07/13/2011
Families First Health & Support Center named 2011 Champion in Action in New Hampshire in area of community health care
Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV to provide $25,000 grant, PR and volunteer support
Manchester, N.H. (July 13, 2011) Citizens Bank New Hampshire and WMUR-TV have named Families First Health & Support Center as their 2011 third quarter Champion in Action® in the area of community health care. As part of the award, Families First will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support.
“Citizens Bank is pleased to join WMUR-TV in naming Families First as its newest Champion in Action,” said Joe Carelli, President, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. “Families First’s holistic approach to addressing the overall wellness of its clients and its proactive role in identifying and addressing gaps in the services for its clients demonstrates its leadership in the health care sector.”
Families First’s “one-stop-shopping” model provides a broad range of health and family services—ideal for supporting people who are trying to care for themselves and families with few financial or other resources at their disposal. In addition to providing direct services, Families First has care coordinators who help clients leverage outside resources, including prescription assistance and health insurance. In 2010, the center provided more than 4,300 people with affordable, quality health care, and almost 2,000 with parent education and family support.
“Sharing in this initiative with Citizens Bank continues to be a source of great pride," said Jeff Bartlett, General Manager of WMUR-TV. “We are very pleased to help organizations across the state that demonstrate such a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of so many New Hampshire residents. They truly are champions.”
Families First is one of the first community health centers in New Hampshire to integrate dental and behavioral health services with primary care. It also has a mobile Health Care for the Homeless program that brings medical, dental and substance-abuse services to shelters, soup kitchens and other sites convenient for those who are homeless.
“We believe good health is more than just treating illness,” said Helen Taft, executive director of Families First. “That’s why we focus so much on preventive care, and on providing services for the whole person, all under one roof, to all those who need it.”
The Champions in Action program is designed to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to New Hampshire communities. A new Champion in Action is selected each quarter among a range of social service areas.
As a Champion in Action, Families First will receive:
• A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation.
• Media coverage from WMUR-TV, including public service announcements and television profiles.
• Volunteer support from Citizens and WMUR-TV employees.
• Extensive public relations support.
• Promotional support, highlighting the current “Champion in Action” in all Citizens Bank branches and on its ATMs.
• Exposure on both Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV Web sites.
A nonprofit organization in the area of homelessness will be named the fourth quarter Champion in Action and will be announced in October 2011.
For more information about the Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com or www.wmur.com To learn more about Families First, visit www.familiesfirstseacoast.org or call (603) 422-8208. Families First is located at 100 Campus Drive, Suite 12 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Families1st.
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 82 branches and 203 ATMs in New Hampshire.
RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $132 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
About WMUR-TV
WMUR-TV (Ch. 9) is an ABC-TV affiliate headquartered in Manchester, N.H., and is owned and managed by Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc., one of the nation's largest television station groups. WMUR-TV is New Hampshire's largest commercial TV station, reaching more than a million people. Founded in 1954, the station's news, feature and sports coverage has won numerous awards for professional and journalistic excellence. WMUR-TV is considered the broadcast news source of record for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary election. WMUR-TV provides online news and information at www.WMUR.com
