edited by CARMEN SIERING
According to the most recent assessment by the Monroe County Health Department, IU Health, and Indiana University, two of the most pressing and persistent health challenges facing the local community are access to reliable transportation for nonemergency medical appointments and chronic disease prevention and management, which is directly related to healthy food access. In December, the Bloomington Health Foundation (BHF) announced investments totaling nearly $200,000 in support of local organizations addressing those needs.
In collaboration with funding partners and others, BHF announced a grant to Area 10 Agency on Aging to purchase and operate a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Area 10 has been transporting people to their medical appointments, via Rural Transit, for 35 years.
Another grant offered immediate funding via transportation vouchers, in partnership with 10 local organizations on the front lines of helping people receive services and medical treatment.
Finally, in partnership with the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market and the Bloomington Parks Foundation, BHF announced a grant to support a significant expansion of the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program for seniors and the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) populations at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market.
