Monticello Live

Hamburg Fire Chief Tim Hollis recently announced during a city council that the department was selected to receive a $99,536 Blue & You grant.

The funds will be used toward the departments SCBA replacement program. Hollis said, the department will replace its noncompliant self-contained breathing apparati (SCBA) by purchasing 13 new SCBAs to protect the city’s 21 firefighters.

Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas awarded a total of $2,733,532 in grants to 42 health improvement programs throughout the state.

“Our grants this year went to programs throughout the state that address such issues as nutrition and exercise, food insecurity, emergency medical services and medical professional education,” said Patrick O’Sullivan, executive director of the Blue & You Foundation, in a written statement.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield established the Blue & You Foundation in 2001 as a charitable foundation to promote better health in Arkansas. The Blue & You Foundation awards grants annually to nonprofit or governmental organizations and programs that positively affect the health of Arkansans.

In its 17 years of operation, the Blue & You Foundation has awarded $33 million to 1,566 health-improvement programs in Arkansas. Other grants that were awarded locally for 2019 were:
City of Crossett Recreation Department ($100,000) – The Crossett Swim Again Program will repair and improve the Crossett City Pool.

McGehee Hospital ($145,960) – The Establish a Chronic Care Management Program will hire two nurses to serve 300 patients who have chronic health conditions.

The Blue & You Foundation received 232 grant applications, representing $17 million in requests for support. The 2019 grant selections were made by Blue & You Foundation board members: Robert D. Cabe, chairman, Little Rock; Mark Greenway, Lowell; James V. Kelley, Little Rock; Carla Martin, Pine Bluff; Dan Nabholz, Conway; Rex Terry, Fort Smith; and Mark White, Little Rock.

The application deadline for the foundation’s next funding cycle is July 15, 2019. For more information about the grant-application process, visit the foundation website at www.BlueAndYouFoundationArkansas.org.
The foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and serves the state of Arkansas. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.