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.

More News:

Fidelis Care Partners with God’s Love We Deliver to Provide Nutritious, Home-Delivered Meals to Eligible Members

11/22/2021 • Posted by Fidelis Care in Corporate News, Health and Wellness, In The Community

Health Plan Seeks to Address Food Insecurity and Enhance Positive Health Outcomes

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, October 7, 2021– Fidelis Care announced today a partnership with God’s Love We Deliver, the New York City metropolitan area’s leading provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for people living with severe illness. Select clinical partners and primary care providers will refer eligible Fidelis Care members with chronic health conditions to receive home-delivered meals from God’s Love We Deliver free of cost, regardless of income.

The partnership with God’s Love We Deliver expands Fidelis Care’s focus on the social determinants of health by helping to alleviate food insecurity and providing individually tailored meals for Fidelis Care members with chronic conditions who may not be able to provide or prepare nutritious meals for themselves. In addition to meals, eligible Fidelis Care members will also receive nutrition education and counseling from a God’s Love We Deliver Registered Dietician Nutritionist.

“Our collaboration with God’s Love We Deliver reinforces Fidelis Care’s commitment to support members with the vital care and resources they need,” said Dr. Vincent Marchello, Chief Medical Officer. “As a health plan, we know how important food and nutrition are in helping our members with chronic disease live healthy lives. Through the partnership with God’s Love We Deliver, Fidelis Care will be providing much-needed relief to those most in need.”

“It is an honor to provide high quality nutrition and medically tailored meals to Fidelis members,” said Karen Pearl, President & CEO of God’s Love We Deliver. “Through our program, Fidelis Care members can improve their health and well-being, and increase their chances of staying out of the hospital and in their homes where they are most comfortable. We thank Fidelis Care for this important partnership.”

All meal deliveries will be contactless and available within all five New York City boroughs and outlying areas. Medical providers will assess health conditions to determine program eligibility, which may include:

Severe Heart Disease
Severe Diabetes
Congestive Heart Failure
COPD
Chronic kidney disease
Cancer
Dementia
HIV

According to a statistical brief published by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, malnourished patients have healthcare costs that are three times higher and inpatient hospital stays that are three times longer than members who are nourished. Medically tailored meals are a low-cost, high-impact way to improve members’ nutrition and have been proven to decrease healthcare costs, decrease length of inpatient hospital stays, and increase quality of life for recipients.

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About Fidelis Care:
Fidelis Care is a mission-driven health plan offering quality, affordable coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life. With more than 2.3 million members statewide, Fidelis Care believes that all New Yorkers should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Follow us on Twitter at @fideliscare, Instagram at @fideliscare, and on Facebook at facebook.com/fideliscare. For more information, call Fidelis Care at 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) or visit fideliscare.org.

About God’s Love We Deliver

God’s Love We Deliver cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDS pandemic, we now serve people living with more than 200 different diagnoses. To support the health and well-being of our clients, we provide ongoing nutrition assessment, education, and counseling, and advocate for food and nutrition support. God’s Love is a non-sectarian organization serving individuals living with illness, and their children and caregivers. With a community of thousands of volunteers, we home-delivered more than 2.5 million medically tailored meals to nearly 10,000 individuals last year. All services are free to clients and full of love. For more information, visit godslovewedeliver.org. Follow God’s Love on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram