Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield gave back to Virginia in a big way. In 2011, their corporate foundation and associates gave more than $1.5 million and over 1,365 volunteered hours to health causes and community events around Virginia. In Roanoke, Anthem contributed to the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, Anthem LemonAid and Relay for Life.

Here is the press release from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

RICHMOND, Va—Jan. 5, 2012– As a part of its mission to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of Virginia communities, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield today announced that the health plan, its corporate foundation and associates contributed more than $1.5 million and more than 1,365 volunteer hours to health-related causes and community events in 2011.

“Every day, our associates work hard to ensure more than 3 million Virginians have access to the health care they need,” said C. Burke King, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “These same associates are also very committed to the communities where they live and work, whether through financial support or by volunteering time and talents. I am extremely proud to work with such a committed group of people.”

Through its State Health Index – a compilation of public health measures – and Healthy Generations program, Anthem and its foundation work to identify the health issues most in need of attention and then direct charitable support and volunteer efforts toward improving those areas. Major areas of focus for Anthem in 2011 were promoting youth health, preventing unnecessary preterm births, heart health, the fight against cancer and the promotion of physical activity.

Projects and organizations receiving support from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation this year included:
•    Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Triple Play program—$313,000 to support and expand wellness programs in Virginia.
•    March of Dimes Centering Pregnancy—$75,000 to support a group-based prenatal care program that works to reduce preterm births and improve birth outcomes.
•    OASIS Institute CATCH Healthy Habits—$146,000 to bring a unique intergenerational wellness program to Richmond that teaches kids about the importance of healthy eating, active lifestyles and making healthy decisions.
•    CHIP of Virginia—$85,000 to implement a statewide project that promotes interconceptual health in women. Interconception is the time between the end of one pregnancy and the beginning of the next.
•    Blue Ridge Medical Center—$64,800 to support the Latino Community Health Promoters in Action program.

In addition to grants, Anthem contributed more than $440,000 to local events, community organizations and nonprofits to enrich the quality of life throughout the state, including:
•    $185,000 to support American Heart Association’s Heart Walk efforts in Richmond, Roanoke and South Hampton Roads.
•    $105,000 to sponsor Radio Disney’s Get Active, Get Fit program across Virginia.
•    $43,000 to sponsor Anthem LemonAid, which supports the fight against pediatric cancer, in Richmond, Roanoke and South Hampton Roads.
•    $35,000 to sponsor the Massey Fundraising Challenge. Massey Cancer Center’s largest annual fundraiser to support cancer treatment research.
•    $10,000 to sponsor the ASK 5K and Fun Walk in Richmond.
•    $5,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for Roanoke.

Through the company’s Annual Associate Giving Campaign held in November, Anthem associates in Virginia pledged $422,396 to six beneficiaries – American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Community Health Charities, Feeding America, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and United Way. Campaign pledges are backed by a 50-percent match from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, bringing the total pledged to the health organizations to $633,594.

More than 310 company associates, and their family members, volunteered at community organizations throughout Virginia during the company’s Community Service Day on April 30, 2011.  Taking place at more than 17 sites throughout the state, the annual effort benefitted nonprofits dedicated to improving the quality of life in local communities.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia
Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, and its service area is all of Virginia except for 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 HMO HealthKeepers, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ®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. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.

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.