PRESS RELEASE

IBC Foundation Community Report highlights 2013 grants and impact

IBC Foundation grants totaling $4.5 million support nursing education, community health centers, community organizations and child wellness

Philadelphia, PA — June 24, 2014 —The Independence Blue Cross (IBC) Foundation provides vital support for our region through its funding for community health center clinics, nursing education, community organizations and targeted initiatives aimed at improving the lives and health of area residents, especially the underserved. These accomplishments are summarized in the IBC Foundation’s 2013 Community Report, “Leading Solutions for Healthier Communities,” which includes a listing of the 109 grants totaling $4.5 million invested last year.

In 2013, the IBC Foundation:

• Contributed $1 million to 34 area nursing schools to support undergraduate and graduate nursing scholarships through the Nursing for Tomorrow program. The Foundation also provided more than $90,000 in support for 25 nursing internships.  
• Invested more than $2.3 million to support 41 private, nonprofit community health centers through the Blue Safety Net program.
• Advanced the fight against childhood obesity through the IBC Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative, a $3 million innovative, comprehensive, collaborative approach to improve childhood health and wellness.  Healthy Futures partners include The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Union, Vetri Foundation for Children, Greener Partners, Villanova and Drexel Universities, Fit Essentials and InnerLink Health e-Tools for Schools.
• Provided more than $350,000 in funding through its Building Healthier Communities program to support programs and projects that positively impact the health and wellness of our entire community including targeted services for veterans, seniors, and children.

To view an online copy of the 2013 Community Report and other IBC Foundation publications, please visit the media center at www.ibxfoundation.org.  

About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation is a charitable, private foundation, whose mission is leading solutions for a healthier community. The foundation targets the following areas of impact:

• Securing the Blue Safety Net: Supporting private, nonprofit community health center clinics that provide access to quality, affordable healthcare in medically underserved areas.
• Bolstering the Health Care Workforce: Strengthening the nursing, primary care, and allied health workforce through education, career development, and research.
• Addressing Health Priorities:  Collaborating with wellness partners to tackle the region’s most pressing health challenges; currently combating the obesity epidemic through the IBC Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative.
• Building healthy communities: Partnering with community leaders and programs to address community health and wellness needs.

Learn more by visiting our website: www.ibxfoundation.org.  Connect with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation on Twitter at @ibxfdn.

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.