Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Community Partners Impact More Than 2.9 Million Children in 2014, Reaching More Than 9 Million Overall

News provided by

Apr 08, 2015, 03:52 ET

RICHARDSON, Texas, April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), partnering with more than 40 community organizations, last year improved the health and wellness of more than 2.9 million children in the communities it serves through its Healthy Kids, Healthy Families^® initiative. In the four years since its inception, the initiative has served more than 9 million children in Texas.

Additionally, the company had more than 1,600 employees volunteer nearly 30,000 hours to community organizations statewide. As a result of this volunteer time, BCBSTX's matching dollar program generated an additional $88,000, which was donated to non-profit organizations across the state.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas' just-released Social Responsibility Report, which can be found online at www.bcbstx2014srr.com, demonstrates how the company made significant gains in the number of children impacted through its Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative by targeting its community investments in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, disease prevention and management, and supporting safe environments.

"We align our community investments with our business objectives and partner with organizations that allow us to address the most pressing health needs in our local communities," said Dr. Dan McCoy, chief medical officer, BCBSTX. "These investments work hard to decrease the incidence of illness and growing chronic trends such as diabetes and childhood obesity."

In an effort to help create a healthier Texas, BCBSTX committed to a gift of $5 million to support the implementation of Project Blue Zones Fort Worth, collaborating with leadership from the City of Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Texas Health Resources. Blue Zones are areas where people live measurably longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic disease and a higher quality of life. The research behind Blue Zones, coupled with an eight-year worldwide longevity study, has been used to develop lifestyle management tools and programs that help transform communities. The collaborative approach to Blue Zones engages the business community, government entities, nonprofits, schools, media and citizens in a unifying campaign that drives permanent changes to encourage individuals to choose healthy options.

Another one of BCBSTX's most significant social investments was the decision to offer health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in every community it serves. During this time of historic expansion of access to health care, the company enabled more than 4.4 million health care services to our retail members, including mammograms and wellness visits, to many individuals receiving health care coverage for the first time.

As in past years, the 2014 report was produced digitally, reducing environmental impact and enabling a more dynamic presentation of community partnerships through videos and social media integration. Readers can instantly share and comment on a specific page of the report through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter or email the entire report to family, friends and colleagues.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) – the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas – is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners, and 500 hospitals to serve 5 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico), the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas | YouTube.com/BCBSTX

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130425/DA02213LOGO

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas