In the Spotlight: Kimberly Harris
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) proudly serves as a partner and advocate for communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. We invest in solutions that can have a meaningful impact on the social drivers of health (SDOH), or the social and environmental factors that impact overall health, to minimize health disparities, reduce healthcare costs and advance equity. We make these investments and partner with local organizations through the work of our Community Health and Social Impact team, in which Kimberly Harris serves as Director.
CareFirst celebrates Kimberly as one of the Washington Business Journal’s 2024 Diversity in Business Award Honorees. This award recognizes the Washington, D.C. region’s top business leaders of color on their professional and personal successes. The recognition is testament to Kimberly’s exemplary work in developing and strengthening community-based health equity initiatives to improve the quality of life of residents throughout the CareFirst service area.
Throughout her time at CareFirst, Kimberly has been the driving force behind several impactful initiatives that directly improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable community members. In her role, she leads philanthropic giving, driving equitable community engagement strategies across CareFirst’s service areas. With more than 18 years of experience in nonprofit government healthcare settings, Kimberly understands the need to prioritize innovative initiatives in social impact, corporate responsibility and advancements in public health. As a former psychologist, she leverages her empathetic approach to address the unique needs of underserved communities.
Kimberly’s leadership was instrumental in CareFirst’s two most recent grant funding rounds addressing SDOH. In 2022 and 2023, Kimberly and her team supported the distribution of $8 million in investments addressing behavioral health conditions and $2.2 million in investments addressing economic inclusion, collectively impacting over 50,000 lives in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia region.
Real change in our healthcare system will only take place with patience and a solid understanding of the barriers we can break down as an anchor institution, and Kim has the right mindset to make this change a reality. With her extensive knowledge and the right intentions, she fearlessly rallies our team to develop resources that truly deepen our relationships with community partners and address SDOH. Because of her substantial efforts, we can move closer to our goal of improving accessibility, affordability and equity in healthcare for all.
See the honorees here: Washington Business Journal 2024 Diversity in Business Award honorees - Washington Business Journal (bizjournals.com).
Read more about CareFirst’s work in the community here: CareFirst Community Hub | CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.