IBC Foundation Leadership
Board of Directors
- Christopher Cashman
- Patrick B. Gillespie
- Joan Hilferty
- Plato A. Marinakos
- Paul A. Tufano, ESQ.
When you are dedicated to a mission of vital importance, there is only one way to work  at full speed and with complete commitment.
That's why in 2015 we forged stronger partnerships and broke new ground in our programming.
That's how, at the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, we are Accelerating Healthy Communities.
For the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, 2015 was a year of action and impact. Driven by our mission to lead sustainable solutions to improve the health and wellness of our communities, in our fourth year, we moved forward quickly and on many fronts.
For the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, 2015 was a year of action and impact. Driven by our mission to lead sustainable solutions to improve the health and wellness of our communities, in our fourth year, we moved forward quickly and on many fronts.
With the enthusiastic support of our board, we launched a new model for funding community health centers through our Blue Safety Net program and expanded our Nurses for Tomorrow program to advance the preparation of future leaders in this vitally important profession. We led our Healthy Futures Initiative into its final year and, through our Building Healthier Communities program, funded innovative projects addressing the most pressing health needs of people across our region.
We pursued all of our work with passionate commitment, as the importance of our mission demands nothing less. We also moved forward with careful thought, determined to ensure that our bold actions yield measurable results.
We are proud to say that the approaches we have taken have been consistently validated  by our partners, by other organizations looking to our example, and, most importantly, by those we serve.
Four years ago, we envisioned the positive impact this Foundation would have on so many lives. We are proud of our accomplishments and deeply grateful to all our partners in achieving such progress.
We look forward to your continued commitment as we move forward together.
President and CEO
Independence Blue Cross
President
Independence Blue Cross Foundation
Each of the Foundation’s programs target key priorities in community health and all demonstrate the urgency of our commitment. In four short years, we have moved from inspiring ideas to impressive impact, and we are expanding our reach every day.
Strengthening the network of health centers across our region that provide essential care to people in medically underserved communities.
$3 million through 52 grants to 44 community health centers in 2015, and nearly $13 million since 2011.
In 2015, more than 600,000 patient visits provided to nearly 200,000 individuals.
Advancing the education and professional development of nurses and nurse leaders.
More than $1.7 million in scholarships to 22 area nursing schools in 2015, and nearly $6 million since 2011.
Provides scholarships to undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing students, including six PhD Nursing Fellows in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars Program.
Empowering healthy habits among students and their families by working with local partners through a collaborative, school-based approach to childhood wellness.
$1 million in 2015, and over $3 million since 2013.
Teaching 1,000 students and their families at 25 partner elementary schools how to Eat Right, Get Fit, and Stay Well.
Driving wellness by targeting significant community health needs.
More than $540,000 in funding to 39 organizations in 2015, and nearly $2 million since 2011.
Benefiting nearly 100,000 residents of our community each year — including veterans, children, and older adults.
Through our Blue Safety Net program, the Foundation has a longstanding commitment to supporting community health centers. Last year, we took a groundbreaking step — commissioning a comprehensive assessment of these health centers to better understand the impact of our program and identify their areas of greatest need.
Through our Blue Safety Net program, the Foundation has a longstanding commitment to supporting community health centers. Last year, we took a groundbreaking step — commissioning a comprehensive assessment of these health centers to better understand the impact of our program and identify their areas of greatest need. Informed by the results, we designed and launched new capacity-building grants. The goal: to increase access to primary care and implement new models to improve quality of care. In addition to our core support grants, in 2015 we awarded targeted funding in support of nine projects, including two innovative pilots in telemedicine.
As the Affordable Care Act takes full effect, health centers face a time of transition and opportunity while they provide care for uninsured, underinsured, and newly insured individuals. To help health centers adapt to this changing landscape, the Foundation has launched a resource suite to provide new opportunities for collaboration and capacity-building activities. In 2015, the Foundation also offered expert-led workshops on grant-writing and marketing for health centers.
We are leading efforts toward a vital goal: ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of the region’s community health centers.
Across our region, local health centers focus on improving the health and wellbeing of our community. Pictured are staff and patients of Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services.This year, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation launched several new initiatives through our longstanding partnerships with the 22 nursing schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
This year, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation launched several new initiatives through our longstanding partnerships with the 22 nursing schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We expanded our support to include students in doctoral of nursing practice programs and announced a second cohort of IBC Foundation Nurse Scholars in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars Program. We also introduced Nursing Leadership Labs to nurture the professional development of undergraduate students in our nursing internship program. Nurses for Tomorrow now supports nurses at every level of their education and professional growth.
In November, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation partnered with the National League for Nursing to convene leading voices in nursing for a national conference Paradigms in Nursing Leadership in Philadelphia. More than 500 nurses and leaders in health care attended and explored the transformation of the profession and how to best prepare nurses to lead change through policy, practice, and education. The conference provided an effective venue for nurses from all over the country to share insights to advance nursing education and successfully drive needed changes in health care.
Nurses are uniquely qualified to shape the transformation of health care, and we are supporting them every step of the way.
Our commitment to advancing the development of nurses grows each year. Pictured are (clockwise top left) the Paradigms in Nursing Leadership conference, the IBC Foundation Nurse Scholars in the RWJF Future of Nursing Scholars Program, the CEO Panel Discussion at the Paradigms in Nursing Leadership conference, the 2015 Nursing Interns, and a 2015 Nurse Intern at Rising Sun Health Center. As the Independence Blue Cross Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative (Healthy Futures) entered its third and final year in the fall of 2015, we looked forward to completion of the research study that will measure the program’s effectiveness in improving childhood wellness, while planning steps to ensure that the healthy habits the program has inspired will take root.
As the Independence Blue Cross Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative (Healthy Futures) entered its third and final year in the fall of 2015, we looked forward to completion of the research study that will measure the program’s effectiveness in improving childhood wellness, while planning steps to ensure that the healthy habits the program has inspired will take root. To expand access to healthy food, we engaged the local organization SHARE to host farmer’s markets at partner elementary schools. Through their Package Program, SHARE provides students and their families with affordable, wholesome nutrition they can bring home. Healthy Futures is impacting the lives of 1,000 area children, and the approaches we are applying have the potential to help thousands more.
One of the great strengths of Healthy Futures is the partners it brings together, from academia and the culinary arts to the world of professional sports. Activities with master chef Jose Garces get kids out of school and into exciting new territory — for instance, visiting the Luna Farm to see, smell, taste, and cook healthy foods. Meanwhile our newest partners, the Philadelphia 76ers, are energizing students to get active. The team hosts basketball clinics at elementary schools, welcomes kids to pro games, and helps shine a spotlight on Healthy Futures and its impact.
We are activating schools through innovative programs that teach kids how to Eat Right, Get Fit, and Stay Well.
Through the Healthy Futures Initiative, the Foundation engages with local partners to empower healthy habits. Program participants learn how to Eat Right at Luna Farms, Get Fit with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Stay Well with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This was a year we built great interest in our Building Healthier Communities program.
This was a year we built great interest in our Building Healthier Communities program. We invested in 39 bold ideas — from an American Heart Association initiative in West Philadelphia aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease to Gearing Up, a program that helps disadvantaged women get exercise and get around through an Earn-a-Bike opportunity. A trend among organizations seeking funding was a focus on promoting physical activity and wellness. Projects we supported include Girls on the Run, encouraging healthy lifestyles among youth, and Philly Play, which promotes outdoor activity for children in Philadelphia.
Building Healthier Communities supports organizations that address important needs with thoughtful solutions — organizations like the Travis Manion Foundation. Through its Mentorship and Advocacy Program for Veterans, the Travis Manion Foundation helps post-9/11 vets navigate the challenging transition from military to civilian life. The program provides professional development seminars, career mentors, and internships with business partners. However, the focus of the program is even broader. It helps men and women develop a strong new sense of civilian identity and healthy personal lives as they take their next professional steps.
We empower groups to promote community health, at the neighborhood level and beyond.
Diverse community programs such as Cranaleith Spiritual Center, Supportive Older Women’s Network, Center in the Park, and Legal Clinic for the Disabled have been funded through our Building Healthier Communities program.
All Nurses For Tomorrow grant recipients receive undergraduate support. Graduate and doctoral support as noted.
* Denotes graduate scholarship grant awards
†Denotes doctoral of nursing practice scholarship grant awards