Blue Cross Blue Shield Awards Peabody YMCA $25K Grant

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody YMCA of Metro North received a $25,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation grant as part of a special initiative program to create community-based programs and projects that promote sustainable improvements in health care for low-income and uninsured residents.

The special initiatives program provides one-time grants to nonprofits and projects that predominantly serve people of color, including some with a special focus on responding to community needs caused by COVID-19.

The award is part of $3 million in grants to 64 community-based programs this year. Over the past two decades, Blue Cross Blue Shield said it has provided more than $73 million in total grants across the state.

"With this round of grant-making, we remain steadfast in our multi-year commitments to expanding access to behavioral health urgent care, investing in new models to address the social determinants of health, strengthening statewide advocacy for health access, and supporting local efforts to obtain coverage for Massachusetts residents," Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, said. "At the same time, we are pleased to have distributed funds to community-based organizations responding to the pandemic in communities that have been inequitably impacted.”