Humana Foundation Invests $1.16 Million in Tampa Bay and Broward County, Fla. through Strategic Community Investment Program

The Humana Foundation is investing $1.16 million to address social determinants of health in two Florida communities – Tampa Bay and Broward County. This is in addition to a $820,000 Humana Foundation grant in Jacksonville, funding a University of Florida program to promote social connections and food security in local seniors.

In Tampa Bay, the Humana Foundation will invest $620,000 and partner with Wholesome Wave to fund Wholesome Communities Florida: Waking Up to Wellness, a cross-sector collaboration designed to transform affordable access to healthy food in Tampa Bay.

In Broward County, the Humana Foundation will invest $540,000 with AARP Foundation in an effort to improve food security for older adults and their families. AARP Foundation will work with federally qualified health clinics to screen older patients for food insecurity and diet-related disease. If a patient screens positive for food insecurity, an AARP Foundation partner will help the patient apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. These benefits can provide an average of $124 per month to low-income adults.

Both investments in Tampa Bay and Broward Country are grants that are renewable for up to two additional years. Wholesome Wave and AARP Foundation have the potential to receive continued funding from the Humana Foundation in 2019 and 2020 — based on the specific results achieved over a 12-month period. 

These investments are part of the Foundation’s new Strategic Community Investments work. Through the program, the Foundation will invest $7 million in 2018 in nonprofit organizations operating in seven communities: San Antonio, Texas; Louisville, Ky., Baton Rouge, La.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Tampa Bay, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Broward County, Fla.  

In each of these communities, Humana is pursuing its “Bold Goal” to improve the health of the communities Humana serves 20 percent by 2020.The Humana Foundation is investing in nonprofit organizations that address food security, social connection, post-secondary success (sustained employment) and asset security, four social determinants of health that significantly impact people’s overall health and well-being. Social determinants are the conditions under which people are born, grow, live, work and age that impact overall health and well-being.