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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:


What is Pink Eye and How you can Help your Child
6/1/2022 • Posted by Steve Materetsky, Pediatrician and Medical Director at Fidelis Care in Children's Health, Health and Wellness, In The Community

Optical-Glasses-Vision-Insurance-NYS-Fidelis-Care-Testing-Vision-at-Home

The Three Main Cause of Pink Eye

Saying someone has ‘pink eye’ is less of a diagnosis and more of a symptom.  A red eye can be caused by numerous things in children.  The three main causes of a ‘pink eye’ are bacterial, viral, and allergic.  In a baby, drainage from the eye without a ‘pink eye’ is caused mostly by a blockage of the tube around the eye that allows for drainage of tears.  If your baby has drainage of the eye WITHOUT any other symptoms (feeding problems, fever, cough, etc), no need to worry as it is most likely a blockage and will resolve on its own.

 

Pink Eye in Toddlers and Children

Let’s turn our attention to the pink eye in toddlers and children.  For allergy causing ‘pink eye’, or ‘allergic conjunctivitis’, there is usually a clear discharge from the eye, if any.  This condition is more common in the fall and spring and is associated with other allergy symptoms like sneezing.  This condition is best treated by over the counter medications such as Benadryl, and allergy eye drops.  Keeping the windows closed and showering at the end of each day during the allergy seasons would help your child as well.

 

Pink Eye and Eye Drops

When it comes to ‘pink eye’ caused by a virus (‘viral conjunctivitis’) or a bacteria (‘bacterial conjunctivitis’), other factors come into play.  The treatment for ‘pink eye’ with one of these causes is quite similar.  It has been shown that the use of eye drops in children with this condition can make some difference if started in the first few days.  If a parent just uses warm or cool compresses, TIME will also rid the child of this condition.  Eye drops are mostly used to allow children back to school.  Most school systems prefer a child to be on eye drops for 24 hours before returning to school, though there is no medical data supporting such a stance. 

 

Self-Limiting Condition

If nothing is used, this condition is self-limiting and will resolve in 2 weeks.  Making sure a child washes hands and prevents spread by direct contact with secretions or contact with contaminated objects is imperative.  Infected individuals should not share handkerchiefs, tissues, towels, cosmetics, linens, or eating utensils.

If you think your child has a ‘pink eye’, call your doctor in order to decide the best form of treatment.  As usual, the best preventer of this condition is good and thorough handwashing.


What is Pink Eye and How you can Help your Child
6/1/2022 • Posted by Steve Materetsky, Pediatrician and Medical Director at Fidelis Care in Children's Health, Health and Wellness, In The Community

Optical-Glasses-Vision-Insurance-NYS-Fidelis-Care-Testing-Vision-at-Home

The Three Main Cause of Pink Eye

Saying someone has ‘pink eye’ is less of a diagnosis and more of a symptom.  A red eye can be caused by numerous things in children.  The three main causes of a ‘pink eye’ are bacterial, viral, and allergic.  In a baby, drainage from the eye without a ‘pink eye’ is caused mostly by a blockage of the tube around the eye that allows for drainage of tears.  If your baby has drainage of the eye WITHOUT any other symptoms (feeding problems, fever, cough, etc), no need to worry as it is most likely a blockage and will resolve on its own.

 

Pink Eye in Toddlers and Children

Let’s turn our attention to the pink eye in toddlers and children.  For allergy causing ‘pink eye’, or ‘allergic conjunctivitis’, there is usually a clear discharge from the eye, if any.  This condition is more common in the fall and spring and is associated with other allergy symptoms like sneezing.  This condition is best treated by over the counter medications such as Benadryl, and allergy eye drops.  Keeping the windows closed and showering at the end of each day during the allergy seasons would help your child as well.

 

Pink Eye and Eye Drops

When it comes to ‘pink eye’ caused by a virus (‘viral conjunctivitis’) or a bacteria (‘bacterial conjunctivitis’), other factors come into play.  The treatment for ‘pink eye’ with one of these causes is quite similar.  It has been shown that the use of eye drops in children with this condition can make some difference if started in the first few days.  If a parent just uses warm or cool compresses, TIME will also rid the child of this condition.  Eye drops are mostly used to allow children back to school.  Most school systems prefer a child to be on eye drops for 24 hours before returning to school, though there is no medical data supporting such a stance. 

 

Self-Limiting Condition

If nothing is used, this condition is self-limiting and will resolve in 2 weeks.  Making sure a child washes hands and prevents spread by direct contact with secretions or contact with contaminated objects is imperative.  Infected individuals should not share handkerchiefs, tissues, towels, cosmetics, linens, or eating utensils.

If you think your child has a ‘pink eye’, call your doctor in order to decide the best form of treatment.  As usual, the best preventer of this condition is good and thorough handwashing.