BCBSND Caring Foundation raises $24,000 for evidence-based mental health and prevention curriculum for rural North Dakota schools

Above: Check presentation with Sources of Strength and BCBSND Caring Foundation Staff

Shut Out the Stigma campaign closes with significant investment in Sources of Strength curriculum.

FARGO, N.D. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation teamed up with the Bismarck Bobcats, Fargo Force and University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks to help Shut Out the Stigma of accessing mental health services. For the first 20 saves of each February and March home game of these teams, the BCBSND Caring Foundation donated $50 to fund Sources of Strength programming in North Dakota schools. Altogether, the campaign raised $24,000 to provide four rural North Dakota schools with the necessary funding to bring Sources of Strength curriculum into their schools.

"Through our partnership with North Dakota hockey teams we continue to help our communities value and prioritize mental health. We are not only reducing stigma but also raising vital funds to empower rural schools with youth mental health resiliency programming to ensure our communities' youngest members have the tools they need to thrive,” said Amber Blomberg, Executive Director of the Caring Foundation.

The BCBSND Caring Foundation’s Social Determinants of Health Study and research from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) revealed the crucial need for mental health work in North Dakota. In 2021, NAMI reported 6,000 North Dakotans aged 12 to 17 have depression and the majority of these North Dakotans did not receive any care in 2020. Many times this is due to access, as recent tracking statistics show 46% of North Dakotans live in a mental health professional shortage area. By investing in curriculum like Sources of Strength, more youth will get the tools they need to understand themselves and their peers’ mental health.

Learn more about Shut Out the Stigma and the Social Determinants of Health Study at bcbsnd.com/caring foundation.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation
Established in 1989, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Through giving and investing, the Caring Foundation focuses on key health issues to help improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans and their communities. Caring Foundation staff collaborate with grantees to support non-profit sustainability, promote shared outcomes and create lasting change.