Ascension’s Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans (DCSNO) has received this year’s $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit charitable grant in New Orleans. DCSNO is a system of community-based health centers throughout greater New Orleans dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable.
“The Humana Foundation honors outstanding nonprofit organizations using transformative strategies to help prevent diabetes and congestive heart failure in their community,” said Virginia Kelly Judd, Executive Director of the Humana Foundation. “We are delighted that the Humana Communities Benefit judging process selected Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans for the program’s top grant and are confident their work will improve the health and well-being of area residents.”
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, limb amputations, and new cases of blindness in the United States, and the disease is reaching epidemic proportions in New Orleans. Making matters worse, recent research shows that people with low incomes and other negative socioeconomic factors are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
To address this concern, DCSNO will use the $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit charitable grant to establish the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans Diabetes Prevention Program, which will work to prevent at-risk individuals from developing diabetes and serve as a critical resource to improve participants’ health and well-being through a supportive and holistic approach.
“This $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit grant will play a crucial role in helping our organization positively impact the well-being of a greater New Orleans population that is often vulnerable to poor health and lifestyle choices,” said Michael G. Griffin, President and CEO of Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans. “We are certain our Diabetes Prevention Program will contribute to more efficient diabetes prevention for residents who are at-risk for the condition."
DCSNO’s Diabetes Prevention Program will aim to reduce participants’ body weight by 7 percent and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week. To help participants achieve this goal, the program will provide educational sessions on diabetes, nutrition, physical activity, managing stress and overcoming barriers.
Partnering with DSCNO, Market Umbrella will provide vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables to be redeemed at local farmers markets. The YMCA will offer gym memberships and diabetes prevention programs for participants.
The grant also will enable the program, which will begin at five Daughters of Charity Health Centers, to expand to Daughters of Charity Health Centers across New Orleans and help the organization maintain its longstanding reputation of providing holistic health resources where the community most needs them.
“Providing people with the resources they need to get healthy is an impactful first step toward achieving overall well-being, which is what made the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans’ Diabetes Prevention Program the model recipient of this year’s $350,000 grant,” said Humana Louisiana Employer Group Vice President Rhonda Bagby. “We look forward to seeing how this funding helps DCSNO fulfill its commitment to renewing the health of a community that lacks health literacy and financial assistance.”
DCSNO and two other finalists for Humana’s New Orleans grant – The American Heart Association and Ochsner Health System – participated in an online community vote that gave the public the opportunity to weigh in on which organization it felt was most deserving of the funding. The public’s results were integrated into the final round of judging, which consisted of formal presentations to a panel of community leaders and business representatives who decided the recipient of the three-year, $350,000 Humana charitable grant.
At the presentation of a 2015 Humana Communities Benefit $350,000 charitable grant to Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans are, from left, Michael Griffin, DCSNO, President; Jeffrey Martorell, Daughters of Charity Health Centers patient; Sylvia Denson, a Nurse Care Manager at Daughters of Charity Health Centers and Director of Daughters’ Diabetic Institute; April Golenor, Regional President of Senior Products, Humana; and Rhonda Bagby, Employer Group Vice President, Humana. Photo by Bernie Saul
