Anchorage, Alaska, Oct. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska, a leading health plan in the state, today announced a $450,000 grant to Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP) to fund behavioral health services for pre-K children and their families in Alaska’s low-income rural communities.
This grant expands case management, supportive services and housing for children, delivering services using a trauma-informed care approach that focuses on how emotional forces impact behavior.
The Premera Social Impact grant also will support RurAL CAP’s Supportive Housing Division, expanding its transitional supportive housing facility, and creating more counseling spaces to provide increased behavioral health support for residents. These facilities increase access to affordable housing for low-income individuals and families and help homeless individuals move to economic independence.
“We are committed to improving overall health and well-being in our communities, and that means helping organizations better address the behavioral health needs of kids and their families,” said Jim Grazko, President and General Manager of Premera’s Alaska office. “We are excited to partner with RurAL CAP in our shared mission to provide services that address behavioral health issues and adverse childhood experiences in rural Alaska.”
RurAL CAP promotes self-sufficiency in Alaska’s rural community by providing advocacy, education, affordable housing and direct services that respect Alaska’s unique values and cultures, addressing the experiences of homelessness, addiction and mental illness.
“The children in Alaska’s rural communities need access to these behavioral health services, and we are committed to providing them,” said Barry Andres, clinical director for Behavioral Health Services at RurAL CAP. “Making these facilities and programs available to these communities empowers Alaskans toward whole health.”
The RurAL CAP grant is part of a five-year, $8 million investment to support efforts across Alaska to address behavioral health issues with a specific focus on homelessness. The funding was made possible due to recent changes in the U.S. corporate tax system that resulted in one-time-only tax refunds to some companies.
To learn more about Premera Social Impact, read the company’s community giving report.
About Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska, which has operated in Alaska since 1952, is a not-for-profit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Premera and its family of companies provide comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to approximately 2 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies.
About Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP)
RurAL CAP, founded in 1965, is a private, statewide, nonprofit organization working to improve the quality of life for low-income Alaskans. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors representing every region of the state, RurAL CAP is one of the largest and most diversified nonprofit organizations in Alaska. In fiscal year 2015, RurAL CAP employed 727 Alaskans in 60 communities statewide and operated on $43 million in conjunction with its for-profit subsidiary, Rural Energy Enterprises.
Attachment