By Peter Kates

Dr. Nora OBrien-Suric, president of the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, and Art Wingerter, president of Univera Healthcare, have known each other for years. They, and the organizations they oversee, have a shared mission and vision for improving the region’s health and quality of life. They also have a common history.

In 2002, the foundation, then known as the Community Health Foundation of Western & Central New York, was established, and endowed with assets from Univera Healthcare that would eventually total over $100 million. Over the ensuing 22 years, the Health Foundation has awarded more than 500 grants totaling $50 million to organizations across Western and Central New York.

With that common history in mind, Wingerter recently approached OBrien-Suric with the idea of collaborating on Univera Healthcare’s current round of Health Equity Innovation Awards, which provide funding to community-based organizations to support health and wellness programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities. This is the fourth year the health insurer is offering the awards, but this time, the Health Foundation will provide additional funds to enhance the initiative.

“We were immediately receptive to Art’s idea to work together, recognizing that our combined resources and expertise would have a greater impact on the community,” says OBrien-Suric.

The 2024 recipients of Univera Healthcare’s Health Equity Innovation Awards will be announced later this month, but past recipients, including ConnectLife, the ECMC Foundation, and BestSelf Behavioral Health, offer examples of the types of programs funded and the impact they can have.

ConnectLife used its 2023 award funding to create a Minority Donation and Transplant Stakeholders Council to provide input to ConnectLife leadership and staff regarding cultural competency issues relating to organ, eye, and tissue donation. This effort is addressing health literacy and health equity concerns specific to minority populations and ethnic groups.

The ECMC Foundation used its 2023 award to support ECMC’s Remote Patient Monitoring Program to improve blood pressure screening among the area’s most vulnerable populations. Usually, high blood pressure has no symptoms, so screening offers the only way to diagnose the condition.

BestSelf Behavioral Health used its 2023 award to support The Child Advocacy Center, an innovative, comprehensive center offering safety, support, and healing for children and families affected by sexual abuse, violence, and trauma in Erie County.

Says Wingerter, “By collaborating on this year’s awards, Univera Healthcare and the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York will be able to help even more people. Often, the most important initiatives that contribute to the health of our community involve work being conducted behind the scenes by people and organizations who are quietly making a difference. What better way to celebrate the season!”

Learn more about the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York at www.hfwcny.org, and Univera Healthcare at www.UniveraHealthcare.com.

Peter Kates is vice president of communications at Univera Healthcare.