BOSTON, Oct. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to innovation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ("Blue Cross") is HUBweek's exclusive 2018 health plan partner.

Through its presenting partnership of HUBweek's Ideas Dome, Blue Cross will convene visionary leaders to explore innovative approaches that look to shape the future of health, work and mobility with an emphasis on empathy, diversity and inclusion, and healthy living. Speakers will share their insights as part of a series exploring how to build a more inclusive and equitable future. Blue Cross will also feature additional speakers and opportunities for the public to share ideas and spark creative solutions at The HUB on City Hall Plaza.

As part of its presence at HUBweek, Blue Cross will also preview its planned innovation center called SELUR. The dedicated physical space will be designed to spark the creation of new products, services, and experiences and will give Blue Cross a place outside of the day-to-day environment and entrenched mindsets to engage consumers in imagining new solutions to existing and future challenges in health care. Two of the key drivers of innovation are empathy and collaboration. The center will be a space for consumers to join Blue Cross and a wide variety of internal and external partners – including associates, members, providers, and start-ups - to collaborate and co-create to solve problems and test new ideas. 

"Our innovation efforts are a natural extension of our rich history of creating healthy communities across the Commonwealth," said Kathy Klingler, Blue Cross' chief marketing officer. "During HUBweek, we want to encourage members of the greater Boston community – from start-ups, to nonprofits, to companies, to individuals – to play an important part in shaping the health ecosystem of the future. Blue Cross is dedicated to reinventing health care and we know we cannot do it alone. By continuously bringing together a wide variety of diverse partners to collaborate and co-create, we can positively impact health within our own community."

Blue Cross' programming on HUBweek's Ideas Stage includes:

• Nataly Kogan, founder of "Happier" and author of "Happier Now," who will explore how to find gratitude and joy in everyday moments – October 10
• Glennon Doyle, author, activist, philanthropist, creator of the online community Momastery, and founder and president of Together Rising, who will be interviewed by her wife, Abby Wambach, Olympic Medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup Champion – October 11
• Taylor Carol, Co-Founder, GameChanger Charity, who will share how his experience as a child leukemia survivor led to an innovative use of virtual reality to change the patient experience – October 12
• Dr. Joseph Shrand, Psychiatrist and founder of Drug Story Theater, who will speak about the "Theory of the Mind" and the power of empathy – October 13
• Michael Botticelli, Executive Director of the Grayken Center for Addiction, who will highlight the role of personal narrative in changing drug policy - October 13
• Tatyana McFadden, U.S. Paralympian athlete, who overcame a childhood spent in a Russian orphanage with spina bifida to become a world champion wheelchair racer - October 14
• Drug Story Theater actors, who will perform improvisational pieces about their journeys through addiction and recovery – October 14

Blue Cross programming at other HUBweek spaces includes:

• A demonstration of Blue Cross' groundbreaking new opioid toolkit for employers, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at preventing lethal overdoses in the workplace
• Design Museum Boston's upcoming Bespoke Bodies: the Design & Craft of Prosthetics exhibition, featuring VR & interactive prosthetic demonstrations
• A Blind Spot Activity, an interactive and interpersonal experience focused on identifying unconscious bias
• A "Shark Tank"-style health care innovation competition
• Family-friendly innovation activities

As part of Blue Cross' commitment to healthy living and environmental sustainability, Bluebikes is HUBweek's transportation sponsor. The event will include Bluebikes valets, $1 rides throughout the festival and opportunities for discounted memberships.

For more information, visit: https://hubweek.org/.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not–for–profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We're the trusted health plan for more than 25,000 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we're rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

About HUBweek
HUBweek (hubweek.org) is a festival for the future that explores innovation at the intersections of art, science and technology. Founded by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT, HUBweek is a first-of-its-kind civic collaboration and annual festival that brings together the most creative and inventive minds making an impact in Boston and around the world. In 2017, together with more than 200 collaborating organizations, HUBweek convened 51,000 people representing 59 countries, 46 states, and 38 industries.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts