Humana Names National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome as $100,000 Winner of 2009 Utah Benefits Grant
By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-10-15 19:17:38 | Word Count: 652
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, a worldwide non-profit headquartered in Utah, which is dedicated to preventing shaken baby syndrome and infant abuse, has been awarded a $100,000 grant as the winner of the 2009 Utah Benefits grant, funded by health benefits company Humana Inc.
Earl F. Hurst, president of Humana of Utah, named NCSBS as the winner of the grant during the Utah Benefits Celebration of Giving dinner Friday, October 9 at the Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah. Two other finalists for the award - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and the University of Utah College of Social Work - each received a $10,000 grant from Humana.
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With the $100,000 award, the NCSBS will expand its Period of PURPLE Crying program. Extension of the Period of PURPLE Crying program will help reinforce a cultural change and understanding of the increased levels of infant crying from approximately two to five months of age.
"Research has shown a baby is shaken and abused every six hours, and the number one reason for this abuse is infant crying," said Marilyn Barr, Executive Director and founder of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. "Education about the normalcy of infant crying is a critical step to eradicating this terrible form of abuse."
Barr said the grant from Humana will provide needed resources for the NCSBS to expand the Period of PURPLE Crying program into its second phase of statewide implementation by educating pediatricians, health departments, home nurse visitors, adoption agencies, foster care facilities and the general public. The aim of the program's second phase is to ensure that parents and caregivers can receive the support and reinforcement they need during what can be a difficult yet normal time of infant development.
"Going in to the second year of this wonderful program, Humana is very committed to continuing to give back to the communities we serve through programs like Utah Benefits," said Hurst. "To help an organization like the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome find a solution to a community need and grow in a way they might not have dreamed possible is the heart of what this program is all about. We're honored to be able to partner with the NCSBS to help build a healthier, happier tomorrow for all children in Utah."
The 11 judges choosing the recipient of the $100,000 grant included Kevin Bauer, Bauer Captain & Johnson; Lane Beattie, Salt Lake Chamber; Gary Bowen, OGIO; Keith Buswell, Wadman Corporation; KC Ericksen, Orbit Irrigation Products; Carol Fineagan, Energy Solutions; Jay Francis, Larry H Miller Group; Matt Gregory, Leavitt Benefit Services; Sharlene Hawkes, Remember My Service; Jay Rust, Corporate Alliance; and Nancy Workman, Sandy Chamber of Commerce. Humana representatives on the panel of judges included Hurst, president of Humana of Utah; and Katrina Drake Hudson, regional marketing leader for Humana's West Region.
Humana's Utah Benefits program awards a one-time, $100,000 grant to a Utah-based 501(c)(3) organization working to improve the mind, body and spirit of residents. Kids On The Move, a nonprofit organization fostering the physical, social, cognitive and emotional growth of young children, won the first Utah Benefits $100,000 award in 2008, enabling the organization to open a satellite center in Lehi for families in northern Utah County.
