Centene Foundation Partners with Little Bit Foundation, St. Louis CITY SC and Pro Football Hall of Fame for St. Louis Students' Health
Centene Foundation, in collaboration with The Little Bit Foundation (Little Bit), St. Louis CITY SC (CITY SC) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF), has launched an initiative to enhance the physical, mental and social well-being of St. Louis students. Funded by a grant from the Centene Foundation, the partnership aims to expand programs that offer mental health support, physical fitness, literacy services and food access for over 14,000 students in 47 local schools. These programs will also address the scarcity of mental health services and feature community support activities like vision services and wellness events.
Extending Centene’s longstanding partnership with Little Bit, plans include expanding these programs to more schools and creating "self-care and wellness centers" in select institutions. As part of this collaboration, CITY SC, PFHOF, and other community partners will engage in programs promoting health, wellness and leadership. The initiative kicked off with a rally at Yeatman-Liddell Middle School on September 14, featuring insights from Aeneas Williams of PFHOF and Jonathan Bell of CITY SC.
Building the Uvalde Community Center to Provide Access to Care
The Centene Foundation and Centene’s Texas health plan, Superior HealthPlan, are investing $7.9 million in a new, state-of-the-art multipurpose community center in Uvalde, Texas. In partnership with Community Health Development, Inc. (CHDI), a federally qualified health center, the community center will serve as a whole health resource for the entire Uvalde community and its surrounding region.
Centene and Superior met with CHDI following the tragedy at Robb Elementary School to discuss how to support Uvalde and help foster long-term recovery. The community center aims to achieve this by expanding resources available to the entire community for physical, mental and emotional health.
Once complete, the new community center will house space for primary medical care, behavioral health services, youth development resources, college and job preparation training for students, retail space for local businesses and a tranquility garden to honor victims of the tragedy that occurred on May 24, 2022. The Uvalde Community Center is targeting completion in late 2024.
Meeting the Health Needs of Georgia’s Students
The Centene Foundation and Centene’s Georgia health plan, Peach State Health Plan, are investing over $1 million to enhance comprehensive school-based health centers (SBHC) at in-need schools in Georgia. Out of the approximately 2,200 public schools in the state, only a little over 100 have SBHCs. School nurses are unable to meet students’ needs and hundreds of schools don’t have a school nurse.
This funding helps provide comprehensive and high-quality healthcare services for students who attend schools in areas with high poverty rates. The investment in these SBHCs is done in coordination with the Georgia Primary Care Association, the Georgia Department of Education and experienced federally qualified health centers.
The investment builds on the governor’s initiative to increase funding for Georgia SBHCs, which are an effective and under-utilized way to ensure students’ health needs are met.
Promoting Health and Job Readiness in Atlanta
The Centene Foundation and Centene’s Peach State Health Plan are investing $1.5 million to establish a health and wellness center within City of Refuge – an Atlanta nonprofit that seeks to bring hope and transformation to local individuals and families.
City of Refuge’s health and wellness center will focus on all local populations and will address obesity, mental health and other challenges. Additionally, funding from the Centene Foundation and Peach State Health Plan will increase capacity at City of Refuge’s Workforce Innovation Hub. This will provide more job training and readiness opportunities, including resume writing and interview assistance.
These investments help members of the community find meaningful employment, support their loved ones and access high-quality health and wellness resources across a broad spectrum.
Improving the Healthcare System for Communities Across Nebraska
The Centene Foundation and Centene’s Nebraska health plan, Nebraska Total Care, are partnering with the Health Center Association of Nebraska to establish Project Access, a program to improve patient experience and increase access to health services while expanding network capacity. The Foundation and Nebraska Total Care will provide over $3 million over three years in support of the project.
The project’s statewide partnership with federally qualified health centers (FQHC) expands the use of technology and increase the number of healthcare providers to deliver healthcare services to even the most remote parts of the state of Nebraska. Funding will be made available to FQHCs that aim to recruit healthcare workers in underserved areas, optimize clinical operations and meet patients where they are through methods including telehealth.
The initiative also focuses on recruiting and retaining healthcare providers. This will be done in part by developing partnerships with local colleges, high schools and other stakeholders to create a pipeline for future healthcare workers. With Project Access, more Nebraskans across the state will have greater access to healthcare services.
Serving the Unhoused in Albuquerque
The Centene Foundation and Centene’s Western Sky Community Care are investing $3 million over three years to support the One Albuquerque Fund's efforts in completing the Gateway at Gibson Health Center. The health center will support people without homes by providing shelter and wrap-around services.
These services include emergency overnight beds, an engagement center, medical sobering and medical respite, including patient-centered medical care and necessary social services. Additionally, the Gateway’s engagement center will offer case management, job training and benefits guidance.
This partnership with the One Albuquerque Fund supports its mission of bringing the community, businesses and nonprofit organizations together to support the people of Albuquerque.