[February 19, 2018] |
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Anthem Foundation Continues Efforts to Build Stronger, Healthier Communities
Anthem Foundation continues to empower the communities it serves by
working to eliminate social, economic and environmental obstacles in
order to help Americans across the country live healthier lives. The
Foundation has dedicated more than $40 million to support innovative
programs that will help create a healthier future for all by reducing
disparities, helping people take control of their health, and addressing
some of the nation's most pressing issues.
"From improving lives, to saving them, millions of people have been
positively impacted by the collective efforts of Anthem Foundation and
the nonprofit organizations we support," said Craig Samitt, chief
clinical officer at Anthem, Inc. "We're inspired by the commitment of
our nonprofit partners who share our vision and work tirelessly to
provide programs that are engaging and dedicated to creating greater
access to health care and resources to help people lead a healthier
lifestyle."
The following illustrates the difference that Anthem Foundation is
making in people's lives through its support in 2017:
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The American Heart Association (AHA), continued the interactive
Hands-Only CPR Mobile Tour, visiting seven states in six weeks and
training approximately 13,000 individuals along the east coast. In
2017, the AHA installed four new Hands-Only CPR kiosks in airports in
Ohio, California and Florida, bringing the total number of Foundation
supported kiosks to eight. More than 56,000 people took advantage of
the opportunity to learn the life-saving skill of Hands-Only CPR using
the kiosks in 2017. Since the launch of the Foundation's collaboration
with AHA six years ago, more than 6.5 million Americans have been
trained in Hands-Only CPR, an effort that is helping AHA meet their
goal to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2020.
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The American Lung Association worked to remove barriers for
individuals who want to quit smoking by offering the Smoking Cessation
for Low-Income Housing Residents program. This program provides
smoking-cessation classes directly where people live and is on track
to reach 4,500 residents in 14 states by the end of the year.
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With the promise to help set the youngest generations on track for a
healthy future, the Foundation's partnership with the March of Dies
provided programs proven to reduce preterm birth to more than 3,900
women in 19 states. In 2017, approximately 2,000 women participated in
one of the core group prenatal care programs, known as
CenteringPregnancy. The pre-term birth rate amongst participants in
this program was less than 7 percent compared to the US preterm birth
rate of 9.8 percent.
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The Foundation's support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's
Triple Play (News - Alert) program continued to combat childhood obesity and
ignite a passion among youth to lead active, healthier lives. The 2017
Triple Play Day event held in Washington, DC celebrated the efforts of
more than 25,000 kids and teens from 500 participating Boys & Girls
Clubs across the country to reach a collective goal of five million
minutes of Triple Play activity by focusing on a healthy mind, body
and soul. Additionally, together with the Boys & Girls Clubs of
America and the Michael Phelps Foundation, the Foundation
promoted the value of an active lifestyle through swimming as well as
health and wellness education to encourage healthy habits for at-risk
youth.
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In addition to charitable grants made by the Foundation, many
communities were positively impacted by the individual efforts of
Anthem associates who donated money and volunteered their time.
Associates across the country came together to lift those in need when
hurricanes devastated communities last year. To help those impacted,
associates raised more than $770,000 through Anthem's Giving Program.
The Giving Program provides a Foundation match on associate gifts to a
select list of charities. Associates also participated in the
nationwide #GivingTuesday campaign and raised $410,000 to help 363
nonprofits in communities around the nation. In total, the year-round
gifts totaled $4.5 million in 2017. In addition to donations, our
associates gave their time through nearly 50,000 volunteer hours in
2017, including Anthem Volunteer Days, and the company's season of
service.
Through the Foundation's financial contributions and the support of
Anthem associates, Anthem Foundation continues to inspire individuals by
investing in community programs to create healthier lifestyles and
promote overall wellness.
For more information about how Anthem Foundation is working to improve
communities across the country, please visit the Anthem Foundation website.
About The Anthem Foundation
The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and
through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes
the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and
well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc.
and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its
funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative
solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy
Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets
specific disease states and medical conditions. These disease states and
medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low
birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that
decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in
adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and
smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company's
year-round Associate Giving program, which provides a 50 percent match
of associates' pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars
for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem
Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180219005245/en/
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