Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Closes 2024 with $22.9M Invested in Advancing Health Outcomes Across Indiana

New Five-Year Strategy Pledges $150M Nationwide

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation continued its vital work to advance health outcomes and strengthen local communities, closing 2024 with $22.9 million invested in programs actively supporting key causes, organizations, and programs across Indiana. This includes $3.4 million in grants that addressed substance use disorders, $7.6 million supported Food as Medicine initiatives to tackle food insecurity, and $6.6 million funded efforts to improve maternal health outcomes. Anthem associates generated $1.6 million through the company’s community engagement programs including direct giving with a match from the Foundation and more than 21,000 volunteer hours. The Foundation also contributed to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts, reflecting its ongoing commitment to building healthier, more resilient communities.

As the Foundation enters its 25^th year in 2025, this impactful work solidifies a framework for more significant progress. Building on its investments in Indiana communities in 2024 spanning three pillars: Substance Use Disorder, Food as Medicine, and Maternal Health—the Foundation is poised to deepen its commitment to healthy communities. With the launch of a bold new five-year strategy, the Foundation will invest $150 million nationwide through a multi-lever approach that includes traditional grantmaking, impact investing, associate community engagement, and a new Community Action Leadership Initiative.

"This milestone year is a celebration of past achievements and a renewed commitment to creating healthier, more resilient communities for generations to come," said Beth Keyser, Commercial President at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. "Our efforts in Indiana over the past year underscore the urgent need to continue addressing key health challenges, as we strive to make a profound impact on the well-being of all Hoosiers."

KEY AREAS OF IMPACT

In 2024, five maternal health grants provided programming in Indiana, including one that established a Community Leadership Action Board to develop and implement strategies to improve Black maternal health outcomes in Indianapolis. During the same period, nine Food as Medicine grants funded programs across the state that served 5,000 medically tailored meals and distributed more than 600,000 pounds of food. There were also 16 behavioral health grants that reached more than 3,000 Hoosiers through substance use disorder prevention, early intervention, treatment, or recovery support. Disaster relief efforts also served the community through ten strategic partnerships designed to improve preparedness, response, and recovery.

Examples of programs funded by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation in Indiana during 2024:

1. Maternal Health: The Foundation provided Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana with a $2.8 million, three-year grant to eliminate gaps in the system statewide to screen pregnant women for substance use disorder and other services including, peer recovery, doulas, breastfeeding support, tobacco cessation, and substance use disorder treatment. This multi-year grant made significant progress in 2024, with 37 out of 49 clients referred to the program checking into residential treatment.
   
   
   
   “We are already seeing a positive impact through the Fresh Start Connect program which wouldn’t be possible without the generous grant from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. This program ensures we are on the frontline of care and helping to connect more pregnant women to critical resources and assistance will help them get the treatment they need and stay on the right path,” said John R. von Arx III, president and CEO, Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana.
   
   
   
   
2. Food as Medicine: HealthLinc continues to deploy a $1.5 million grant to address the rising rates of food insecurity. This three-year grant provides food and nutritional education to patients, and incorporates strategies like healthy food boxes, virtual cooking classes, remote patient monitoring devices, and personalized staff monitoring. The program enrolled more than 900 patients, with an average of 28% of patients seeing an improvement in hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and/or comorbidities.
   
   
   
   “HealthLinc is grateful for the support provided by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to help address one of the root causes of poor health, food insecurity,” said Melissa Mitchell, HealthLinc CEO. “In 2024, through our ‘Food as Medicine’ program, 975 patients received education and support, leading to a 34% overall improvement rate in chronic health conditions. These results demonstrate the life-changing impact of treating food as medicine.”
   
   
   
   
3. Behavioral Health: Mental Health America of Indiana has leveraged its $900,000 grant to expand the Regional Recovery Hub’s Emergency Department Program to provide additional peer support in emergency departments across the state. This active grant has reached more than 5,700 individuals, who have received peer support post-emergency department visit. The program is ongoing and is working to improve access to recovery housing, with 22% increase in access thus far.
   
   
   
   “Mental Health America of Indiana’s partnership with the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation has been critical to enhancing connections to peer recovery support services through hospital Emergency Rooms. This partnership between Regional Recovery Hubs and hospitals has connected patients with certified peer recovery professionals upon discharge and has continued as individuals begin their recovery,” said Stephen McCaffrey, CEO at Mental Health America of Indiana. “Our collaboration has provided a continuum of crisis response, intervention, resources, referrals and support. I could not be more pleased with our outcomes.”
   
   
   
   
4. Community Resiliency and Disaster Relief: Recognizing that disasters strike when and where we least expect them, the Foundation provided grants to various national and local affiliated organizations, including the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, and Direct Relief.
   
   
   
   “With 1 in 7 people in Indiana facing hungerⁱ, a preterm birth rate affecting 1 in 9 babiesⁱⁱ, and 8,193 visits to the Emergency Department due to opioid overdosesⁱⁱⁱ, the path forward is clear,” said Lynn Scott, Medicaid President at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. “We remain steadfast to pursuing more affordable access to health by deepening our efforts across these critical areas and driving meaningful impact for all the communities we are privileged to serve."
   
   
   
   

The Foundation's new five-year strategy plans to have a far greater impact on health outcomes and expand access to care across Indiana and beyond. It aims to strengthen partnerships, scale proven solutions, and accelerate progress toward affordable healthcare for all.

As part of its new strategy, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health Foundation, announced a $10 million commitment to launch an impact investing program to create positive social impact through investment opportunities beyond its existing grant portfolio. The new program will provide loans to small businesses, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs that advance physical, social, and behavioral health outcomes in under-resourced communities.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is actively inviting organizations across Indiana to apply to the program. To learn more about the Foundation’s impact investment initiative, please visit missiondrivenfinance.com/loans/elevance.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation

The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a philanthropic arm of the Elevance Health Foundation. The Foundation works to improve the health of the socially vulnerable through strategic partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal-infant child health; behavioral health; and food as medicine. Additionally, the Foundation also responds to disasters when our communities need us the most. The Foundation coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross names and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Elevance Health Foundation, please visit https://www.elevancehealth.foundation/ and its blog at www.medium.com/elevancehealthfoundation.

ⁱ What Hunger Looks Like in Indiana: Feeding America - What Hunger Looks Like in Indiana

ⁱⁱ Preterm Birth Rate in Indiana: March of Dimes - Indiana Prematurity Profile

ⁱⁱⁱ Drug Fact Sheet: Substance Use in Indiana SFY 2023: Indiana State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup - Drug Fact Sheet - Opioid

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250624715404/en/

Building on its investments in Indiana communities in 2024 spanning three pillars: Substance Use Disorder, Food as Medicine, and Maternal Health—the Foundation is poised to deepen its commitment to healthy communities.