LWCC Foundation Awards Grants to Support Frontline Healthcare Workers

BATON ROUGE, La., June 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The LWCC Foundation announced today it has awarded $500,000 to 24 hospitals and hospital foundations across the state to support COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. The grants make up the second phase of the foundation's Louisiana Well Again: COVID-19 Response Package, a $1.1 million, three-phase grants and gifts package dedicated to helping Louisiana respond to and recover from the pandemic.

"Our vision is to make Louisiana home to the healthiest and safest workforce in America," said John Hawie, LWCC Foundation Board Chair. "Right now, a sector of this workforce is being challenged in unprecedented ways while trying to make Louisiana citizens safe and healthy, and we're honored to help them continue to fight this important battle."

With medical supplies running low at many hospitals, even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to spike in areas statewide, some grants recipients will use their awards to purchase much-needed PPE and additional supplies. Others will allocate the funds to support critical childcare for frontline hospital workers — everyone from nurses volunteering their time to medical residents to staff making minimum wage. And some healthcare centers will use the grants to buy iPads that enable isolated patients to connect with their loved ones; provide groceries to those working long shifts or facing food insecurity; or offer mental health services to workers struggling with the emotional toll of treating so many severely ill patients, as well as the fears they face around contracting the disease and bringing it home to their families.

"COVID-19 has placed unprecedented forms of stress on the healthcare system," said Kendra Harris, MD MSc, Tulane University School of Medicine. "Frontline providers — from doctors to nurses to essential personnel like custodians — had to worry about securing adequate personal protective equipment. The workforce had to grapple with a childcare crisis of epic proportions with schools and daycares shutting abruptly. Additionally, many industries are shedding jobs. It is through the help of community partners, such as the LWCC Foundation, that we were able to rise and meet this challenge. And although we are through the first surge, we all must prepare for what the fall and winter hold." 

These awards conclude Phase 2 of the LWCC Foundation's Louisiana Well Again: COVID-19 Response Package. Phase 1 entailed the distribution of a $100,000 gift to Feeding Louisiana, a nonprofit organization that supports food banks across the state. Phase 3 will see another $500,000 in grant money awarded, this time to fund initiatives focused on long-term solutions to improve the health, wellness, and safety of Louisiana workers, and will begin once there is greater clarity on the impact of COVID-19 on Louisiana's workforce.

Please visit louisianaloyal.com for more information on the LWCC Foundation, the Louisiana Well Again: COVID-19 Response Package, and LWCC's overall vision for elevating Louisiana.

The LWCC Foundation

The LWCC Foundation is a private foundation created by LWCC to formalize the company's commitment to its vision of being a catalyst to elevate Louisiana's position in America. Our mission is to inspire and create transformational change in Louisiana businesses and workers by partnering with nonprofits focused on health, wellness, and safety. Today, the best way we can be true to our mission and purpose is to help fight COVID-19. We have repurposed the foundation's resources through the Louisiana Well Again: COVID-19 Response Package, a $1.1 million commitment to help Louisiana respond to and recover from COVID-19 in three phases. Information about the foundation and Louisiana Well Again can be found at louisianaloyal.com/foundation. 

LWCC – Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation

LWCC is a champion of Louisiana business and proud to be headquartered in the state capital, Baton Rouge. As a model single-state, private mutual workers' comp company, we promote safety, security, and stability in Louisiana. LWCC is dedicated to excellence in execution, from underwriting to life-long care of injured workers. We are proud to partner with our agents, and together deliver outstanding service to our policyholders and their workers. Our commitment is to be there for Louisiana. Always. Our mission is to help Louisiana thrive by bettering our state one business and one worker at a time. LWCC has been recognized by industry leading benchmarker AON and named to the Ward's 50® group of top-performing insurance companies for achieving outstanding results in the areas of safety, consistency, and performance over a five-year period, 2014-2018. For more information on the corporation and its services, please visit www.lwcc.com.

Snapshots: A Sampling of How LWCC Foundation Grants Will Be Used by Louisiana Hospitals

Lafayette General Medical Center has been highly focused on keeping staff safe during the pandemic, and to date, just 1% of staff has contracted COVID-19. Lafayette General will use the grants funds to restock PPE and other critical supplies to help ensure this low infection rate does not rise.

St. Bernard Parish Hospital, a rural medical center located outside New Orleans, will use its grant to engage a local food provider to create healthy food boxes for frontline healthcare workers. Given the long shifts required during the pandemic, the hospital recognized that many workers have been unable to get to the grocery store for essential food supplies for their families. In addition, the economic impacts of COVID-19 and the closing of schools and summer camps has led to greater food insecurity.

Union General Hospital, located near Monroe, will use its award to purchase much-needed supplies. The region is still seeing an increase in COVID-19 patients, including many from area nursing homes. Additional medical supplies will help this small rural hospital slow the spread of the coronavirus.

SOURCE LWCC

Related Links

http://www.lwcc.com