Funds used for daycare to make physical activity improvements

FARGO – The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation awarded Towner County Medical Center a $5,000 BCBSND Rural Health Grant in 2017. The grant was used to make physical activity improvements in the daycare such as the purchase of bike helmets, soccer balls, sticks for floor hockey, a balance beam, tricycles and bikes.

Christyna Bruce the Cando Community Child Care Director states, "This was a great grant for us. It was nice to have this funding to allow us to be able to purchase things 100 percent for the kids and help them stay active."

The BCBSND Rural Health Grant Program is a collaborative with the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the University of North Dakota (UND). The purpose of the grant program is to support local health care providers and their communities by offering funding for projects that champion increased physical activity and promote the health and well-being of rural North Dakotans.

A complete listing past recipients of the grant program are available on the CRH website, http://www.ruralhealth.und.edu/projects/bcbs-grant-program.