2022 Report to the Community
About the report
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is committed to our mission of paving the way for everyone to achieve their healthiest life by advancing racial and health equity. This report is a snapshot of our progress toward that mission and summarizes the achievements of our community impact in 2022.
Advancing racial and health equity is key to achieving and sustaining health for all. Our time listening to, volunteering for, and funding the community has provided invaluable insight to the many health challenges Minnesotans face and the solutions needed to overcome those challenges.
As always, learnings from the community have guided our contributions throughout 2022 to the work featured in the report below. It is through this work, initiated and led by the community, that advances equity and moves us all forward on our journey toward achieving our healthiest life.
2022 by the numbers
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$16.55 million was donated to charitable organizations — 99% remaining within Minnesota
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14,000 hours were donated by associates to charitable organizations in 2022
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26 community organizations were funded by the Center for Prevention, totaling $6 million, to support health equity, access to healthy foods, and commercial tobacco control
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534,658 pounds of food distributed or donated to individuals, children and families facing food insecurity through the Center for Prevention's Health POWER initiative
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57 grants, totaling $4.4 million, were provided through the Foundation to support early childhood care and education, safe and welcoming communities, and access to healthcare coverage
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600 charitable organizations received a total of nearly $1 million from the annual Blue Cross Community Giving Campaign
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145,000 views of antiracist videos created for the 'Make it your business' campaign
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$5.15 million was donated to 40 organizations by the Racial Equity Action Committee for Health (REACH)
Report highlights
The journey onward
A Note from Bukata Hayes
Vice President Racial and Health Equity and Chief Equity Officer
Blue Cross remains committed to creating equitable change where health really happens, and 80% of health happens outside the doctor's office. Factors such as housing, access to healthy and affordable foods, community connections, intergenerational trauma and racism all have a profound impact on the health of our communities.
As an organization, we are working to address the gaps and blind spots within our business that have contributed to inequitable structures and systems. Rebuilding trust and prioritizing the needs of those most impacted by health inequities starts with listening to Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian and Pacific Islander, immigrant, other communities of color, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities, and being accountable for creating change. It also requires us to acknowledge our own role in maintaining the status quo and committing to do better.
We recognize that communities most impacted by health inequities hold the solutions to the challenges they face. In order to advance racial and health equity, we need to have those most impacted by health inequities guiding and advising the process, and continuously work to build trust within communities. Through our collaboration with community-led organizations, we are helping to eliminate long standing barriers to health and ensure that community members receive culturally responsive healthcare rooted in dignity and trust.
We've started this journey, but there is still a long way to go. Collaboration and coordination across sectors are critical. So is listening, cultural humility, and working alongside communities to identify solutions. As we reflect on our work in 2022, it is important to remember that these efforts are not temporary but ongoing and part of a larger journey. Creating a just and more equitable society will not happen overnight. Creating lasting change takes significant time and we must work collectively and long term to repair centuries of injustice to actualize a healthier future for all our communities.
