BOSTON — October 31, 2011 — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) President and CEO Andrew Dreyfus was recently honored with the Boston Business Journal's 2011 CEO Social Leadership Award. The award recognized Dreyfus' longstanding commitment to social justice and to making health care more affordable and accessible in Massachusetts.
"Andrew is a great choice for this award," said George Donnelly, editor of the Boston Business Journal. "He has led by example throughout his career and now is expanding community service as a priority at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts."
The CEO Social Leadership Award, funded by the Grand Circle Foundation, provides $25,000 to a local CEO to be used for a social initiative. Dreyfus divided his award between the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare and the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.
In accepting the award at the 2011 Corporate Citizenship Summit, Dreyfus spoke about how his inspiration has always been his father, Carl, who owned a Boston property and casualty insurance firm. Carl Dreyfus was one of the few insurance agents who would actively seek clients in urban neighborhoods and provide insurance to minority-owned businesses and social service agencies.
"Social justice was always part of my dad's business," Dreyfus said. "If he did not come home in the evening, he was at a meeting of the Urban League or some other civil rights or political group he was involved in. I learned at an early age that it was part of one's professional responsibility."
For the third year in a row, BCBSMA was also honored with the Partner of the Year Award. The award recognizes companies who have demonstrated innovation and development of best practices in partnerships with non-profits. This year BCBSMA was honored for its partnership with The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Past year's recognitions include Fenway High School's Junior Ventures Program (2010), and Project Bread (2009).
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts was also named one of the Top 10 Charitable Contributors in Massachusetts for 2011, finishing seventh.
To further advance BCBSMA's commitment to the community, on September 20, BCBSMA kicked-off its first ever all-company Service Day. Instead of engaging in a typical work day more than 3,000 BCBSMA employees, known as "BlueCrew" volunteers, fanned out across the state to provide 15,000 volunteer hours to nearly 30 schools, parks, and other community organizations. The event marks a new annual tradition for BCBSMA.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) was founded 74 years ago and is now the largest private health plan in the state, providing coverage to nearly 3 million members. BCBSMA believes in working with physicians, hospitals, employers and the broader community to provide quality, affordable health care in Massachusetts. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.