PRESS RELEASE

IBC Foundation provides $50,000 grant to Eagles Youth Partnership

Funding will help Eagles Eye Mobile provide vision services to Philadelphia schools

Philadelphia, PA — November 13, 2012 —Today, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation will award a $50,000 Blue Safety Net grant to the Eagles Youth Partnership to support the Eagles Eye Mobile, which visits schools and clinics in Philadelphia, Chester, and Chester County to provide vision services for under- and uninsured children. IBC Foundation president Lorina Marshall-Blake will present the check at an event hosted by the Wister School in Philadelphia, one of 140 schools that the Eye Mobile will visit this year.

“We are honored to partner with the Eagles to help the Eye Mobile deliver vision services to children who cannot access them,“ said Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the IBC Foundation. “Through our support of this program, we can improve the lives of children by giving them the gift of sight and helping them get the best possible start in life.”

The Eye Mobile travels year round to public elementary and middle schools where 80% of students are at or below the federal poverty line and visits health clinics in economically distressed areas. The Eye Mobile provides screenings, eye examinations, two pairs of free glasses (if needed), and free eyeglass repairs to about 6,000 children annually.

“We are very grateful for the support of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation to our Eagles Eye Mobile. The funding will help more of our region’s vulnerable children receive the quality vision care they need and deserve,“ said Rachel Weiner, manager of programs for the Eagles Youth Partnership. “Proper eye care is essential for children of all ages to ensure they can succeed in school and later in life.“

The Eye Mobile is staffed by an optometrist and two contracted health technicians. Staff members examine children who have failed their school nurse’s state-mandated vision screening. In Philadelphia, about 60% of public school children that fail the vision screening do not obtain the vision care they need.

Since 1996, the Eye Mobile program has provided eye exams for more than 37,000 students. Nearly 27,000 were in need of glasses and received two pairs through the program. Children who cannot achieve 20/20 vision with glasses and children with other abnormal vision problems are referred to one of the pediatric ophthalmology clinics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or Wills Eye Institute. The eye exam, eyeglasses, and first visit to the ophthalmologist are provided at no cost to the children’s families.

About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
Launched in October 2011, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is an independent, private foundation whose mission is to transform health care through innovation in the communities it serves. The IBC Foundation and Independence Blue Cross are both committed to improving the health and wellness of the people of southeastern Pennsylvania. The foundation targets the following areas of impact:

• Caring for our most vulnerable: Supporting nonprofit health clinics that deliver quality, cost-effective primary, medical, and dental care to uninsured and underinsured people.
• Enhancing health care delivery: Strengthening the nursing workforce through education, career development, and research.
• Building healthy communities: Partnering with community leaders and programs to address community health and wellness needs

About the Eagles Youth Partnership
Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP) is dedicated to ensuring that all children in the region can see, can read and can play safely, regardless of their zip code. Leveraging the brand and resources of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Club and its partners, EYP helps vulnerable children reach their potential, bringing health and educational resources to more than 50,000 kids in low-income neighborhoods each year. In 2011, the Philadelphia Eagles were internationally recognized as the Team of the Year amongst professional teams for the social impact of EYP’s programs. Learn about EYP initiatives and impact at www.eaglesyouthpartnership.org

© 2012 Independence Blue Cross Foundation
Independence Blue Cross and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, serving the needs of Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania.