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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:


Farm Safety and Health Week
9/13/2024 • Posted by Oak Orchard Community Health Centers in Health and Wellness, In The Community

Farm-Safety-Week

September 15-21 is National Farm Safety and Health Week, a time to reflect upon the well-being of those who produce the food on our tables. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the agricultural sector is the most dangerous in America with 453 fatalities in 2021. In observance of the week, Sandra Rivera, a Community Health Worker at Oak Orchard Health, shares how it helps keep farmworkers in Western New York safe and healthy:

Since 1973, Oak Orchard Health (OOH) has been committed to providing person-centered and culturally competent care to our most underserved communities, especially in our agricultural community. OOH was originally funded as a migrant health project. Agriculture is the number one industry in Western New York, specifically in Orleans and Genesee Counties, where most of our farmworkers and their families reside, work, and attend school.  

Farmworkers are exposed to risky and harsh conditions, such as harmful chemicals, long working hours, working with large animals, operating heavy equipment, and extreme weather conditions. Agricultural workers are also responsible for feeding our local communities and our country, and we must keep them healthy. 

How Oak Orchard Community Health Centers Keeps Farmworkers Healthy

One step to keeping farmworkers healthy is the Oak Orchard Health Outreach Team and its Community Health Workers (CHW).  CHWs visit farms or camps around the region and provide necessary healthcare, health education, immunizations, and blood pressure checks.  They can also help set up future medical appointments and get prescriptions filled. The Community Health Workers are certified Spanish interpreters and have built a trusted relationship with the farmworkers, their families, and the farm owners. In addition to the above services, the outreach team provides the following services:

  • COVID-19 education, testing. and vaccinations
  • Spanish-English interpretation and translation
  • Transportation
  • Expanded evening hours for farmworkers so they don’t miss work and lose pay

If farmworkers are eligible for health insurance, Oak Orchard has facilitated health insurance enrollers such as Fidelis Care in their healthcare facilities. Enrollers will also tag along with the OOH Outreach team to help workers apply for health insurance from the comfort of their own homes. Having health insurance removes the financial barrier to getting healthcare.  If individuals are not eligible for health insurance, Community Health Workers will help guide them to enrolling into our Sliding Scale Fee program.   

Our Vision for the Future

Oak Orchard Health’s vision is to be a leader of continuous growth and transformation, where innovative, holistic, and comprehensive care—for body and mind—is provided for all in partnership with our community. 

We are here for everyone, all farmworkers and their families, regardless of financial means, immigration status, or station in life, as a caring, compassionate, nonjudgmental, trustworthy provider. 


Farm Safety and Health Week
9/13/2024 • Posted by Oak Orchard Community Health Centers in Health and Wellness, In The Community

Farm-Safety-Week

September 15-21 is National Farm Safety and Health Week, a time to reflect upon the well-being of those who produce the food on our tables. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the agricultural sector is the most dangerous in America with 453 fatalities in 2021. In observance of the week, Sandra Rivera, a Community Health Worker at Oak Orchard Health, shares how it helps keep farmworkers in Western New York safe and healthy:

Since 1973, Oak Orchard Health (OOH) has been committed to providing person-centered and culturally competent care to our most underserved communities, especially in our agricultural community. OOH was originally funded as a migrant health project. Agriculture is the number one industry in Western New York, specifically in Orleans and Genesee Counties, where most of our farmworkers and their families reside, work, and attend school.  

Farmworkers are exposed to risky and harsh conditions, such as harmful chemicals, long working hours, working with large animals, operating heavy equipment, and extreme weather conditions. Agricultural workers are also responsible for feeding our local communities and our country, and we must keep them healthy. 

How Oak Orchard Community Health Centers Keeps Farmworkers Healthy

One step to keeping farmworkers healthy is the Oak Orchard Health Outreach Team and its Community Health Workers (CHW).  CHWs visit farms or camps around the region and provide necessary healthcare, health education, immunizations, and blood pressure checks.  They can also help set up future medical appointments and get prescriptions filled. The Community Health Workers are certified Spanish interpreters and have built a trusted relationship with the farmworkers, their families, and the farm owners. In addition to the above services, the outreach team provides the following services:

  • COVID-19 education, testing. and vaccinations
  • Spanish-English interpretation and translation
  • Transportation
  • Expanded evening hours for farmworkers so they don’t miss work and lose pay

If farmworkers are eligible for health insurance, Oak Orchard has facilitated health insurance enrollers such as Fidelis Care in their healthcare facilities. Enrollers will also tag along with the OOH Outreach team to help workers apply for health insurance from the comfort of their own homes. Having health insurance removes the financial barrier to getting healthcare.  If individuals are not eligible for health insurance, Community Health Workers will help guide them to enrolling into our Sliding Scale Fee program.   

Our Vision for the Future

Oak Orchard Health’s vision is to be a leader of continuous growth and transformation, where innovative, holistic, and comprehensive care—for body and mind—is provided for all in partnership with our community. 

We are here for everyone, all farmworkers and their families, regardless of financial means, immigration status, or station in life, as a caring, compassionate, nonjudgmental, trustworthy provider.