Company invested $41.7 million dollars in financial, volunteer, and in-kind support to MA-based not-for-profits in 2021 

BOSTON, June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Points of Light, the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to accelerating people-powered change, announced The Civic 50 honorees of 2022 and a report featuring key trends, benchmarking data and insights from the honorees. For the third consecutive year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) has been named an honoree of The Civic 50.

The Civic 50 provides a national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact in their communities and company. The Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs – investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement.

"Blue Cross is committed to creating more equitable, just and healthy communities," said Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs. "In the wake of the pandemic and the long overdue reckoning on racial injustice, it was clear we needed to do more to address the social and environmental factors contributing to health inequities. We're proud to invest our resources and talent to partner with local nonprofits to improve opportunities and health outcomes."

Blue Cross is committed to being a leader in health equity. In 2021, the company invested $41.7 million dollars in financial, volunteer, and in-kind support to Massachusetts-based not-for-profits, including $25 million to champion physician practices and hospitals in their equity improvement efforts and $1.3 million to support community-based COVID-19 vaccine efforts. 76% of employees participate in company volunteer programs, contributing nearly 30,000 hours of service to support the health of Massachusetts communities. 

"Corporate leadership and commitment to civic engagement is critical for strengthening communities," said Natalye Paquin, president & CEO of Points of Light. "Our most recent global research shows 86 percent of people say they expect companies to take action on a social issue. Companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts are leading the way and setting an example of how you can leverage your employee talent, business models and assets to create deep impact that drives transformational change."

The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact and consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities. 

To learn more about Blue Cross' health justice work, read its Corporate Citizenship Report. To view the Points of Light's full report and see the full list of The Civic 50 2022 honorees, visit www.pointsoflight.org/the-civic-50.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable and equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 177 affiliates across 38 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 16 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit http://www.pointsoflight.org.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts