Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado and Its Foundation Commit $605,324 in 2010

DENVER, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- To address ongoing health disparities and hardships encountered by millions of American families, the men and women of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its corporate foundation proudly continued the company's tradition of caring for the people it serves and the health of our communities by contributing $605,324 to philanthropic and civic organizations throughout Colorado in 2010.

Anthem's community efforts for 2010 were highlighted by $151,341 contributed from its own employees that supported hundreds of community-based non-profit organizations throughout Colorado. Through its annual Associate Giving Campaign, Anthem employees directed their giving to their choice among numerous health-related 501(c)(3) organizations. The funds pledged received a 50 percent match from the parent company's Foundation, increasing the total to over $227,011.  

"Our employees work hard every day to provide health care benefits to more than Five million people throughout the state," said John Martie, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado. "These same employees are also very committed to the communities where they live and work, particularly during these challenging economic times. I couldn't be more proud of their efforts to help make a difference for people in need."

In addition to the Associate Giving Campaign, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation funded $278,013 in grants to organizations in Colorado in 2010, including:

American Diabetes Association

Boys & Girls Club

Invest in Kids

March of Dimes

Nurse Family Partnership

Oasis Institute

One Sight

Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network

Additional grants were awarded to the following national organizations which will directly benefit Colorado:  Foundation for Health Coverage Education, Trustees of Dartmouth College, New England Healthcare Institute, Engleberg Center for Healthcare Reform at Brookings Institute, Center for Medical Technology Policy, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.   In addition to the Foundation grants and generosity of Anthem employees, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado's community relations commitments totaled $100,300, including support to the following organizations:

Alzheimer's Association

American Heart Association

American Lung Association

American Red Cross

Colorado Managed Care News "Health Care Summit"

Denver Business Journal's "Champions in Health Care"

Denver Community Service Guide

Denver Press Club

Girl Scouts of Colorado

Howard Dental Center

Parent Pathways

Anthem employees are also conducting local projects and contributing to several organizations to provide assistance around the holidays. Associates purchased 300 presents for needy seniors and children for the annual Salvation Army "Giving Tree." and Large and Small Group sales donated $5,000 to the Inner City Health Center and another $5,000 to the Food Bank of the Rockies on behalf of our broker partners.

For more information about the social responsibility of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its parent company, go to http://www.wellpointcorporateresponsibility.com/cr/index.html

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation

Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, promotes Anthem's inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to reduce the number of uninsured as well as organizations and nonprofit charities that promote the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company's annual associate giving campaign and its parent foundation provides a 50 percent match of employees' campaign pledges. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Foundation please visit www.wellpointfoundation.org.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado:

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ^® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado