CVS Offers 'Innovations In Community Health' Grants
The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation today announced it has awarded two “Innovations in Community Health” grants totaling $100,000 in Massachusetts. Through a partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), grants have been awarded nationwide as part of an effort to help increase access to quality health care and produce better health outcomes while reducing costs for patients and healthcare systems.
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Massachusetts-based health centers receiving grants include >>>
- Community Health Center of Cape Cod (Mashpee, MA): A $50,000 grant will support programs related to diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia management.
- Dimock Community Health Center (Roxbury, MA): A $50,000 grant will support programs related to behavioral health integration for coronary artery disease.
The “Innovations in Community Health” grants, which total more than $1 million, have been awarded to 21 community health centers across the country to support the development of innovative, community-based programs and initiatives that focus on the treatment and management of chronic illnesses, specifically heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and asthma.
"Through our partnership with NACHC, we are providing much-needed funding to support affordable community-based health care models that are producing innovative programming in the area of chronic disease management," said Eileen Howard Boone, President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. "We are honored to recognize programs in Boston and Cape Cod that are using a variety of methods to help people manage their chronic disease and improve health outcomes."
While changes in our health care system will qualify millions of more people for health coverage, it's still a challenge for many to find quality care that could help manage – even prevent – many chronic diseases.
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More than half of Americans suffer from one or more chronic diseases every year and chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. A survey released today by CVS Caremark could explain why. “The CVS Caremark Chronic Disease Awareness Survey” reveals the public’s misconception and understanding of chronic diseases, with the majority of respondents admitting that they are not doing as much as they could to stay healthy. Twenty-eight percent of respondents think there is little they can do to prevent most chronic diseases, yet modifiable health risk behaviors, including lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption, contribute most to the exacerbation of chronic diseases. Additional insights include >>>
- Nearly forty percent of people think what they eat has little to do with whether they get a chronic disease.
- Approximately thirty-two percent of people think smoking does not have an effect on chronic diseases beyond lung cancer.
The survey also showed that while a majority of people agree that reducing stress, exercising, improving their diet or regularly visiting a doctor can help prevent chronic diseases, more than half of people admit they are not doing much to prevent them.
- Sixty percent of respondents are aware they should take steps to reduce stress in their daily lives but do not.
- Nearly sixty-five percent of people are aware they should exercise regularly, but they do not.
- More than half of people admit they do not take the steps they should to improve their diet.
For more information, please visit www.cvscaremarkfyi.com/BuildingHealthierCommunities
About the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust
The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Inc. is a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS). CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the nation. The Trust's mission is to provide funding for health care, education and community involvement initiatives in CVS Caremark communities. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Investor Relations portion of the Company's Web site at www.investor.cvs.com, or through the Web site's press roomwww.cvscaremark.com/newsroom.
About the National Association of Community Health Centers
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) was founded in 1971. Its mission is to promote the provision of high quality, comprehensive and affordable health care that is coordinated, culturally and linguistically competent, and community directed for all medically underserved populations. For more information on the National Association of Community Health Centers, please visit http://www.nachc.com/.
About the Community Health Center of Cape Cod
The Community Health Center of Cape Code believes that patients play an important role in their own good health and well-being. The Center works with patients to develop preventive health and medical program to fit patients’ needs and services such as primary care, mental health, women’s health, dental care and special programs. For more information, please visithttp://www.chcofcapecod.org/.
About the Dimock Community Health Center
Recognized nationally as a model for the delivery of comprehensive health and human services in an urban community, The Dimock Center provides the residents of Boston with convenient access to quality health care and human services that might not otherwise be available to the communities we serve. In 2009, our providers and staff saw over 73,000 patient and client visits. For more information, please visit http://dimockcenter.org/news/page/About-The-Dimock-Center.aspx.