Florida's Top Health Care Nonprofits Honored With 2008 Sapph...( JACKSONVILLE Fla. Dec. 5 /- In recogn...),Health

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the best Florida nonprofits successfully addressing health care disparities across the state, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF), today announced its 2008 Sapphire Award honorees at a ceremony in Orlando.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050112/NEW019LOGO )

The Sapphire Award is the only Florida statewide award that recognizes and promotes health-related programs that have demonstrated excellence and impact in improving the health-related outcomes of Florida's uninsured and underserved.

There are two Winners of the 2008 Sapphire Award and its accompanying $100,000:

    -- All 'Bout Children -- Building Wellness, Resilience, and School
       Readiness: A Preschool Preventative Intervention in West Palm Beach;
       and

    -- Memorial Foundation -- Health Intervention with Targeted Services
       (HITS) Program in Hollywood.


    Other honorees include:
    -- BayCares, Inc., Panama City -- Award of Distinction ($75,000);

    -- Capital Medical Society Foundation -- We Care Network, Tallahassee --
       Award of Distinction ($75,000); and

    -- Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, Inc. -- Healthy Families Charlotte
       County -- Honorable Mention ($25,000).

Established in 2005, The Sapphire Award recognizes and rewards nonprofit community health programs that have demonstrated success and high merit and have a record of improving the health of their community through measurable outcomes.

"We are proud to honor nonprofits making a significant positive impact on the health and well being of people in our state," said Susan Towler, executive director, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. "They are
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