BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is for Tennessee — and we’re bringing peace of mind through better health to our customers and communities.
That includes our daily work of providing affordable access to quality health care.
It also includes investing millions of dollars and thousands of hours toward philanthropic efforts across the state.
Making a substantial impact requires focusing our support on the most pressing challenges Tennesseans face.
It also requires working collaboratively with organizations like the Governor’s Foundation on Health and Wellness, as well as grassroots groups across the state.
The skate park at Rocketown in Nashville is a safe play area for teens.
Foundation and Trust put nearly $15 million to work
In 2015, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation and BlueCross Community Trust gave more than $14.8 million to organizations working across the state.
We focus our charitable investments in three areas:
- Access, to prevent disease and improve population health, particularly among vulnerable populations
- Activity, to promote physical activity and expand resources to achieve better physical well-being
- Addiction, to mitigate the damaging effects of substance abuse, with a focus on prescription pain medications
Here’s how those investments were allocated:
- 41% to access, supporting charitable clinics, health care workforce development and training, and the expansion of behavioral health services in rural areas
- 47% to activity, including a statewide sponsorship of GoNoodle, along with Fitness Zones and other programs that help Tennesseans get moving
- 7% to addiction, with significant new investments slated for 2016
- And 5% to other community investments, including education, arts and culture, and economic development
By region, we invested:
- 51% in statewide programs
- 15% in Chattanooga
- 12% in Memphis
- 7% in the Tri-Cities
- 8% in Nashville
- 6% in Knoxville
The Helen Ross McNabb Center provides mental health care in rural counties.
Team Blue takes it to the streets
Our nearly 6,000 employees statewide work together each day to serve our members.
They also take time to give back.
Around 30 percent of BlueCross employees were involved in a Team Blue volunteer effort in 2015 , donating thousands of hours of work to improve the communities where we all live, work and play.
In 2015, Team Blue built KaBOOM! playgrounds in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and Johnson City.
Volunteers also spent time:
- Helping high school seniors get ready to enter college through the tnAchieves mentoring program
- Serving patients and families during monthly “adopt-a-floor” visits at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis
- Hosting a clean-up day at a neighborhood enrichment center in Nashville
Mothers and Infants Sober Together helps new mothers overcome substance abuse.
[Pictured at top: Dawn Abel, director of community relations and foundations, and Calvin Anderson, senior vice president and chief of staff.]
Find out which organizations BlueCross supports where you live
We launched a new interactive map on BetterTennessee.com that offers a county-by-county look at the programs funded by the BlueCross Health Foundation and Community Trust.
Visit the map to search for your county, then drill down and see:
- the categories of philanthropic work we support
- the specific organizations we funded
- the grant amounts for each project
You can also connect with our partner organizations on the web or via our social media channels.
View map
