OGDENSBURG -- Two local nonprofit organizations were among 13 agencies in the Utica/Rome/North Country region chosen to receive Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Fall 2018 Community Health Awards.

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Foundation in Ogdensburg and the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department in Canton will receive up to $4,000 of the $35,000 allocated by the company to help fund health and wellness programs.

CHMC Foundation will use the financial support to enhance the CHMC Diabetes Self Management Education Program. The enhancements will include more practical skill building in two critical areas of diabetes prevention and management: shopping and preparing healthy food.

Additionally, the program will encourage more physical activity and movement in its participants by providing each participant with a set of walking weights and offering class participation incentives.

The county Public Health Department based plans to use the funding to support Walk With A Doc, a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle.

The mission of Walk With A Doc is to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages and abilities, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in order to improve the health and well-being of the country, one community at a time.

Each walk is led by a group of health care providers from the local hospitals and clinics, allowing providers and their patients to enjoy the benefits of walking, while also getting the chance to talk with one another while they exercise.

Through a competitive application process, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Community Health Awards support programs that have clear goals to improve the health or health care of a specific population, said a press release from Excellus.

Awards focus on improving the health status of the community, reducing the incidence of specific diseases, promoting health education and enhancing overall wellness and are made based on scope of need, goals of the program, number of people expected to benefit from the program and positive impact on the community’s health status.