Blue Cross, Blue Shield to award $500K in grants to fight substance abuse

PHOENIX – Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Arizona will award $500,000 to community organizations that are helping to fight the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders by increasing access to critical services, the company announced Monday.

The grant program is part of Mobilize AZ, BCBSAZ’s public health movement that works to address health concerns facing Arizonans.

“There is no better investment we can make than solving Arizona’s most critical health issues,” BCBSAZ president and CEO Pam Kehaly said in a press release.

“Our organization is committed to addressing the rise in substance use disorder in Arizona, something that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Arizona nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and government entities that are looking to further their work when it comes to prevention, treatment, resilience and recovery for substance use disorders are eligible for the grants.

Organizations’ projects must also focus on at least one complicating factor like COVID-19, social determinants of health or co-occurring mental health conditions, according to the release.

Eligible organizations can request up to $100,000 for their projects.

The grants will be funded for a 12-month term starting April 1.

Application will be accepted online until 5 p.m. on Feb. 11, according to the release.

Arizona declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency in 2017, and since then, BCBSAZ has awarded more than $3.4 million in grants to help fight the crisis.

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