Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico (BCBSNM) donated more than $1.2 million dollars in community grants and sponsorships in 2016. BCBSNM collaborated with 86 community partners across the state to improve the health and wellness of New Mexicans, including such agencies as the American Lung Association, St. Martin's Hospitality Center, the Food Depot of Santa Fe, Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless and Southern New Mexico Diabetes Outreach. In addition, 312 BCBSNM employees donated more than 11,000 volunteer hours to a wide variety of organizations in the community.
"We are proud of our long-term relationships and our new connections with community partners who share in our mission to lead New Mexicans towards better health," said Janice Torrez, divisional vice president of external affairs and chief of staff. "BCBSNM invests its time in volunteer hours and community outreach and its corporate contributions to address the most pressing health and social challenges facing our state."
Examples of BCBSNM's 2016 funding amounts and grant recipients include:
- $50,000 to Albuquerque OASIS to provide a slip and fall prevention class series to seniors, hoping to engage older adults in evidence-based programs that can lead to active and healthy lifestyles.
- $50,000 to Cuidando Los Ninos (CLNKids) for a wellness and nutrition program targeting four components: nutrition, supporting safe environments, healthy food and disease prevention for CLN families.
- $60,000 to Roadrunner Food Bank to continue partnering with BCBSNM for mobile food pantries at eight elementary schools and two senior centers as part of the Food Bank's Childhood and Senior Hunger initiatives.
- $5,000 in disaster relief during the summer's Dog Head Fire. The fire was in Torrance and Bernalillo counties and displaced hundreds of people and their livestock.
- $17,000 to Special Olympics of New Mexico to help provide people with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to participate in competitive sports. The BCBSNM grant funded the Young Athletes and Project Unify programs.
In 2016, BCBSNM continued to work with KaBOOM! to provide a playground at Catholic Charities Learning Center. BCBSNM also provided an Imagination Playground in a BoxTM to the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque. BCBSNM plans to donate another five Imagination Playgrounds in 2017.
BCBSNM also sponsored many additional events in 2016, including the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation's Maravilla 2016; Prime Time Expo for seniors; the City of Albuquerque's Senior Volunteer breakfast, RSVP; and Feria de Salud, A Day of Free Health Care.