Like many nonprofits across the country, Project Care Free Clinic in northern Minnesota has had to make big adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past year, the clinic expanded its services, provided free insulin and added a mental health practitioner to its lineup of volunteer providers. Project Care Free Clinic also moved its Virginia, Minn. clinic into a new building that’s more accessible to people who don’t have adequate transportation. The clinic is also seeing more patients who have delayed appointments and other medical care during the pandemic.

At the same time, the organization had to cancel one of its major fundraisers for a second straight year. Tiffany Schleppegrell, executive director for Project Care Free clinic, called that a big financial blow to the organization.

However, a windfall of donations through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Community Giving Campaign, helped give a big financial boost to the clinic. Those donations allowed clinic leaders to put valuable dollars behind the expanded services and focus on patient care.

“Donations from Blue Cross have allowed us to spend more time speaking in the community and doing outreach to bring in more patients instead of fundraising,” says Tiffany.

Project Care Free Clinic is just one of hundreds of nonprofits that benefited from generous contributions to the annual Community Giving Campaign at Blue Cross. The month-long campaign each fall encourages associates to donate to their favorite nonprofits. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation provided a matching contribution for each donation made.

The 2021 campaign, which wrapped up October 6, raised more than $1.09 million between associate donations, Foundation matches and an online auction.

Supporting featured nonprofits

As part of the Community Giving Campaign, Blue Cross designates a handful of organizations to be featured nonprofits. The missions of these organizations focus on both racial and health equity and on social determinants of health – two initiatives that align with Blue Cross’ company goals. Racial and health equity-based nonprofits were eligible for a 150 percent Foundation match. Featured nonprofits focusing on social determinants of health received a 100 percent Foundation match. All other nonprofits received a 50 percent Foundation match from associate donations.

“By raising over $1 million for charity, we are supporting our communities when they need us most, by impacting racial and health equity, and furthering our mission to inspire change, transform care and improve health,” says Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial and health equity at Blue Cross and board chair of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. “Our community thrives when we work collectively to support one another.”

“Our community thrives when we work collectively to support one another.” -Bukata Hayes

This year’s racial and health equity nonprofits include:

• Project Care Free Clinic
• Voices for Racial Justice
• Hallie Q. Brown Community Center
• YWCA Minneapolis
• Northpoint Health & Wellness Center
• Hope Community
• Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency

Featured nonprofits in the social determinants of health category include:

• Access North
• Dream of Wild Health
• Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability
• Mesabi Family YMCA
• Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
• North St. Louis County Habitat for Humanity
• Urban Roots

Impacting racial and health equity in Minnesota

Voices of Racial Justice (VRJ) was one of this year’s featured nonprofits in the racial and health equity category. The organization is involved in a variety of initiatives that support its mission of “building power through collective cultural and healing strategies for racial justice across Minnesota using organizing, leadership training, community policy and research.”

Monica Bryand, executive director at VRJ, outlined some of the organization’s key projects for 2022, including centering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities in the redistricting process following the 2020 Census. It leads a healing and organizing space for BIPOC women impacted by incarceration. It also provides leadership training for BIPOC parents and guardians organizing for racial and education equity in schools to support youth.

VRJ also leads the Racism as a Public Health Crisis Coalition, made up of 10 organizations working together to come up with solutions for racism as a public health crisis through organizing, healing, art, and policy.

“VRJ is going through an exciting time of growth and increased capacity,” says Monica. “The financial support from Blue Cross will provide flexibility in supporting our overall work and the community partners that are critical to our success.”

Focus on caring for uninsured, underinsured patients

At Project Care Free Clinic, volunteer doctors and nurses focus on providing basic health care for both uninsured and underinsured patients. The top three diagnoses among patients include hypertension, diabetes and mental health conditions. A $25 contribution covers the cost of one complete visit to the clinic.

“We live in an amazing area with wonderful volunteers,” says Tiffany. “In the past two years, it has been shown to all of us how important it is to work together to stay healthy as a community.”

Tiffany says most of their patients hear about the clinic by word of mouth, so they want to focus on being open and welcoming to people of all backgrounds.

“We acknowledge that there is inequity in health care access and that people of color have been disproportionately impacted by this,” she says. “We know diversity only makes us stronger and are always looking for ways to partner with community leaders and make the clinic a more comfortable place for everyone.”