Annual Report 2011

Runners from around the world competed in the 32nd annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run, the nation's largest ten-miler.

The run promotes health, wellness, and well-being. It doesn't matter if you've been running for a decade or if this is your first run. The fact is that anyone can enter and anyone can be healthy. That's what this is all about End Quotes

— Brian Lang, 2011 Blue Cross Broad Street Run participant

In 2011, our three annual fitness events drew more participants than ever — 42,400 in all — demonstrating that our commitment to community health is alive, well, and on the move.

On May 1, more than 25,200 runners took on the challenge of the 32nd annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run, now the largest ten-mile race in the country. On this delightfully cool Sunday, regional residents joined runners from across the country and around the world for a triumphant finish at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Among them were more than 9,000 of our members. Over the past ten years, the race has raised more than $564,000 for the American Cancer Society, all of which has gone directly to research and patient care.

For the fourth straight year, area residents walked to improve their health as part of National Walk @ Lunch Day. The 2011 event broke records, with 111 employer groups actively participating in the event. More than 14,000 people throughout our region joined walkers in all 50 states to show that it is possible, and rewarding, to fit a walk at lunchtime into a busy workday.

With record numbers of walkers and funds raised, our 478-member Team IBC surpassed its goals for the 2011 American Diabetes Association Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, held on October 1. Team IBC raised more than $50,000, joining 340 other corporate teams and 3,200 participants in a cumulative donation of more than $577,500 to the American Diabetes Association. Of 132 participating cities, Philadelphia had the highest-grossing Step Out walk in the nation.

Our signature fitness events — the Blue Cross ^® Broad Street Run, National Walk @ Lunch Day, and Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes — brought our members and our community together for fun, inspiration, and exercise.

In 2011, we hosted free community yoga classes, piloted innovative community health programs, and used social media to support members in making healthy choices.

Our IBX Healthy Steps program not only informs and encourages members on the journey to good health, but it also provides free opportunities to relax, exercise, and learn in unique environments.

One such opportunity was "Yoga and Nutrition in the Garden," a healthy eating and yoga class offered free of charge to the community last August and September. The hour-long weekly sessions featured a dynamic instructor and expert nutrition advice in a remarkable location: a tranquil garden, bursting with flowers and wildlife, in the middle of a city block. Our members gathered for the class at 20th and Market Streets in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's (PHS) colorful Pops Up Garden, part of an inaugural PHS program to bring seasonal gardens to empty lots citywide.

The classes, which gave more than 300 participants a chance to safely stretch muscle groups and relieve tension during the workday, were offered as part of our IBX Healthy Steps program, which emphasizes the importance of incremental changes in lifestyle — like taking a yoga class — that can greatly improve overall health. IBX Healthy Steps also keeps members connected through social media, with Facebook and Twitter messages that offer easy and convenient tips and discounts for working out and eating well. In 2011, more than 5,200 positive, practical health messages were sent to our friends and followers through social media.

Local employees and residents enjoyed free "Yoga and Nutrition in the Garden" sessions through our IBX Healthy Steps program last summer.

IBC associates — the folks who work hard each day to help you live a healthier life — are walking the talk by making healthy choices of their own ... and writing about them. Several of our associates who are tackling real health challenges have taken to the Internet with their stories and tips on weight loss, fitness, and nutrition through our IBX Healthy Steps Walk the Talk blog. Follow their exploits, triumphs, and learning experiences — and share your own — at www.ibxwalkthetalk.com.

Healthy learning on the go

Travelers and employees at Philadelphia International Airport had a chance to learn something new about their health last spring through two pilot projects: the IBX Healthy Steps kiosk and the IBX Healthy Steps Health Fair, each the first of its kind. The digital, interactive kiosk offered 24/7 access to wellness facts and travel related health information, including how many calories could be burned by walking between terminals, and allowed kiosk users to contact an Independence Blue Cross representative. At the health fair, about 3,000 people learned about eating well and staying fit while traveling, and stretching for good circulation. Both programs explored new ways to reach more people with critical wellness messages.