Blue Cross and Blue Shield giving

[From Philanthropy News Digest] In an effort to support the health and wellness of their local communities, thirty-nine independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies awarded more than $208 million in grants during 2009 — a year-over-year increase of $13 million — a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association finds.

The report, Investing in America's Health (82 pages, PDF), found that grants awarded by BCBS companies were used to subsidize healthcare services, develop innovative patient safety initiatives, and launch targeted intervention programs designed to combat childhood obesity and diabetes. Recipients included the Florida Health Literacy Grants Program, which was created by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and the Florida Literacy Coalition to improve the health literacy level of Florida residents; the Health Center Initiative, which was created by the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey to provide financial and technical resources to nonprofit community-directed organizations that provide healthcare services regardless of a patient's insurance status or ability to pay; and the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety, which uses evidence-based strategies to improve the reliability, safety, and quality of care received by patients in Tennessee hospitals.