BlueCross donates $10.7 million to charities in Tennessee last year

April 09--BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee contributed $10.7 million in charitable giving last year and its employees donated more than 8,000 hours of service to local communities.

The Chattanooga-based health insurer said it gave its biggest contributions last year to a statewide campaign to battle opioid abuse and its support of the new Miller Park in its hometown.

BlueCross, the state's biggest health insurer which helps insure more than 3 million Tennesseans, said the company's annual giving tally included $9 million from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, $600,000 from the Community Trust and $785,000 in corporate donations.

"We truly are 'of Tennessee,' and we are committed to keeping our neighbors and communities healthy and strong," Roy Vaughn, chief communications officer for BlueCross and executive director of the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, said in a statement today. "In 2017, we provided funding and support to organizations serving people in virtually every corner of the state."

Major charitable investments by BlueCross for 2017 included:

* $1.3 million to the Count It! Lock It! Drop It! statewide campaign to reduce opioid misuse and abuse

* $1 million to support the renovation of Miller Park in Chattanooga

* $500,000 to help fund the new Children's Hospital Outpatient Center at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga

* $200,000 to the Public Education Foundation to support its STEP-UP Chattanooga internship program

* $200,000 to East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville

* $200,000 to Dayspring Family Health Center in Jellico to fight neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)

* $158,000 to the Clarksville Rotary Club for the construction of an accessible baseball field

* $75,000 to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts

* $55,000 to the Mending Hearts Camp at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, which helps children grieving the loss of a parent

* $40,000 to Howard's Hope in Murfreesboro, providing free swimming lessons to disadvantaged children

* $40,000 to the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy in Memphis for its Bike Recycle Program

Beyond financial support, BlueCross said nearly 4,000 employees participated in more than 100 volunteer opportunities across Tennessee, collectively giving more than 8,000 hours of service to their local communities with an equivalent value of almost $200,000.

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