Driving health and well-being for all Rhode Islanders
We know that your employees’ health doesn’t rest solely on medicine. It also depends on those factors called “social determinants of health," like safe housing, access to healthy food, and the quality of their communities.
BCBSRI is developing new approaches—and strengthening existing programs—to drive needed change in our state. That will help all Rhode Islanders, including your workforce.
RI Life Index
Our goal is to address the social determinants of health most important to Rhode Islanders, so we can move the needle on improving quality of life for everyone in our state, regardless of where they were born or where they live.
For many Rhode Islanders, basic needs are out of reach or increasingly unstable. That finding is reinforced by the data we obtained through the 2019 launch of the RI Life Index, a data source produced in partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health that focuses on the life factors influencing health and well-being.
Community investment
Responses to the Life Index make clear that stable, affordable housing is a major concern for too many Rhode Islanders. So we have shifted the focus of our community investment to focus on local organizations committed to improving access to affordable housing.
National collaboration
“Your health shouldn’t depend on the color of your skin or the neighborhood you live in."
—Kim Keck, president and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The National Health Equity Strategy developed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association relies on close collaboration with providers and local community organizations. The multi-year strategy will focus on four conditions that disproportionately affect communities of color: maternal health, behavioral health, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions.
The Association also compiles the BCBS Health Index, a source of valuable data about the impact of more than 300 conditions on Americans’ quality of life. It is powered by annual data from more than 41 million members of Blues plans around the country.
Diversity in our organization – and yours
The definition of diversity goes far beyond the traditional categories of race, gender, and ethnicity. It extends to personal qualities that can't always be measured. Diversity is part of who we are, and our organization is formally committed to embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in order to best serve the needs of our members, customers, and associates across Rhode Island.
We’re happy to share what we have learned with our customers, so they too can make their workplaces more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.