Giving Back to Our Communities

Fidelis Care Presents Brady Market with $5,000 Food Insecurity Grant

In observance of National Nutrition Month, Fidelis Care presented a $5,000 grant to support Brady Market’s programs to combat food insecurity in the Syracuse region. The grant is part of $315,000 in donations by Fidelis Care to nonprofit organizations on the front lines of fighting hunger across New York State. Food insecurity impacts about one in 10 New York households.

“Nutrition is healthcare,” said Fidelis Care Sales and Marketing Director Shannon Lombardo. “Fidelis Care is committed to promoting health and well-being in Syracuse and communities across New York State. That begins by partnering with organizations like Brady Market to help families and individuals gain access to healthy, nutritious foods.”

Brady Market in Syracuse, operated by not-for-profit Brady Social Enterprises, Inc., is a grocery store with retail and wholesale operations, deli and catering, job training, and wraparound support services. It was inspired by the 70-plus year history of Brady Faith Center’s engagement with generations of individuals and families in some of the community’s most impoverished neighborhoods.

“Brady Market is very grateful for this Fidelis Care grant,” said Brady Faith Center Director Kevin Frank. “We absolutely can’t do what we do without wonderful partners. For many who live in the community, Brady Market is the only place to get fresh fruits and vegetables. We plan to use the Fidelis Care funding to take the lead in collaborating with 20 neighborhood organizations to deliver meals for 220 families. One of the wonderful things about this program is that our partner organizations know who needs food support the most. It’s just one of the ways that we are more than a market in this community.”

Lombardo added, “We know that one meal is not going to solve a family’s food insecurity, but these grants give us an opportunity to connect people with agencies and organizations like Brady Market to help them find the resources they need for long-term solutions.”

Fidelis Care takes pride in supporting the vital work of Brady Market and the other food insecurity grant recipients across New York State because no one should suffer from hunger. Click here to see the full list of Fidelis Care food insecurity grant recipient organizations.

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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Prostate Cancer Awareness and Prevention

6/21/2021 • Posted by Alan J. Wieder, MD in Caregiver Support, Corporate News, Health and Wellness

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While September has been designated as Prostate Cancer Awareness and Prevention month, it is never too early to learn about this disease.

Cancer of the prostate (a walnut-sized gland located just under the bladder and in front of the rectum) is the second most common cancer in men. The risk of developing prostate cancer increases with age, especially after the age of 65. African-American men, and in men with close relatives with prostate cancer have an increased chance of having prostate cancer.

Most prostate cancers grow slowly and never cause any symptoms. Symptoms that may occur include trouble passing urine, frequent urination, blood in the urine, and pain or burning with urination. Symptoms of advanced disease may include bone pain. It should be noted that these symptoms may be caused by conditions other than cancer.

If caught early, the death rate from prostate cancer is low. Common treatments for early prostate cancer include watchful waiting (close monitoring of the cancer to see if it grows or causes symptoms before starting any treatment), surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy.

Now that you have some basic information about prostate cancer, are there ways to prevent prostate cancer? Are there ways to detect early prostate cancer? Is treating early prostate cancer always necessary?

The answer to the first question is, not really. At this time there are no known risk factors for prostate cancer that are under our control. We can’t control our age, race, or family history.

In terms of early detection of prostate cancer, otherwise known as “screening”, two tests are commonly used – a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.

During a DRE, your examiner places a finger into your rectum and checks for any abnormalities that may require further testing for cancer. A limitation of this test is that it may miss many early prostate cancers.

PSA is a chemical that is normally produced by your prostate and measured with a blood test. High levels of PSA can be due to prostate cancer. The problem is that your PSA level may be normal even if you have prostate cancer. Or, your PSA level may be high due to non-cancer causes, which may lead to anxiety, and unnecessary tests and treatments.

Also, even if early prostate cancer is detected, it may be slow-growing and never cause a problem. Again, this may lead to anxiety and unnecessary tests and treatments.

The bottom line is that screening for prostate cancer remains controversial. Some men would like to do everything possible to check for cancer, even if the tests aren’t perfect, and even if the cancer may never cause them any problems. Others would rather not be tested since the results may not be reliable, and they may end up having tests and/or treatments that they don’t really need.

So what can you do? You can have a discussion with your health care provider and decide whether screening for prostate cancer is right for you. Also, contact your health care provider if you have any of the symptoms listed above.