Highmark Inc. Launches Unprecedented Five-Year, $100 Million Initiative To Improve Children's Health and Well-being

Highmark Healthy High 5, a new initiative of the Highmark Foundation, is an investment in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents.

PITTSBURGH (Sept. 14, 2006) - Highmark Inc. today launched Highmark Healthy High 5, a five-year, $100 million community initiative supported by its contribution to the Highmark Foundation in an effort to reverse the current trends in children's health and to promote lifelong healthy habits in children throughout its 49-county service area.

Highmark Healthy High 5 will address five critical children's health issues - nutrition, physical activity, self-esteem, grieving and bullying - through education, communications, volunteerism, grants and programming.

"Leading health experts tell us we are in danger of raising the first generation of American children who will be sicker and die younger than the generation before them," said Kenneth Melani, M.D., Highmark president and chief executive officer. "Numerous studies illustrate that the health habits children develop at a young age will continue with them through adulthood. The goal of Highmark Healthy High 5 is to help children and adolescents develop the health habits they need to make informed choices to lead longer, healthier lives."

To influence change and promote children's health in the region, Melani also announced a number of organizations will partner with the Highmark Foundation to serve as content and program experts for the initiative. The Healthy High 5 initial core partners are Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA); Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center; SPARK Active Recreation Program; Heartwood Institute; Office of Community Health, Conemaugh Health System; InnerLink, developer of Highmark Health eTools for Schools; and Highmark Caring Place.

"The core partners will provide expert programming as well as strategic development to help ensure the effectiveness and overall impact of Highmark Healthy High 5," said Melani. "With their help and expertise, we will be able to expand their existing programming to children across our entire service area."

According to Paul Rosengard, founder of the SPARK Active Recreation Program, Highmark Healthy High 5 will provide the core program partners the ability to reach more young people throughout Pennsylvania.

"Whether our focus is fitness, nutrition, grieving, self-esteem or bullying, we are each committed to improving the lives of children," Rosengard said. "I am not aware of any other initiative in the country with this type of program support and resources to address these important health issues."

Through a new grant-making strategy, programs and initiatives will be supported to help make a meaningful impact in the area of children's health and reverse current trends. Highmark Healthy High 5 grant applications will be accepted from organizations beginning in the fall of 2006 to coincide with the launch of the program and the Highmark Foundation's quarterly funding schedule.

To help educate the public and create awareness of the issue of children's health, a new public service announcement was unveiled at the event. It will begin airing immediately throughout Pennsylvania. The company also unveiled www.highmarkhealthyhigh5.org, which is a new Web site where adults, children and communities can learn about the issue, healthy lifestyle behaviors and how to get involved.

History of supporting children's health initiatives

In addition to the announcement of its contribution to the Highmark Foundation for Highmark Healthy High 5, Highmark also stressed the company's existing efforts to positively impact children's health around the region. For the past four years, Highmark has been the regional leader in addressing the national issue of childhood obesity by bringing together physicians, community leaders, educators and policymakers in a collaborative effort to address overweight and obesity in children.

The company's most recent effort to address this costly and escalating epidemic will be addressed on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Highmark, along with regional partners, will present the Highmark Childhood Obesity Summit and Bounce public event aimed at highlighting regional and national solutions to solve this growing epidemic.

"As a health insurance company, Highmark understands the importance of combating the current childhood obesity problem we face today," said Melani. "With the annual cost of obesity in the United States currently upwards of $100 billion annually, it makes both business, but more importantly, moral sense to address this problem by encouraging healthy eating habits and increased physical activity among children."

About Highmark Inc.

As one of the leading health insurers in Pennsylvania, Highmark Inc.'s mission is to provide access to affordable, quality health care enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. Based in Pittsburgh, Highmark serves 4.6 million people through the company's health care benefits business. Highmark contributes millions of dollars to help keep quality health care programs affordable and to support community-based programs that work to improve people's health. The company provides the resources to give its members a greater hand in their health.

Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

About the Highmark Foundation

The Highmark Foundation is an affiliate of Highmark Inc. and was created to support initiatives and programs aimed to improve community health. The Foundation is a charitable organization and a private foundation. The Foundation seeks to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who reside in the communities served by Highmark.

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