PORTLAND, Ore. – The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association today released its annual “The Health of America Community Investment Report” detailing the impact of community investments made in 2017 by all 36 licensees and their foundations to improve the health of Americans.
Underscoring the companies’ deep commitment to helping Americans live healthier lives, BCBS programs focus on driving positive health outcomes and addressing the most pressing issues affecting the country today, including community health disparities, the opioid epidemic and quality and accessibility of health care.
The report highlights community partnerships led by Regence in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah. Together, Regence and its family of companies have invested more than $12 million in its local communities.
“In each of our four states, we’re focused on building transformative, game-changing partnerships that enhance the health and lives of people in our communities,” said Alison Arella with Regence Corporate Social Responsibility.
Examples of those partnerships include:
- In Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield partnered with New Avenues for Youth to expand outreach to and support for youth experiencing housing instability, programming for LGBTQ youth, youth in foster care and youth involved in sex trafficking.
- In Utah, Regence BlueCross BlueShield partnered with the Utah Food Bank on an innovative Mobile Food Pantry project to provide consistent, nutritious meals to children experiencing hunger across Utah.
- In Washington, Regence BlueShield partnered with Mary’s Place to grow its team of Housing and Health Advocates to help families with difficult issues, such as eviction prevention and move-in costs, as well as medical support for families with children that have complex medical conditions like autism.
- In Idaho, Regence BlueShield partnered with the Treasure Valley Family YMCA to fund a no-cost healing arts program for people living with chronic illness, such as cancer and neurological ailments.
“I am constantly inspired by the time, resources, and passion Regence employees invest in their own communities and I’m proud to see that highlighted by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association community investment report,” said Arella. “We call it neighbors helping neighbors, and there can never be enough of that.”
Combined, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies invested $284 million in community health initiatives in 2017, and BCBS employees volunteered more than 540,000 hours and provided more than $17 million dollars in personal donations – a $6 million increase over 2016 employee contributions.
This is the tenth-annual “The Health of America Community Investment Report" released by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. To learn more about how BCBS companies are improving the health and wellness of members and their communities, view the report at www.bcbs.com/investingincommunities.
About Regence
Regence serves more than 2.4 million members through Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (select counties in Washington). Each health plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally-operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for one-in-three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog.