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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Information on the Polio State Disaster Emergency

9/26/2022 • Posted by Fidelis Care in Corporate News, Immunizations, In The Community, Member News

Information-on-Polio-State-Disaster-for-NYS-Fidelis-Care

In response to the polio state disaster emergency, Fidelis Care urges our unvaccinated members to get immunized to protect yourself from this serious disease.

All New Yorkers who are unvaccinated, including children 2 months and older, those who are pregnant, and people who have not completed their polio vaccine series, should get immunized.

Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause paralysis. Poliovirus, the virus that causes polio, spreads from person to person through the mouth or nose. It can get into food and water.

The first case of polio in the United States since 1994 was recently detected in Rockland County. Poliovirus was also found in wastewater samples in the greater New York City area. If you are unvaccinated and live, work, visit, or attend school in Rockland County, Orange County, New York City, Sullivan County, and Nassau County, you are at the highest risk of contracting the disease.

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from polio. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is safe and does not contain live virus. People who get the vaccine cannot infect others. IPV is the only polio vaccine used in the United States.

IPV vaccination is part of a child's recommended routine vaccinations. More than 99 percent of children who get all four IPV doses (at 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 through 18 months old, and 4 through 6 years old) will be protected from polio. Unvaccinated adults should receive 3 doses.

If you are not sure whether you and your child have received the complete polio vaccine series, contact your provider to see if they have your immunizations records. If your provider does not have the records and you are not sure of your vaccination status, then it is recommended that you get vaccinated.

Contact your provider to schedule your polio vaccination. If you live in Rockland County, you also can visit a polio vaccine clinic.

The New York State Department of Health also recommends that the following New Yorkers who have previously completed their polio vaccine series should receive one lifetime booster dose of IPV:

Individuals who may have close contact with a person or family member known or suspected to be infected with poliovirus.
Healthcare workers working in areas where poliovirus has been detected who may be exposed to poliovirus.
People who work in the wastewater industry.

It is also important to wash hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill poliovirus.

For more information, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/polio.