BCBS to encourage health providers

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota wants to encourage rural health care providers to be champions of healthy activity in their communities. As part of the insurer’s role as The Official Sponsor of Recess, BCBSND has announced it will offer grant funding to providers who can develop new ideas to promote daily, physical activities as a break for North Dakotans of all ages.

Financial support, based on established criteria, will be awarded to those applicants whose proposals for 2013 best benefit rural North Dakotans and their communities. The grants will allow all ages to embrace more physical activity as well as highlight the concerns of increasing obesity rates in the state.

“Many chronic conditions stem from being overweight. And it’s those same chronic conditions that create the majority of the cost to our health care system,” said Paul von Ebers, president and CEO of BCBSND. “These grants are intended to support changing our sedentary lifestyle, regardless of where you live in North Dakota or your age.”

The University of North Dakota’s Center for Rural Health has facilitated the rural health grant program on behalf of BCBSND since the program’s inception in 2001 as an effort to strengthen and support the rural health delivery system in North Dakota. Completed grant proposals, for programs scheduled for January through December of 2013, are due on Nov. 28. The full announcement and grant guidance are available at: http://rural

health.und.edu/

projects/bcbs/pdf/bcbs_year_9.pdf.

Tags: life, health