Press Release

IBC Aids North Penn VNA

IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Supports Care for the Uninsured

Philadelphia, PA - September 15, 2004 Nurse Practitioner Mary Dressler-Carré is on call 24 hours, 7 days a week, ready to volunteer her skills to care for uninsured children. She has served in several area clinics, was on the faculty of the Gwynedd Mercy College pediatric nurse practitioner program, and now offers her healing hands to the more than 1,000 uninsured and underinsured children who turn to the North Penn VNA.

Each day, Ms. Dressler-Carré, RN, MSN, CRNP deals with language barriers, cultural differences and much more on behalf of visitors to the clinic. She spends at least 25 hours a week in the clinic and answers emergency calls at any time, day or night. She makes her clients feel comfortable, respected and most of all healthier.

Soon she will have some extra help, thanks in part to a three-year grant from Independence Blue Cross' Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, which offers financial support for non-profit, privately funded clinics in Southeastern Pennsylvania that provide free or low-cost care to the area s uninsured.

"The Charitable Medical Care Program is part of IBC's commitment to the overall health of our community," said G. Fred DiBona, Jr., president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "Clinics such as the North Penn VNA are providing a vitally needed service by caring for people who otherwise might not have any access to health care. We believe efforts such as this need to be supported."

"I received the grant and thought, — for the first time I don t have to worry about funding," said North Penn VNA Executive Director Kitty Fitzgerald. "This grant gives us the chance to provide our services, and I have the opportunity to think about new ways to increase our funding and how the North Penn VNA can provide better service to those who need us."

North Penn VNA will use the grant to hire a social worker to help facilitate paperwork for children who may be eligible for the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides free and low-cost coverage to uninsured children. In addition, the clinic will increase service hours for the more than 1,000 children from birth to age 21 that the clinic sees regularly.

The IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant program provides clinics with a three-year financial commitment to help support areas such as general operating expenses, unfunded pharmaceutical needs, medical supplies, specialty care, diagnostic tests, or other pertinent needs critical to the delivery of care within in the clinics. To date, IBC has dedicated $2.8 million to 13 clinics over the next three years.

"When I applied for the grant I was concerned that a small clinic might be overlooked," Ms. Fitzgerald says. "But with 1,000 children to care for, we make a significant impact in the health of our community. To have IBC recognize and support that contribution is tremendous."

For more information about this clinic or the additional clinics aided by the IBC Charitable Medical Care Grant Program, contact Butch Ward at 215-241-2220.

About the North Penn VNA
Located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale, PA, the North Penn VNA serves more than 1,000 uninsured or underinsured children (to age 21) with full service medical care.

About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.