CareFirst Contributed $43 Million To Health Initiatives in 2019
Baltimore, Md. — CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), the region’s largest not-for-profit healthcare company, contributed over $43 million to nonprofit health organizations and public health care access programs throughout its mid-Atlantic service region in 2019.
CareFirst provided funding to 341 nonprofit organizations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Over the life of these investments, more than 1.1 million individuals will be impacted. Examples include:
- $2.15 million over two years to 12 community health organizations focused on improving birth outcomes and maternal and child health in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. This is in addition to CareFirst’s ongoing commitment to the B’more for Healthy Babies Initiative, which has lowered infant mortality rates in Baltimore by 36 percent since 2009;
- $177,079 to Unity Health Care to increase access via mobile medical care for unsheltered/homeless residents of the District of Columbia.;
- $60,000 to Arlington Thrive to provide emergency funding for residents in need of dental, medical care and prescription needs;
- $131,400 to Baltimore Child Abuse to support behavioral and mental health services for children, youth and families in Baltimore City; and,
- $1.6 million in employee donations and company grants to United Way organizations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia.
Additionally, more than 5,000 employees participated in the organization’s first Day of Equity and Action on Oct. 2, to reinforce its commitment to inclusion, equity, community service and a fuller understanding of all people. To advance the organization’s mission to local communities, the company’s workforce spent the day completing neighborhood improvement and other service projects at more than 20 different sites in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and West Virginia. CareFirst employees assembled 14,000 care packages for babies and 6,300 hygiene kits for individuals experiencing homelessness; packed hundreds of boxes of food for those in need; cleaned and organized dozens of community activity centers; and completed several neighborhood improvement, painting and landscaping projects.
CareFirst’s community giving strategy is designed to fund innovative programs working to improve health care delivery systems, promote change on broad health initiatives, address health care disparities that target high-risk populations, and improve the overall, long-term health of the communities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. In 2019, this strategy focused funding on maternal and child health, safety net health services, and behavioral health care needs.
The company’s continued efforts to reinvest in community health care programs has repeatedly earned CareFirst regional accolades as a leading corporate philanthropist, including the No. 2 and No. 7 spots on the Baltimore Business Journal and Washington Business Journal’s 2019 list of top corporate givers, respectively.
Over the last year, CareFirst executives served on 228 boards, using their influence to continue the conversation for the need of accessible and affordable healthcare. CareFirst associates are equally passionate about extending their leisure time towards giving back to their communities and have volunteered over 39,000 hours.
More information about CareFirst’s community impact can be found at www.carefirst.com/community.
About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 83rd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.4 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2019, CareFirst invested $43 million to improve overall health, and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of healthcare throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com and our transforming healthcare page at www.carefirst.com/transformation, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.