PRESS RELEASE

IBC Foundation commits $100,000 for vision care for region’s uninsured

Grants support mobile vision services from Eagles Charitable Foundation and Salus University

Philadelphia, PA — May 31, 2013 —In celebration of Healthy Vision Month in May, the Independence Blue Cross (IBC) Foundation is committing $100,000 to help The Eagles Youth Partnership Eagle’s Eye Mobile and Salus University The Eye Institute provide much-needed vision care services to southeastern Pennsylvania’s uninsured children and adults. The Foundation is awarding each a $50,000 grant in support of their respective travelling vision care services to vulnerable communities. Combined, these grants will ensure more than 7,700 children and 6,000 adults in the Philadelphia region have access to free eye care this year.  

“Vision is such a critical, and yet often overlooked, piece of the health care system, especially for children, and it affects so many aspects of our lives,” said Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the IBC Foundation. “The IBC Foundation is proud to help these organizations ensure everyone has access to the care they need and deserve.”

Each year, 14,000 Philadelphia children fail their vision screening at school and never receive follow up care, which can impair academic progress. The Eagles Eye Mobile visits schools and clinics in Philadelphia and Chester County, screening more than 7,700 children each year and providing free exams for more than 3,000 who wouldn’t otherwise have access to these services. Of these children, about 66 percent require corrective lenses and are given two free pairs of eye glasses by the Eagle’s Eye Mobile. The Eagles Youth Partnership also covers the cost of the first referral visit at a partner hospital for any child who requires additional care, and this year, it will develop a manual for next April’s Give Kids Sight Day to help raise awareness for childhood vision care needs in and beyond southeastern Pennsylvania.

The IBC Foundation’s grant to Salus University will allow the school to introduce a mobile version of The Eye Institute, a program that offers comprehensive and patient-centered vision care to people of all ages. This travelling vision van will help reduce disparities in access to vision services across communities by providing individualized care for up to 6,000 uninsured adults in underserved areas of Philadelphia. Through a collaborative referral relationship with the City Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers in Philadelphia, the Eye Institute will also help subsidize costs of follow up care for patients with chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension and glaucoma.

“Whether helping children see the blackboard in school or bringing the world into focus for some of our most vulnerable neighbors, these partnerships help enrich the community, and we are excited to support them,” continued Marshall-Blake.

About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
In October 2011, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, launched a charitable, private foundation, whose mission is to transform health care through innovation in the communities it serves.  The IBC Foundation and Independence Blue Cross, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, 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 community health center 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.

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About The Eagles Youth Partnership
The mission of Eagles Youth Partnership is to enhance opportunities and improve the quality of life for children and youth in the Greater Philadelphia region through health and education partnerships. The Strategy for achieving that goal leverages the Eagles and its players, teamed with corporate and community partners to deliver services, grants, incentives and messages to children in a way that positively influences their lives.

About Salus University
Established by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Salus University is a fully accredited academic institution offering professional and graduate degree programs in Optometry, Audiology, Physician Assistant studies, Public Health and Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Salus University is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, charitable organization and an accredited, private, specialized academic institution. All Salus University programs are approved and accredited by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the accreditation bodies of each of the professions represented in our programs.

Media Contact:
Ruth Stoolman
Independence Blue Cross
Ruth.Stoolman@ibx.com
215.241.4807 (office)
215.280.3335 (cell)

© 2013 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.