Chattanooga’s Volunteers in Medicine Awarded Grant To Help Patients Manage Diabetes

  • Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Chattanooga’s Volunteers in Medicine is one of two Tennessee clinics the CVS Health Foundation – a private charitable organization created by CVS Health – in partnership with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics has awarded a total of $40,000 in grants to support their disease awareness programs.  Nashville’s Faith Family Medical Center was the other Tennessee clinic awarded a grant. 

The CVS Health Foundation recently extended its commitment to the NAFC with $1 million in new grants. Volunteers in Medicine and Faith Family Medical Center are two of 49 free clinics across the country receiving funding as part of the Foundation’s ongoing effort to make quality healthcare convenient and affordable for more Americans. 

"The rising cost of healthcare can make finding quality and affordable care harder to come by for many Americans,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. “Through our support of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, we’re able to increase access to quality care, improve chronic disease management and care coordination to help improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable patients and reduce health care costs in the communities we serve.” 
 
The $20,000 grant will allow Volunteers in Medicine in Chattanooga to expand its LEAD Jumpstart program that has proven to help diabetes patients increase their knowledge of healthy eating. During the program, patients are recruited for a 14-day immersion course in plant-based nutrition, biometric screenings, cooking classes, health presentations and group health coaching. 
 
“The CVS Health Foundation grant for our nutrition program, LEAD JumpStart, will be instrumental in educating patients about diabetes and other health conditions,” said Ashley Evans, executive director of Volunteers in Medicine in Chattanooga. “Being able to immerse the patient with healthful foods so they can embrace a new lifestyle without worry and confusion, will give each participant a new outlook on how food affects their overall well-being.”

Faith Family Medical Center (Nashville) will use a $20,000 grant to support its “10 Chronic Disease Days” which are organized throughout the year and offer screenings and recruitment of thousands of uninsured people in the community. The funding will also help expand educational materials such as a stove and cooking supplies for nutrition and cooking classes and new medicine balls for exercise classes. 
 
“This grant will help us reach a wider group of patients that can benefit from our services. Our wellness program and chronic disease management days will allow patients to learn about lifestyle modifications, physical activity and overall well-being,” said Cathy Altenbern, chief development officer of Faith Family Medical Center.
 
The new funds bring the Foundation’s total contribution to NAFC to more than $4.5 million since 2015. To date, CVS Health and its Foundation has contributed more than $100,000 consisting of grants, event sponsorships, foundation scholarships, gift cards and product donations, among other initiatives and items, to nonprofits in the state of Tennessee that align with the company’s purpose of helping people on their path to better health.

 


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