Anthem Foundation

You and Your Baby

Prematurity is the #1 killer of babies in the U.S. Compared with full-term newborns, babies born even a few weeks early have higher rates of illness and hospitalization.

These births take a toll on families; they are also estimated to cost more than $26 billion annually, according to the National Academy of Medicine. We believe that targeting preventable health concerns by making strategic charitable choices will help us create a healthier generation of Americans. The Anthem Foundation—one of the country’s largest corporate foundations—is a private, nonprofit philanth ropic organization wholly funded by Anthem, Inc. Central to the efforts of the Anthem Foundation is the Healthy Generations program, a multigenerational initiative to improve public health.

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Removing barriers to good health

The Anthem Foundation understands that many societal and personal factors—including social, behavioral and environmental influences—can have direct, significant effects on our health and wellbeing.

That’s why the Anthem Foundation, through our signature Healthy Generations program, is pledging $20 million by 2020 to qualified nonprofit organizations with community initiatives that address the social determinants of health.

With more than $40 million already at work in our communities, we’re confronting chronic issues, focusing on underserved populations.

Our support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America helps provide 75 million free, healthy meals annually to kids. Working with the March of Dimes, we’ve offered 6,600 high-risk moms in 15 states crucial prenatal care. And our nearly $1 million grant to the American Lung Association offers smoking-cessation strategies to residents of federally subsidized housing.

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Putting College within Reach

To help associates obtain college degrees, Anthem has partnered with the nonprofit, fully accredited College for America, which specializes in meeting the needs of working individuals.

Anthem believes in helping its associates expand their horizons and fully develop their potential. With programs that encourage flexible, online work and offer them access to the resources of an accredited university, Anthem associates learn at a self-directed pace. Everything they need is included and available around the clock, with advisors specially assigned to the students to support them throughout their degree programs. And the full tuition is paid by Anthem for associates taking this opportunity to advance their education. Since the program was launched in June 2015, 206 Anthem associates have earned their college degrees and enhanced their career growth.

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Freedom from Smoking

The American Lung Association with a grant from the Anthem Foundation is offering quit-smoking support to residents of public housing.

A nearly $900,000 grant will help implement the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s smoke-free housing rule successfully through a Smoking Cessation program for low-income housing residents. This initiative will engage thousands of residents in the cessation process and will reduce or eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke for more than a million residents in states where Anthem has a presence.

The American Lung Association and the Anthem Foundation have been long-time partners in helping people to quit smoking and this grant will build on that strong foundation.

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Hands-Only CPR

Through a grant from the Anthem Foundation, the American Heart Association is training people to save lives using the lifesaving Hands-Only CPR technique.

Thanks to the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Anthem Foundation, 10 kiosks have been installed primarily at major airport hubs across the country. The kiosks—which feature a touch screen with a “how-to” video, followed by a practice session and CPR test—are at the Chicago O'Hare International, Indianapolis International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Orlando International, Oakland International Airport, John Wayne Airport and Xavier University of Louisiana.

The kiosks are just one aspect of the Anthem Foundation’s partnership with the AHA. For the past four years, the two organizations have been working closely to educate people about Hands-Only CPR. To date, more than 10 million people have been trained in this lifesaving skill, helping prepare them to offer crucial emergency assistance to save the lives of strangers—and those they love most.

An ENERGY STAR Partner

Anthem, Inc. is transforming how the company manages its offices and data centers. An ENERGY STAR partner, Anthem is embracing energy efficiency, building by building.

Today Anthem has over 7 million square feet of ENERGY STAR-certified space (over 80 percent of the Anthem real estate portfolio). As part of our energy management platform, it has helped us significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and saved the company over $10 million since 2013.

Established in 1992 by the Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program that helps save money and protect the environment by promoting energy efficiency. Since 1999, more than 25,000 buildings across the country have earned certification, saving nearly $3.4 billion on utility bills and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. On average, ENERGY STAR certified buildings use 35 percent less energy and cause 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than similar buildings.

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Anthem Health Champions

The Anthem Health Champion program recognizes individuals that have dedicated their life to leading healthy, active lifestyles and are inspiring others to do the same across the U.S.

Our champions increase awareness for critical health challenges and raise funds for local organizations that are making a health difference in their communities across the U.S. All activities, donations and funds generated by the Anthem Health Champion program benefit local community organizations that are improving the health of the individuals they serve. With childhood obesity being recognized at the No. 1 health concern among parents and pediatric cancer recognized as the No. 1 cause of death by disease in children in the U.S., local Champion campaigns help support a wide diversity of programs that provide early health interventions among children and teens.

Michael Phelps is an Anthem Health Champion. Learn about his efforts.

One of the World’s
Most Ethical Companies

Anthem has been recognized as one of the 2018 honorees for the World’s Most Ethical Companies award.

Anthem joins a list of 135 honorees from 23 countries and 57 industries distinguished by the Ethisphere Institute. This prestigious award analyzes an organization’s strength in the following key areas: Ethics and Compliance Program, Culture of Ethics, Corporate Citizenship & Responsibility, Corporate Governance, and Leadership, and Innovation & Reputation.

Our associates and leaders play an integral role in helping Anthem achieve this award, and it underscores the value our associates and leaders place on conducting business ethically and in compliance with the law. The award is an indication we are using our voices to report issues, misconduct, fraud, waste, and abuse, and are identifying privacy and security concerns. While this award is just one benchmark, it reflects the importance we place on having an effective company-wide Ethics, Compliance and Privacy program.

Anthem Corporate Responsibility
Highlights 2017

Download a brochure containing highlights from our online corporate responsibility report.

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A New Round of Grants

The Anthem Foundation announced a commitment of $23 million in new grants in 2018, adding to our continued efforts to improve the health and wellness of communities across the country.

The latest funds bring the Foundation’s current community investments to $53 million at work addressing some of the nation’s most pressing and preventable health issues through innovative programs with proven results.

“Working to improve the health of our communities and our consumers remains the focus of what we do every day at the Anthem Foundation, and we are reaffirming our promise to deliver innovative solutions that tackle the big challenges facing our communities,” said Gail K. Boudreaux, president and CEO of Anthem. “From reducing preterm-birth rates to doubling cardiac-arrest survival rates and expanding access to healthy food, we’re partnering with some of the most impactful nonprofits to improve, and in some cases save, lives.”

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Recognized for Supporting Smoke-Free Housing

The Anthem Foundation was given the 2018 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for its work with the American Lung Association (ALA) in offering free smoking-cessation programs.

To help implement the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s smoke-free housing rule successfully, the Anthem Foundation worked with the ALA to introduce the Freedom from Smoking^® program to residents of public housing developments in 14 states.

This initiative will engage thousands of residents in the cessation process and will reduce or eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke for more than a million residents.

The Power of a Plant

Anthem and its health plan subsidiaries are proud to partner with Green Bronx Machine, a nonprofit organization that is growing healthier communities through inspiring educational and workforce opportunities.

Stephen Ritz, a teacher in New York’s South Bronx district and the author of The Power of a Plant, pioneered a new hands-on approach to addressing childhood obesity, student motivation and school performance. His vision grew into Green Bronx Machine, an agricultural program that dramatically transforms students’ performance and health.

Students learn how to grow vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants in their classrooms in tall tower gardens, as well as outside in garden boxes when the weather is warm. They harvest what they grow, learn to cook it for friends and family and even sell some of their crops. In the process, they pick up healthy habits and business skills.

Green Bronx Machine has been implemented in over 6,000 schools worldwide. With Anthem’s help, the program will extend to many more states in the next 12 months, beginning with Indiana, Georgia, Texas and Ohio.

A Pipeline of Diverse Talent

Through internship programs and partnerships Anthem is developing a talent pipeline that reflects the communities we serve.

In 2012, Anthem’s Sales organization created the Sales Diversity Internship Program (SDIP) focused on improving the racial diversity of our Sales workforce by recruiting diverse students and offering them experiences to develop critical skills as they enter the workforce. Since its inception SDIP has hosted 41 ethnically diverse interns and hired 16 to full-time positions.

In 2015, Anthem joined the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Corporate Scholar Program, which provides scholarships, internships and mentoring for rising college juniors, seniors and graduate students. Participants include African Americans, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, American Indian/Alaskan Natives and Hispanic Americans. Since the partnership with UNCF began, Anthem has awarded 15 academic scholarships and has offered SDIP internships to 12 students.

In addition, Anthem launched in 2018, a new internship program designed for individuals with disabilities. The inaugural group of interns includes 13 graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of academic institutions. With the partnership of a mentor, these interns completed an 11-week curriculum focused on critical skills for those who are early in their careers.

A Committed Champion

Victor Oladipo, a first-time NBA All-Star and 2018’s “Most Improved Player,” was named an Anthem Health Champion for his commitment both on the court and in the community.

Oladipo has long been devoted to promoting healthy choices and to giving back, but it was after unexpectedly losing his junior high school basketball coach that he focused his passion for making a difference on cancer prevention. In 2013, Oladipo helped establish Dunk Cancer, a charitable initiative that brings the basketball community together to help individuals and families affected by cancer overcome their present battles and to support research on finding a cure.

To join Oladipo in the fight against cancer, the Anthem Foundation has pledged to donate $1,000 to Dunk Cancer for each dunk Oladipo makes in the 2018/2019 season. The grant will fund cancer research and prevention as well as treatment and support for hundreds of individuals and families touched by cancer. Oladipo will donate a minimum of $100,000 to benefit those affected by this disease.

The Anthem Health Champion Program was designed to increase awareness of the critical health issues facing our communities and recognize individuals who have a positive impact on the health and wellness of the country, who are dedicated to leading healthy, active lives and who inspire others to do the same.

A Healthier Generation

Since 2010, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the Anthem Foundation have teamed up to deliver health promotion and programming to improve the health and wellness of today’s youth.

As a signature partner, the Anthem Foundation provides support for BGCA’s proven health program, Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul. Triple Play’s focus on whole-child health offers young people valuable knowledge and skills to help them overcome barriers to wellness and take charge of their future health. To date, nearly 16 million children have participated in Triple Play.

The Anthem/BGCA partnership reaches those who need it most with information about good nutrition, physical activity, and the social and emotional aspects of health. BGCA serves a diverse population of youth through 4,300 club sites nationwide and on U.S. military installations around the globe.

The Anthem Foundation works with BGCA to promote Triple Play and explain its benefits. In June 2018, Triple Play Day in New York, featuring everything from cooking challenges to obstacle courses, kicked off a series of events at Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation. They highlighted the importance of promoting young people’s healthy development during out-of-school time, which will help improve health outcomes in America.

Anthem, Inc. Named to the 2019 Dow Jones Sustainability Index

For the second year in a row, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) has recognized Anthem for its dedication to improving the lives of the people in the communities it serves, continually increasing the sustainability of its business and providing equal opportunities for all.

The DJSI, the gold standard for corporate sustainability, is based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance. It is published annually by S&P Dow Jones Indices and RobecoSAM, a sustainable-asset management firm.

“At Anthem, our vision is to be the most innovative, valuable and inclusive partner in addressing the challenges facing healthcare today. We are honored to have this work acknowledged by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index,” said Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO, Anthem, Inc. “This recognition is only possible because of our more than 60,000 associates and their commitment to making a meaningful, long-term impact in the communities where we live and work.”