Florida Blue

On Saturday, our Florida Blue centers throughout the state kicked off the new academic year by hosting our annual Back-to-School event. This family-oriented event brought together local residents, community organizations, and our Florida Blue center staff for a day of engaging indoor and outdoor activities, school supply distributions, meet-and-greets with local community partners and team mascots, and the opportunity to learn about the health and wellness support services available at our centers. Engaging with our local communities and meeting our neighbors is at the heart of what we do at our centers. #floridablue #backtoschool #community

Our hearts go out to those affected by Hurricane Debby. In times of crisis, we're committed to supporting our communities and those we serve. Our company and employees are providing donations to the American Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts across Florida. We invite you to join us in making a difference. Consider donating to the American Red Cross to help our neighbors in need. Learn more about how you can help: https://rdcrss.org/3AdC7zY

Offering health insurance can help recruit and retain good employees, but many small business owners struggle to find affordable health insurance options for both the company and the employee. Rachel B., vice president, Florida Blue commercial business strategy and market solutions, talks about how Florida Blue can help small businesses overcome these challenges in a recent Business Journal article. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3LTr810 #smallbusiness #affordablehealthinsurance #healthsolutions

Recently, our Florida Blue Central Region Team enjoyed a very special community celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of our Orlando West Lakes Florida Blue Center, located inside Lift Orlando's "Heart of West Lakes" Wellness Center. Our friendly and dedicated Orlando West Lakes team is available and ready to serve your needs, whether it's helping you find a plan that's right for you, connecting you with local community resources, providing assistance with health coaching, or informing you about the many wellness and community events hosted on-site. #Floridablue #WellnessCenter #LiftOrlando #CommunityHealth #HealthSolutions

The Florida Blue Medicare team recently visited our South Florida team to learn more about our Growing Resilient Communities initiative and the incredible work being done in South Florida, specifically in Broward County (33311). The team met with Inter Miami CF, City of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, Urban League of Broward County, and YMCA of South Florida to learn more about our partnerships and how we are collectively impacting generational poverty in the area. We continue to identify diverse partners, make significant financial investments, and build comprehensive community strategies throughout the state.

As we celebrate our 80th Anniversary, we’re also recognizing people who have been part of our journey. Pat Fitzpatrick has been a dedicated team member for 55 years. Pat began her career here in 1969 at the mail desk in what is now our service center, and has since held roles in marketing, market research, statistical, and now human resources. She has also played important roles in facilitating United Way campaigns and other employee events. We congratulate Pat on her incredible Florida Blue career that is still going strong! You help make our mission possible. #FLBlue80 #FlashbackFriday

What do food trucks, haircuts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in common? Florida Blue supported one of the largest back-to-school bashes in the country. It was raining book bags at Raymond James Stadium to support 30,000 kids headed back to school in #TampaBay. Our West Florida market president and team joined WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil and the Bullard Family Foundation in providing dental services, eye exams, face painting and so much more. Our mission is to help people and communities achieve better health…even if it means donating one book bag at a time. We are committed to our members and the communities that we serve! #community #BTS #backtoschool #TBT

Exciting News! The Florida Blue Foundation is now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations across the state who are dedicated to advancing maternal health! The Foundation is seeking proposals from Florida-based nonprofits for community-inspired, evidence-based, and sustainable initiatives that: ✅ Improve access to quality maternal health care services; and/or ✅Provide perinatal and postpartum maternal mental health support If your organization is passionate about creating positive change for mothers and babies in Florida, we encourage you to apply! Eligible applicants must complete and submit an online application by Thursday, September 12, 2024, 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Before applying for funding, follow these steps to prepare for submitting your application for the September 12 deadline: 1.   Review our current grant opportunity to see if it aligns with your organization's work. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eErtznt7 2.   Watch the application information webinar for more information on our grant program and the application process. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eJ_C-WJP 3.   Use Google Chrome to access the online application in our grants management system. If your organization is new to the system, we recommend registering at least a week before you submit your application. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eUyT2UyX Let's work together to create a healthier, more equitable future for mothers and babies in Florida!

Congratulations to the University of Florida and the Jacksonville Jaguars on this new partnership to positively impact the community in our headquarters city!   We are proud to be the Jaguars' official community partner and fully support collaborations like this that are positively impacting health outcomes for people across Jacksonville.   We are also proud partners with UF Health Jacksonville, driving access and affordability for health care for our neighbors across the city. They are a great community asset supporting the broader Jacksonville community and serving as an important point of access for underserved parts of our community, while educating the next generation of doctors.  Read the full news release: https://lnkd.in/gm6UJDTC #Jacksonville #UF #Jaguars #Partnership #Health #HealthCare #Community

As National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month wraps up, it’s important to draw attention to the challenges that disproportionally affect the mental health and well-being of racial and ethnic minority groups, who already face similar burdens with physical health. According to a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association report, Black and Hispanic Americans have 31% and 39% lower diagnosis rates of major depression, respectively, compared to white Americans. Some groups also face stigma within their community. In fact, 63% of Black adults see mental health issues as a sign of personal weakness. This perceived stigma is likely a contributing factor to a dire outcome: people of color are 20%-50% less likely to seek mental health care, and 40%-80% more likely to end treatment prematurely. Mental health and well-being are vital to whole person health, which is why Florida Blue believes there is no health without mental health. Mental health advocates have emphasized the need for research of mental health disorders for hundreds of years, but it’s been more limited when it comes to researching well-being. Part of that is due to a lack of a common definition for well-being. Naakesh (Nick) Dewan, M.D. CPE, DLFAPA, FASAM, vice president of Behavioral Health at Florida Blue and GuideWell, explains how a common definition for well-being helps all of us as we work together to better integrate mental health care into whole person health in this article: https://lnkd.in/eHpaRCwG. #MinorityMentalHealthMonth #WellBeing #NoHealthWithoutMentalHealth