Helping the Homeless

Blue Triangle, the first program of its kind, addresses the health and housing needs of Indianapolis’s homeless.

More than a half million people across the United States are homeless on any given night. This issue affects many of the communities Anthem serves. Anthem understands that improving health involves more than access to care.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana, in collaboration with the City of Indianapolis, Partners in Housing and Adult & Child, launched the innovative Blue Triangle program. It targets those experiencing homelessness who may have significant mental health, substance abuse and/or physical health issues and need access to care.

Available to Anthem Medicaid members, the program provides participants with sustainable and secure transitional housing that supports autonomy. Blue Triangle offers connections to wraparound services and access to healthcare, improving both health and quality of life.

After one year, 50% of the Blue Triangle participants found permanent housing.

A Better Buildings Goal Achiever

Anthem was recognized as a 2018 leader in energy efficiency and has met its Better Buildings Challenge.

Better Buildings Goal Achievers are leaders in energy efficiency and stand as an example for their peers in the public and private sectors. Goal Achievers have met their Better Buildings Challenge commitment to reduce their portfolio-wide energy use by 20% in 10 years or less.

As part of Anthem’s energy and water management strategy, we continue to invest in technologies that make our nine-million-square-foot portfolio more efficient. We pursue real-time analytics and maintain a culture of competition through the “Anthem Energy Leaderboard.” We benchmark sites in Portfolio Manager and apply for ENERGY STAR^® certification annually.

Addressing the Loneliness of Seniors

The Togetherness Program, introduced by Anthem’s CareMore Health, offers a novel approach to addressing loneliness among seniors. The program has increased engagement and lowered healthcare costs.

Nearly one-fifth of seniors live alone and over 40 percent report regularly feeling lonely. Loneliness has been linked to such health problems as stress, high blood pressure and depression.

Launched in 2017, the Togetherness Program addresses senior loneliness as a treatable condition by focusing on patients’ psychological, social and physical health. It has enrolled 1,000 CareMore patients; through consistent in-person and telephone outreach by Togetherness Connectors—social workers and volunteers—the program has promoted positive health outcomes.*

• Involvement in exercise programs increased by 56.6% among the program’s participants compared with nonparticipants.
• Emergency room (ER) visits by participants decreased by 3.3% compared with their baseline, while ER use by the overall “intent to treat” population increased by 20.3%.
• Hospital admissions per thousand members among participants were 20.8% lower than among the “intent to treat” population.

The program exemplifies Anthem’s leadership in delivering benefits and better care to serve a growing and often vulnerable population.

Project SEARCH: An Internship for Young Adults with Disabilities

Through Project SEARCH, Amerigroup Tennessee is helping young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities thrive in the workplace and build successful careers.

Working at Amerigroup, interns in this 9- to 10-month, hands-on program learn computer and organizational skills, time management, how to operate office equipment and business etiquette in real work settings. They also build social and vocational skills such as resume writing, budgeting, teamwork and problem-solving.

In the first two years of the program, Amerigroup graduated 11 interns, with 10 of them achieving successful employment outcomes. Amerigroup has hired two interns in full-time positions within the health plan, and the rest were hired by other employers in Nashville. This year, seven more interns are slated to graduate, with the goal of 100% employment.

Project SEARCH reflects Anthem’s commitment to fostering inclusion and building an engaged, talented workforce that embraces and represents the diverse perspectives of its customers.

2018 CSR Winner for Corporations

Anthem Foundation was recognized by PR News for its outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. The Foundation’s signature multigenerational program—Healthy Generations—earned grand-prize honors in the Corporations category.

Awards were presented on March 15 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, where over 200 attendees celebrated communicators who work hard to make the world a better place through corporate social responsibility and nonprofit initiatives.

The Healthy Generations program was commended for its focused grant-making approach, its innovative use of data and technology to inform decisions and the impact of its investments—10 million people trained in Hands-Only CPR, 16 million kids engaged in active lifestyle programming and 1 million Americans reached through efforts to promote smoking cessation and reduction of secondhand-smoke exposure.

The award also highlighted the Foundation’s ability to engage Anthem associates in philanthropic work, citing more than 75,000 volunteer hours logged in 2018. In addition, Anthem received an honorable mention for the revamp of our volunteer program Anthem for Good.

Diversity Starts at the Top

Anthem’s commitment to a diverse workforce begins with our Board of Directors. Our board is diverse in both gender and ethnicity, with 40% women and 40% people of ethnic minorities.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that our Governance Committee must take into account the overall diversity of the board when identifying possible nominees for directors—including gender, ethnicity, age, tenure and geographic location. Anthem believes that a diverse board offers a more-aware mind-set, is critical to good governance and is better able to identify opportunities that promote long-term growth.

As a leading healthcare company serving diverse populations across the U.S., we recognize the importance of diversity, particularly in decision-making roles, and of fostering an affirming and inclusive workplace. The challenges we face in healthcare require us to draw from the perspectives, experiences and ideas of all associates to deliver innovative and effective services and solutions that meet the needs of our consumers.

A diverse board is a visible commitment to our associates, consumers and other key external partners.

Committed to 100% Renewable Energy

Anthem recently joined RE100, a global initiative that brings together influential businesses that are committed to sourcing 100% renewable energy within the shortest possible timeframe.

As a healthcare company, Anthem recognizes the link between environmental health and the health of our consumers and communities–and we are committed to continually improving the environmental sustainability of our operations. Our goal is clear—we are committing to offset 100% of the electricity used in our offices with wind and solar energy by the year 2025.

Anthem uses over 225,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power over 20,000 homes. It will take the equivalent of a 100-megawatt utility-scale solar plant to offset our electricity, which is the size of over 300 football fields filled with solar panels. We are currently evaluating large, offsite power-purchase agreement opportunities that would help us meet the RE100 commitment by 2025.

Committed to 100% Renewable Energy

Anthem recognizes the link between environmental health and the health of consumers and communities. We are committed to sourcing 100% renewable energy by 2025.

To strengthen and reinforce this commitment, Anthem has recently joined the RE100, a global initiative that brings together influential businesses committed to sourcing 100% renewable energy within the shortest possible time frame. We are proud to be the first health-benefits company to join the RE100 in our push for a more sustainable planet.

Anthem uses over 225,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power over 20,000 homes. It will take the equivalent of a 100-megawatt utility-scale solar plant—the size of more than 300 football fields of solar panels—to offset our electricity. Our first solar project is under development in Virginia where the majority or our electrical load and nearly 9,000 associates are based.

Embracing Patients with Integrated Care

The CareMore model helps lower the burden of chronic disease and slows the progression of illness. Through this model, Anthem delivers integrated, whole-person healthcare that improves lives and outcomes for patients at increased risk for health complications.

Patient care is managed and coordinated by multidisciplinary case management teams of extensivists (managing acute and post-acute episodes of care), primary-care clinicians, behavioral health clinicians, care management and engagement specialists, and mobile home-based-care teams. Teams work to understand all the factors that influence each patient’s health and then customize a clinical program to address those needs.

The model takes advantage of advances in technology to tackle pain points along the patient journey. Remote health-monitoring devices, such as cutting-edge biometric sensors, help bring just-in-time health information to providers and case management teams so that they can intervene if a red flag is raised. If it is, the team alerts Hospital at Home, an organization that provides patients with high-quality, hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes.

This comprehensive, integrated approach to healthcare better serves patients by offering outstanding care while allowing them to recover with the support of their families in familiar environments.

Feeding America and the Anthem Foundation Launch ‘Food is Medicine’

Anthem Named One of America’s Most JUST Companies

Anthem was named one of America’s Most JUST Companies for 2020, according to Forbes and JUST Capital. Anthem ranked seventh on the list, and was the highest-ranked company in the healthcare providers category.

The list of America’s Most JUST Companies celebrates U.S. corporations like Anthem that outperform their peers in the Russell 1000 on the priorities of the American people—including issues such as fair pay, ethical leadership, good benefits and work-life balance, equal opportunity, customer treatment and privacy, community support, environmental impact, and delivering shareholder return.

“We are delighted to be named one of America’s most JUST companies,” said Gail K. Boudreaux, president and CEO of Anthem, Inc. “Every one of our more than 60,000 associates takes this responsibility seriously—making a meaningful impact in our communities is one of our fundamental values. We are very proud of this recognition, and believe that being a responsible corporate citizen means working to shape our company, our communities, and our world for the better.”

Anthem Volunteer Days Give Special Focus to Food Insecurity

Millions of Americans often don’t know where their next meal is coming from. That’s why Anthem put a special focus on efforts to end hunger during Anthem Volunteer Days in 2019.

Individuals who face food insecurity often rely on community support systems, food banks and local organizations for access to healthy and nutritious food. Food insecurity can put individuals at a higher risk for diabetes, obesity and other health complications.

In the fall of 2019, more than 3,000 Anthem associates and other volunteers gave their time and energy to support the health and well-being of their neighbors. They participated in 160 projects, benefiting 121 organizations across the U.S. and India.

Together with local organizations and Lions Club International, associates packed, served and distributed more than 245,000 meals and salvaged, sorted and packaged 279,431 pounds of food—including some 16,000 pounds of fresh produce alone. This brings our meal count to over 1 million since 2015.

Anthem Raises Awareness of Human Trafficking

In January, Human Trafficking Month, Anthem’s associate resource groups (ARGs) hosted a series of events focused on making our members and communities safer.

Human trafficking is a public health concern that affects the most vulnerable in our population—runaway and homeless youth, children in foster care, individuals fleeing violence and those with food insecurity. Studies show that trafficking victims often seek medical care. Healthcare providers play a vital role in stopping human trafficking by being able to identify the signs and by providing victims with physical and psychological care. Educational events organized by Anthem’s ARGs included:

• A Human Trafficking Awareness webinar, attended by over 1,100 Anthem associates
• #WearBlueDay (blue is the color that honors victims of human trafficking), when ARG members set up tables across the country to increase awareness and educate associates
• Creating awareness of the Justice U Human Trafficking Awareness online course, for which nearly 1,000 associates have registered to date

Health and Fitness of America’s Largest Cities

Since 2006, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Anthem Foundation have worked together to establish and publish the annual American Fitness Index, a tool and resource for community stakeholders to address social determinants of health to create healthier, more active communities.

A way to look at the health of individuals and our communities starts in our homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods and communities. By taking a deeper look into these areas, we can understand why some Americans are healthier than others, and focus on providing community stakeholders opportunities and solutions on how to improve problematic areas that are negatively impacting the places where we live, work and play.

Part of our ongoing strategy at the Anthem Foundation is to create meaningful partnerships with organizations, targeting specific, preventable health concerns and addressing the social determinants that can impact them. Together with the ASCM, we can continue to look toward a brighter future by providing the necessary tools and resources to benefit people of all ages and backgrounds within our communities.

To highlight the success of several ranking cities, Anthem Foundation captured the stories of local officials, community groups and health organizations through the #100FitCities video series, where they addressed conditions in the environment that negatively affect a person’s overall health and how they are identifying ways to create healthier, more active communities.

An Innovative Program Helps Seniors Master Aging

As life expectancy rates grow, many older adults realize that they are unprepared for their later years. That’s why Anthem Foundation is funding the expansion of the Aging Mastery Program.

This program, developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), is a comprehensive and fun approach that celebrates the gift of living longer. Central to Aging Mastery are the beliefs that modest lifestyle changes can produce big results and that people can be empowered to cultivate health and longevity. During the 10-week program, participants are encouraged to develop sustainable behaviors that lead to improved health, stronger financial security, enhanced well-being and increased connectedness to communities.

Anthem Foundation’s two-year, $4 million grant has helped the NCOA expand the program to reach more communities in Connecticut, California, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Texas, making it possible for nearly 8,000 older adults to participate in the classes at no cost.

Anthem Foundation Focuses Efforts on Critical Health Issues

In 2019, Anthem Foundation brought its community program activity to $54 million with the announcement of 32 new or continuing grants to nonprofit organizations focused on reducing health and wellness disparities in the U.S.

One Foundation focus is on bringing awareness to the growing food insecurity crisis facing millions of Americans. It has provided funding to help an array of programs such as holding packing events to supply children with free meals on weekends, expanding food emergency programs on college campuses and assisting older adults with free programming aimed at increasing healthy behaviors. In 2020, Anthem Foundation is building on this momentum by bringing together key stakeholders committed to finding solutions to help improve the health of our neighborhoods while still providing essential resources to those in need, in an effort to create a healthier generation of Americans.

Anthem Joins the United Nations Global Compact

As part of our continued commitment to active, responsible citizenship, Anthem has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

Launched in 2000 by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UNGC is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with universal principles and take actions that advance societal goals such as reducing food insecurity, advancing health and wellbeing, improving racial and gender equality, and mitigating climate change.

At Anthem, we believe that strong communities and a healthier planet don’t just happen. They are the product of partnerships and a commitment to health for all. Joining the United Nations Global Compact is an important next step on Anthem’s journey forward in this effort.

Anthem will report annually on our efforts to operate responsibly and our support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Using Digital Tools to Improve Access to Care

As part of Anthem’s coordinated response to COVID-19, we have increased virtual-care access and coverage, and have adapted our digital tools to deliver outreach and offer new resources to those in need.

At the beginning of the crisis, we quickly mobilized to develop a coronavirus assessment tool, which is available on Sydney Care, our digital-care access platform, at no cost. Individuals can easily and safely evaluate their symptoms and assess their risk of having COVID-19 and use that information to have a text-based or online visit with a provider.

Anthem’s telehealth service, LiveHealth Online, offers a secure way for individuals to have online virtual visits with providers who’ll help them manage their physical and emotional health needs without leaving home.

This crisis has made clear that virtual care will be key components of how and where care is delivered going forward. By combining technology with expertise and compassion, Anthem is helping redefine the future of care.

20 Million+ in New Grants for COVID-19 Relief Efforts

As part of its $50 million pledge for COVID-19 relief efforts, this summer the Anthem Foundation announced nearly $24 million in new grants to nonprofit organizations nationwide.

Our communities have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the work our nonprofits are doing is vital.

Examples of the new grant recipients include:

• The Food Trust, to advance health equity and expand access to heart-healthy food.
• The Foundation for California Community Colleges and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, to provide emergency food and housing assistance.
• City Harvest, Inc., to meet immediate food needs and build healthy eating habits in targeted communities.

• Healthier Kids Foundation in California, to support health screenings and specialized-care resources for children.
• NAMI in Indiana and Virginia, to support mental-health programs.
• JDRF International, to develop digital resources to teach mental-wellness techniques to people with type 1 diabetes.

• Coalition for Homeless Intervention of Greater Indianapolis, to provide permanent housing and substance-abuse treatment.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation in New York City, to address complications from COVID-19 caused by lack of housing.
• Alameda Point Collaborative, Inc. in California, to fight homelessness in the Bay Area.

Solar Fields to Power Anthem Operations

As part of Anthem’s commitment to 100% clean, renewable energy, we have invested in large offsite, utility-scale solar fields via power-purchase agreements.

The power-purchase agreements are for new developments in Virginia and North Carolina that will collectively have over 1,000 acres of solar panels and will generate 225,000+ megawatt hours of electricity—enough to power all of Anthem’s offices and data centers. The solar field in Virginia is nearly complete and good progress has been made in North Carolina.

As a member of the RE100, a global initiative committed to 100% renewable energy, Anthem is focused on achieving this goal by 2025. We are proud to be the first health-benefits company to have joined the RE100 in our push for a more sustainable planet.

Listening to Our Associates

In response to recent events that have resulted in social unrest, Anthem leaders have hosted Leading and Listening sessions that offer associates a safe, open forum to share their concerns, experiences and insights about topics such as social and racial inequalities.

Over the last few months, thousands of associates across the organization have participated. Their comments have provided our leaders with a deeper understanding of issues in the workplace and the challenges we face in resolving healthcare disparities in our communities, including the need to address social barriers to care.

These sessions have fostered a more inclusive workplace culture where we can learn from and support each other with empathy, especially those affected more closely by COVID-19 and social unrest. These insights are key to delivering the solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of those we serve.

Addressing Health Inequity in Maternal Healthcare

The March of Dimes received a $1.1 million grant from the Anthem Foundation to help tackle America’s maternal and infant health crisis, which is particularly devastating for communities of color.

The partnership aims to close the health-equity gap by addressing racial disparities and social determinants of health that have disproportionately affected Black mothers, who are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and have premature babies than all other women.

The new grant will support programs in 16 states and Washington, D.C., with a core component of the grant focusing on health-equity partnerships with more than 20 hospitals. Included is a training program, Breaking Through Implicit Bias in Maternal Healthcare, designed to improve patient-provider communications and treatment decisions. The training provides an overview of implicit bias, its impact on the maternal health crisis, a history of structural racism in the United States, and strategies for providers to both mitigate racial bias in maternity care and commit to a culture of equity. The grant will also support programs for moms and babies, such as Support Pregnancy Care and interconception care.

Over the past decade, the Anthem Foundation has contributed close to $8 million to support March of Dimes programs aimed at reducing premature births across the country.

Fighting Food Insecurity to Build a Brighter, Healthier Future

Anthem is reaffirming its company-wide commitment to reduce food insecurity in our nation. We’re tackling this complex issue from multiple directions at once.

Access to nutritious foods is a key ingredient in overall health and wellbeing. Yet food insecurity is the most commonly reported unmet social need in the United States.¹ This is especially critical today, as many families are experiencing food insecurity for the first time, with food banks estimating that 40% of visitors need assistance directly as a result of COVID-19.²

Anthem’s approach includes:

Supporting nonprofit organizations. Through the Anthem Foundation, grants of over $16 million have addressed food insecurity. In 2020, we are projected to reach more than 6 million families through partnerships with such organizations as:

• Feeding America. A $1 million grant helped launch “Food Is Medicine,” a campaign that works to ensure that people facing hunger have access to healthy food options and that promotes procedures to conduct universal food-insecurity screenings and interventions.
• Kelly’s Kitchen and Portlight Strategies. A new Foundation grant supports COVID-19 efforts that promote healthy-feeding initiatives to people with disabilities.
• Boys & Girls Clubs. Foundation grants offer youth safe virtual programming and supplementary meals during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Mobilizing Anthem’s 70,000+ associates. Year-round our associates give their time, treasure and talent to causes important to them—and fighting hunger is at the forefront.

• Anthem Volunteer Days. Since 2015, through our annual season of service, our associates have helped 1.5 million individuals by packing or serving over 760,000 meals. This fall, the Anthem Foundation is coordinating more than 50 COVID-19 safe associate volunteer projects across the country that will help address food insecurity. From setting up mobile food distribution sites to harvesting community gardens, we plan to reach an additional 50,000 households.
• SOMOS. Our Hispanic/Latino associate resource group is partnering with Gleaners Indianapolis to help nonbilingual Hispanic families order and receive food.