Pathfinder Village Receives Excellus BCBS Health and Wellness Award

UTICA—Excellus BlueCross BlueShield recently awarded Pathfinder Village a $1,500.00 Health and Wellness Award to support Pathfinder Produce Kitchen To Go Presentations. This program provides fun lessons on cooking procedures, safe food handling practices, and healthy foods, all in an informal and collaborative environment. Sessions feature Pathfinder’s new mobile kitchen cart and an approved curriculum by Edible Education.

“Our Kitchen To Go is part of an innovative food education outreach program,” explained Layla Hazlett, OTR/L, Pathfinder’s director and clinical coordinator of adult services. “Pathfinder Produce and our Adult Day Services will use the mobile kitchen to share hands-on cooking sessions to grow an appreciation for healthy foods among school students, organization members, and the public. We believe these fun and social cooking experiences will help participants gravitate toward healthier food choices.”

Pathfinder Produce is a weekly fresh fruit-and-vegetable market that provides fresh produce to the local community and provides adults with intellectual disabilities vocational training, and employment opportunities.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Health and Wellness Awards support programs that conduct ongoing work or initiatives designed to improve community health and health outcomes. Health disparities are complex and can have many causes. These awards are given to programs that address specific health conditions or factors linked to health disparities.

“The company’s Health and Wellness Awards demonstrate a corporate commitment to support local organizations that share our mission as a nonprofit health plan,” says Eve Van de Wal, Utica regional president of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “Pathfinder Produce Kitchen To Go Presentations align with our mission of helping our communities live healthier more secure lives by providing education on healthy cooking and food choices.”