screening can happen safely. All staff and patients must wear masks. Equipment, exam rooms, and dressing rooms are cleaned after each patient. Other safety measures may include having alcohol-based hand sanitizer available, socially distanced waiting rooms, on-line check in, and more time added between appointments.

Let’s get back to screening!

 

 

6) What are signs I might have breast cancer?

The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass.  

Other possible signs of breast cancer that should be checked by a health care provider include:

  • Swelling or thickening of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt)
  • Any change in the size or shape of the breast
  • Breast or nipple pain
  • Dimpling or puckering of the breast skin
  • Nipple retraction (when the nipple turns inward)
  • A scaly, itchy, or sore area on one nipple
  • Swelling, redness, or warmth that does not go away
  • Sudden nipple discharge other than breast milk 
  • Swelling or lump in your underarm lymph nodes

If you are having any symptoms of breast cancer, call your health care provider right away. Getting a mammogram regularly is the best way to find breast cancer early, when it may be easier to treat.

 

7) What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Breast Cancer?

  • Keep a healthy weight
  • Be physically active
  • Drink less alcohol
  • Breastfeed your children, if possible
  • If you are taking hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you
  • If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, talk to your health care provider about other ways to lower your risk

Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. The most important action women can take is to have routine breast cancer screenings.

 

 

References:


Think Pink: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
10/17/2022 • Posted by By Dr. Nicole Belanger-Reynolds, Dr. Sharon McLauglin, and Dr. Kathie Rones, Fidelis Care Medical Directors in Health and Wellness, In The Community, Member News, Women's Health

Living-with-Sickle-Cell-Fidelis-Care-Support

1) What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control and may form a tumor. There are different kinds of breast cancer.

 

2) Who gets breast cancer?

  • About 12%, or 1 in 8, women in the United States will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
  • It is the second most common cancer among U.S. women, behind skin cancer.
  • Each year in the United States, about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women. About 42,000 women in the U.S. die each year from breast cancer.

 

You may not know…

  • Many women who get breast cancer do not have any risk factors. This is why screening is important for all women.
  • Men can get breast cancer, too. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man.

 

3) What breast cancer screening is covered?

Per the New York State Department of Health, the law covers:

  • A single, baseline mammogram for women 35 to 39 years old,
  • Yearly mammograms for women 40 years of age or older, and
  • Mammograms for women at any age who are at an increased risk of breast cancer because they have a prior history of breast cancer, or they have a first degree relative (e.g., parent, sibling, child) with breast cancer.

 

4) How do I get screened for breast cancer?

Breast cancer screening is fully covered through New York's Medicaid program. Call your health care provider to schedule your appointment. 

 

Find a mammogram facility near you: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMQSA/mqsa.cfm

 

5) Should I get screened for breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic?

YES!

Early in the pandemic, as many as 3.9 million breast cancer screenings were missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide. The significant decrease in women getting mammogram screening for breast cancer led to fewer early-stage and more late-stage breast cancer diagnoses. 

If you are due for a mammogram, DO NOT WAIT. Call your health care provider to schedule your screening as soon as you can.

Health care providers are taking steps so that breast cancer screening can happen safely. All staff and patients must wear masks. Equipment, exam rooms, and dressing rooms are cleaned after each patient. Other safety measures may include having alcohol-based hand sanitizer available, socially distanced waiting rooms, on-line check in, and more time added between appointments.

Let’s get back to screening!

 

 

6) What are signs I might have breast cancer?

The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass.  

Other possible signs of breast cancer that should be checked by a health care provider include:

  • Swelling or thickening of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt)
  • Any change in the size or shape of the breast
  • Breast or nipple pain
  • Dimpling or puckering of the breast skin
  • Nipple retraction (when the nipple turns inward)
  • A scaly, itchy, or sore area on one nipple
  • Swelling, redness, or warmth that does not go away
  • Sudden nipple discharge other than breast milk 
  • Swelling or lump in your underarm lymph nodes

If you are having any symptoms of breast cancer, call your health care provider right away. Getting a mammogram regularly is the best way to find breast cancer early, when it may be easier to treat.

 

7) What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Breast Cancer?

  • Keep a healthy weight
  • Be physically active
  • Drink less alcohol
  • Breastfeed your children, if possible
  • If you are taking hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you
  • If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, talk to your health care provider about other ways to lower your risk

Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. The most important action women can take is to have routine breast cancer screenings.

 

 

References: