Access to Care
In 2023, we renewed our efforts to advance resources and programs that address the social and economic factors that influence our ability to achieve our best health. Amplifying the work of our community outreach and clinical teams, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is teaming up with mental health advocates, food banks, youth sports programs, and other local initiatives to support the well-being of Montanans.
We contributed more than $1 million in grants and sponsorships to Montana organizations, including our Blue Impact℠ major grants.
Blue Impact
10 Nonprofit Organizations Served
$450K+ Invested
17,500+ People Served
Closing Gaps in Care
We support community efforts that complement our collaboration with care providers to close care gaps in immunizations, diabetes care, cardiovascular care, behavioral health, early detection cancer screening, and maternal and infant health.
With support from a Blue Impact grant, the St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation premiered a documentary series by filmmaker Ken Burns: “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness.” The Foundation continues to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with mental illness with viewings of the film and workshops at schools, colleges, community forums and other settings.
Our support for the Caring Foundation of Montana℠ — which operates the Care Van® mobile health program — is helping thousands of people across the state gain access to immunizations and other important preventive health services and education.
The Caring Foundation added vision screening devices in 2023 to allow rural partners to increase screening rates. It also started a new partnership with the Roosevelt County Health Department that includes STI testing, responding to a surge in syphilis cases.
Care Van® Impact
2,830 Clients Served
3,706 Immunizations and Other Services Provided
119 Events Held
Addressing Hunger and Nutrition
Reliable access to nutritious food is essential to health and wellness, and too many people in communities across Montana — about 1 in 10 — live in food-insecure households.
In 2023, BCBSMT again provided a major grant to the Montana Food Bank Network, which partners with nearly 340 community organizations, food pantries, shelters, meal programs, schools and others who serve their communities with direct food distribution.
“We’ve all seen the increases in food prices at the grocery store, and for families who are living paycheck to paycheck, those increases hit them the hardest,” says Lorianne Burhop, Montana Food Bank Network’s chief policy officer. “The most direct connection, of course, is health.”
Locally Defined Solutions
Health needs are very different from community to community across our vast state. We’re helping to meet these locally defined needs in collaboration with the people and organizations that understand them best.
A grant from BCBSMT is helping Montana Pediatrics address challenges in pediatric care: after-hours urgent care, rural and urban Native American support, support for families in crisis or transition, care for children with Type 1 diabetes, rural complex care and integrated mental and behavioral health.
Another grant is supporting the Alluvion Health Foundation’s mobile autism clinic, improving access to diagnostic evaluations and ongoing care for children living in rural and underserved areas of north-central Montana.
Economic Opportunity and Stability
It’s hard to focus on health without stable income, access to jobs, and chances to gain new skills and grow. BCBSMT’s major grants have consistently supported organizations that provide job training and other resources that help Montana families and individuals thrive.