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Press Release

Independence Blue Cross Awarded "Corporate Campaign Performance Award" for Service to United Way, Community

Philadelphia, PA - April 20, 2007 - The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania yesterday awarded Independence Blue Cross one of its highest honors to recognize the company’s United Way campaign excellence and its dedicated volunteers during the 2006 United Way campaign.

Independence Blue Cross accepted the United Way’s Corporate Campaign Performance Award during the “Champions for Impact Celebration.” In addition, Hank M. Kearney, senior director of Processing Services at Independence Blue Cross, was honored with the Committed Community Volunteer Award for his leadership in a number of United Way boards and community activities over the past 10 years.

Independence Blue Cross and Kearney are one of 40 organizations and individuals recognized by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania during its annual awards ceremony. The honorees were acknowledged for their involvement in the community, commitment to strengthening people and community, philanthropic contributions, effective employee campaigns, leadership giving, and volunteer efforts.

Independence Blue Cross was one of 17 corporations with the top campaign performance. It was also one of 15 organizations that contributed $1 million or more to the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2006, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania raised a record-breaking $52 million.

IBC associates contributed $1.11 million to the 2006-2007 United Way campaign. With the dollar-for-dollar company match, IBC donated $2.2 million — the fourth year in a row that IBC committed at least $2 million to the campaign. During the campaign, nearly 90 percent of IBC employees contributed to the United Way.

In addition, 270 IBC volunteers joined in 6 Days of Caring projects and completed work in a day that would have taken the agencies several days or months to finish, including:

  • Revitalizing a well-known neighborhood park and transforming it into a safe, beautiful space
  • Organizing a collection of baby items and creating gift bags for new mothers, and accompanying counselors to visit homes and provide educational folders for new parents
  • Beautifying a senior center by weeding, mulching, and planting flowers
  • Landscaping, cleaning, and painting a self-help center
  • Installing playground equipment for the first playground in a neighborhood community, providing activities for children, and staffing a health fair.

Kearney’s extensive involvement with the United Way includes serving on the Public Policy and Community Impact committees, and chairing the “211” committee, which gives Pennsylvanians an easy-to-remember telephone number when navigating through human services programs.

Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.4 million people. For nearly 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals.

To fulfill its commitment to the communities and people it serves, Independence Blue Cross contributes millions of dollars each year to improve access to quality, affordable health care in the region by funding clinics for the uninsured, increasing the supply of nurses, fighting hospital-acquired infections, and promoting community wellness.

In 2006, Independence Blue Cross was nationally recognized by the Disease Management Association of America for Connections, its outstanding program that improves the health and wellbeing of people with chronic illnesses. Independence Blue Cross’s HMO and PPO health care plans have consistently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.