BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA NAMED ONE OF THE 50 MOST COMMUNITY-MINDED COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES

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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
[email protected]

SOURCE Blue Shield of California