CareFirst Continued Robust Community Giving Program, Employee Volunteerism in 2017

The company supported programs addressing priority health concerns in the region

Baltimore, MD (January 17, 2018) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), the region’s largest not-for-profit health insurer, continued its mission-driven efforts in 2017 to expand access and increase availability of health care services to under- and uninsured populations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.

In all, the company contributed $33.2 million benefiting 296 nonprofit organizations and public health care access programs operating in the region, with more than 450,000 individuals positively impacted by CareFirst’s investments.

The company's most notable investments in 2017 include:

• $1.4 million in employee donations and company match grants to United Way organizations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia;
• $303,000 raised under the leadership of CareFirst CEO and President Chet Burrell in support of the American Diabetes Association and local Step Out Walks;
• $750,000 – a portion of the nearly $9 million ten-year investment – in support of B’More for Healthy Babies, an initiative successfully working to reduce infant mortality in Baltimore City; and,
• $323,000 to National Capital Area telemedicine programs that are part of CareFirst’s $3.1 million three-year initiative. Grantees include Cornerstone Montgomery, George Washington University Medical Faculty Practice, Virginia Hospital Center Foundation and the Medical Society of Northern Virginia Foundation.

“Our mission to serve the communities in which we operate not only includes service to our 3.2 million members, but also to vulnerable populations struggling to access even the most basic levels of care that are needed for the health of every family and individual,” said Chet Burrell, CareFirst President and CEO. “Our position as a not-for-profit entity affords us the opportunity – as well as the responsibility – to identify areas of real need, target our giving through a strategic approach and ultimately enact meaningful change to the benefit of all throughout our region.”

CareFirst’s corporate giving program enables the company to support a range of programs aimed at improving health care delivery systems, promoting change on broad health initiatives and improving the overall health of the region, emphasizing programs that address maternal and child health, safety net care and behavioral health care needs.

The company’s continued efforts to reinvest in the communities it serves once again earned it regional recognition as a leading corporate philanthropist. In the seven consecutive years CareFirst has been named to the Baltimore Business Journal’s list of top corporate philanthropists, the company has been ranked No. 1 five times, including in 2017. CareFirst has also been named a top-10 corporate giver by the Washington Business Journal for the past six years.

In addition to its focus on supporting health care programs and initiatives, CareFirst encourages a culture of community service among its employees. In 2017, CareFirst employees logged more than 21,000 hours of volunteer service on behalf of organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, The 6th Branch, The Maryland Food Bank and Girls on the Run, among others. The company is also well represented through board service, with more than 200 CareFirst employees serving on the board of directors for a local nonprofit organization.

About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

In its 80th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.2 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2017, CareFirst invested more than $33 million to improve overall health, and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram or Google+.