The Civic 50 honors the nonprofit health plan's commitment to
Stand for What's Right
OAKLAND,
Calif., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue
Shield of California has been
named a 2024 honoree of The Civic 50 by Points of Light, one
of the world's largest nonprofit organizations dedicated to
accelerating people-powered change.
For more than a decade, The Civic 50 has served as the national
standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how leading
companies are moving social impact and community to the core of
their business.
"Expectations for companies to be leaders in civic
engagement continue to increase," said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, Points of
Light. "Blue Shield of California
demonstrates how to maximize the full range of their assets — from
people power to policy to financial contributions — to meet
pressing needs and create thriving communities where they live and
work. We're thrilled to uplift and celebrate them as an honoree of
The Civic 50 2024."
The Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of
at least $1 billion and are selected
based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social
impact programs: investment of resources and volunteerism,
integration across business functions, institutionalization through
policies, and systems and impact measurement.
Blue Shield was also an honoree in 2021 and 2023, and this year,
it was recognized for programs and initiatives that
include:
Investing in youth mental health
BlueSky is Blue Shield of California's signature youth mental health
initiative, dedicated to improving access, awareness, and advocacy,
particularly for youth in marginalized communities. Now in its
fifth year, the initiative has funded the growth of innovative
programs, supported more than 21,000 individual, group, and family
counseling sessions, and helped train more than 6,000 educators and
caring adults in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA).
Preventing domestic violence and advancing health
equity
In 2023, Blue Shield's contribution to Blue Shield of California
Foundation resulted in 70 grants to support programs that prevent
domestic violence, strengthen economic security, and empower
communities to achieve health equity.
Blue Shield recently celebrated year two of the Blue Shield of
California Health Equity Fellowship program with the UC
Berkeley School of Public Health. This five-year collaboration will
support about 100 master's and Ph.D. candidates to help increase
diversity among health professionals and make changes to create a
more equitable healthcare system.
Engaging employees to give back
Blue Shield supported over 100 nonprofit groups across
California in 2023, focused on
driving positive change to address social inequities and
injustices. In addition, Blue Shield employees set a record for
community engagement, with 96% of employees participating in giving
or volunteering in 2023. Employees donated $1.7 million (including company match) and
volunteered more than 57,000 hours last year.
Advancing climate action
Recognizing that climate care is health care, Blue Shield is
taking action to protect the environment and ensure that our
healthcare system is climate resilient. In 2023, Blue Shield
launched Virtual Blue, a health benefits plan that offers members
high-quality, integrated virtual care, with in-person care when
needed or preferred. Compared to fully in-person models of care,
hybrid-virtual models can reduce emissions by 25%. Since 2020, Blue
Shield's environmental justice investments have
supported nonprofits that address climate impacts on
marginalized communities and 61% of Blue Shield members have also
already opted for paperless communications — the equivalent of
saving 25,000 trees.
In its third year, Blue Shield's Supplier Sustainability Program
engaged 41 suppliers, who account for 67% of our supply chain
emissions. Of those, 90% reported to CDP (formerly Carbon
Disclosure Project), an essential first step for decarbonization
action.
Blue Shield of California is
one of only a handful of health payer plans globally working to
reduce our emissions by committing to the Science Based Targets
initiative (SBTi) – the most rigorous and clearly defined
pathway for companies to reduce their carbon footprint. By 2025,
Blue Shield has committed to set near-term, companywide emissions
reductions and submit to SBTi for validation. Operating in
sustainable offices and working toward zero-waste operations by
2025 is also part of Blue Shield's dedication to reducing emissions
and advancing climate action.
Advocating for meaningful change
Blue Shield of California's
strategic health reform priorities are grounded in our mission to
ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care
that's sustainably affordable. Our priority areas for health reform
– including improving affordability, increasing access to care, and
bringing health care into the digital age – are now in
implementation phase.
"We're committed to using our voice and continuing to take
action on key issues that affect the health and well-being of our
members, our planet, and our communities," said
Paul Markovich, president and CEO, Blue Shield of California. "We are very proud to be
recognized for how we put our mission and values into action."
The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, and the
results are analyzed by VeraWorks. The survey instrument consists
of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the
scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system
that exclusively measures corporate community engagement.
For more on The Civic 50, visit
pointsoflight.org/the-civic-50/
Read more about Blue Shield of California's citizenship efforts at
citizenship.blueshieldca.com.
About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California
strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and
friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit,
independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.8
million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $24 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in
San Francisco and now
headquartered in Oakland, Blue
Shield of California and its
affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare
healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more
than $97 million to Blue Shield of
California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on
California communities. For more
news about Blue Shield of California, please visit
news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or
Facebook.
About Points of Light
Points of Light is a
nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips
and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the
world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the
power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in
vibrant, participatory societies. Through 145 affiliates across 39
countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and
corporations, Points of Light engages 3.7 million people in 16.7
million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to
bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit
pointsoflight.org.
CONTACT: Mark Seelig
Blue Shield of California
510-607-2359
media@blueshieldca.com
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SOURCE Blue Shield of California