Blue Cross is helping

To the editor: The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania is pleased to announce to the community that its Annual Report is now available on our website at www.bcnepa.com/ceBRFoundation.aspx . Since 2002, The Blue Ribbon Foundation has been partnering with local health-focused nonprofits. Programs driven by grassroots organizations, and executed with the help of Foundation funding, are addressing many of today’s most pressing health problems and are producing real results. Last year, for example, in Pike County, our partners included: • The Scranton Temple Health Center’s HIV/AIDS Program, which will expand its primary care and essential support services for hundreds of un/underinsured HIV/AIDS patients from across seven counties. This project was made possible by our Foundation’s Access to Health Care initiative, which will help more than 15,500 uninsured residents across our 13 counties this year. • Weller Health Education Center, which will provide in-school nutrition and fitness programs to K-6 students from three counties. • Wayne Memorial Hospital’s Diabetes Care Management Project, which will help patients from Wayne and Pike Counties improve self-management of their diabetes, reducing the effects of the disease and the necessity of hospitalizations. These community organizations and others recognize the value of preventing rather than treating disease, and are helping to break the cycle of illnesses that impair lives and make health care so expensive. The Blue Ribbon Foundation remains committed to the mission of helping people live healthier lives. We’re honored and privileged to support the work of so many dedicated organizations. Cynthia A. Yevich, executive director The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania