Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia and Its Foundation Commit $1,059,692 in 2010

RICHMOND, Va., 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 in Virginia, 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 $1,564,212 to philanthropic and civic organizations throughout Virginia in 2010.

Anthem's community efforts for 2010 were highlighted by a $331,047 contribution from its own employees that supported hundreds of community-based non-profit organizations throughout Virginia. 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 more than $496,570.  

"Our associates work hard every day to provide health care benefits to more than 3 million people throughout the state," said C. Burke King, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia. "These same associates 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 more than $718,165 in grants to organizations in Virginia in 2010, including:

American Cancer Society

American Diabetes Association

American Heart Association,

Boys & Girls Clubs

Eastern Virginia Medical School

March of Dimes

Oasis Institute

One-Sight

Senior Navigator

Southeastern Virginia Areawide Model Program

Virginia Health Care Foundation

Virginia Public Safety

Virginia Tech Foundation (Virginia4-H)

Additional grants were awarded to the following national organizations which will directly benefit Virginia:  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 associates, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia's community relations commitments totaled $341,527, including support to the following organizations:

American Cancer Society

American Heart Association

Arthritis Foundation

Association For The Support Of Children (ASK)

Children's Hospital Of The Kings Daughter

Children's Miracle Network

Cross Over Ministry

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Massey Cancer Center

Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers

Prevention Connections

VIPC&S

The community commitments by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia and its Foundation totaled $1,059,692 for 2010.

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 in Virginia 

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. (serving Virginia excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna and the area east of State Route 123.). Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliated HMOs, HealthKeepers, Inc., Peninsula Health Care, Inc.</org> and Priority Health Care, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. (R)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 Virginia is available at www.anthem.com.

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 associates' 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.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia