BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

S.C. BlueCross Foundation Presents $51,000 Grant to Communities In Schools for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

September 14, 2012

North Charleston, S.C .— The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation presented a $51,422 check to Communities In Schools here today to fund a teen pregnancy prevention program in five North Charleston-area schools.

"As an organization dedicated to keeping students in school, Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area recognizes the tremendous influence teen pregnancy has on the high school dropout rate. We are grateful to the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation for understanding this very real obstacle to high school completion and for investing in Communities In Schools and comprehensive reproductive health education,” Communities In Schools Executive Director Jane Riley-Gambrell told dignitaries attending the presentation event.

“Approximately one-third of female students who drop out do so because they are pregnant or parenting. The Community In Schools program has already been effective in other areas, and we feel it can make a difference in the expanded program area,” said BlueCross Foundation Executive Director Harvey Galloway.

Communities In Schools plans to offer pregnancy prevention resources to approximately 3,400 students, including case management services to 300 of the highest-risk students. This will include individual and group counseling, with group programs targeting teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted disease prevention, goal setting, and drug and alcohol awareness and prevention.

Today’s event was part of a series of events the foundation is hosting around the state to present its grants and honor the recipients in front of community and business leaders. Since the foundation was established in 2003, it has allocated more than $40.4 million in South Carolina to address issues such as childhood health, community health, mental health, obesity, diabetes, nursing and health research, and the increasing need for free medical clinics.
 
About Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area
Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area provides a variety of student support programs to more than 10,000 students in 23 schools across the Charleston Area. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit has operated for more than 20 years and is committed to keeping Charleston-area students in school.
 
About the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation (www.bcbsscfoundation.org) is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Its mission is to promote the health of South Carolinians and to expand access to health care in South Carolina for the economically disadvantaged by supporting integrated research, education and community service.