PRESS RELEASE

IBC Foundation convenes experts to explore caring for low income and uninsured

National community health and nursing leaders map out challenges and solutions post reform

Philadelphia, PA — September 11, 2013 —The Independence Blue Cross Foundation today convenes more than 200 national and regional health care policy, nursing, and community health thought leaders to explore how to transition effective local strategies into national models to improve health care for low income and uninsured populations. “Neighborhood Strategies to National Solutions Forum,” held at WHYY studios in Philadelphia, looks at how upcoming changes under health care reform will affect low-income, uninsured, and newly insured people who rely primarily on community health clinics for care. Participants will also address the growing need for an even more highly educated next generation of nurses and nurse practitioners who are prepared to deliver care in different and broader ways.

Notable speakers include:

• Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health reform, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
• Marc Wetherhorn, senior director, advocacy and civic engagement, National Association of Community Health Centers
• Kenneth P. Miller, PhD, RN, CFNP, FAAN, president, American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• Steve Larson, MD, executive director, Puentes de Salud
• Joan M. Stanley, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, senior director of education policy, American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• M. Elaine Tagliareni EdD, RN, CNE, FAAN, chief program officer, National League for Nursing
• Roberta Waite, EdD, APRN, CNS-BC, FAAN, assistant dean of academic integration & evaluation of community programs; associate professor, Drexel University

“Hundreds of thousands of people in southeastern Pennsylvania already rely on their local health clinic for preventive and acute care and that’s not likely to change under the new health care law,” said Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the IBC Foundation. “More newly insured people, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, together with a forecasted shortage of primary care physicians, will require us to think differently to ensure everybody gets the quality care they need and deserve. That means finding ways for clinics to provide additional health services, such as dental and behavioral health, as well as supporting higher education for front-line nurses who will be caring for more patients. That’s the vital discussion we’re having today.”

Founded in October, 2011, the $56 million IBC Foundation awarded almost $2.5 million in 2013 to support 45 private, nonprofit clinics through its Blue Safety Net program. Foundation-supported clinics can be attributed with saving nearly $12 million in health care dollars as a result of estimated reductions in the number of emergency room visits. The Foundation also invested more than $1 million in 2012 to support 22 nursing schools through Nurses for Tomorrow.

About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation is a charitable, private foundation, whose mission is to transform health care through innovation in the communities it serves. It was launched in October 2011 by Independence Blue Cross, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. 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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Media Contact:
Ruth Stoolman
Independence Blue Cross
215.241.4807 (office)
215.280.3335 (cell)
Ruth.stoolman@ibx.com

© 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.