HELENA — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana announced it is donating $25,000 to the American Red Cross of Montana to support the organization’s vital work during the 2024 wildfire season.
“We are proud to extend our support to the Red Cross of Montana, which provides life-saving and life-sustaining aid to fellow Montanans impacted by wildfires,” said Lisa Kelley, BCBSMT President. “Our donation helps the Red Cross to prepare, respond and offer recovery assistance to people when they need it most.”
Preparedness occurs year-round as shelters are positioned across the state and provided with essential supplies needed in the event of a disaster. An emergency official makes the determination that a community needs to evacuate and responds. When the response call goes out to a community, Red Cross is required to have a shelter ready to open within four hours. Red Cross of Montana has hundreds of trained disaster action team volunteers throughout Montana, which allows the organization to respond effectively and efficiently. Red Cross also manages past the immediate crisis to the recovery phase of disaster relief, helping those directly affected by the disaster get back on their feet.
If you are in immediate need of shelter during a disaster, you can use the Red Cross shelter map at https://maps.redcross.org to determine whether one is available.
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About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSMT is the largest and longest-standing statewide, customer-owned health insurer and full-service health benefits administrator in Montana. BCBSMT has provided high-quality health insurance plans and administrative services to Montanans for more than 80 years and is committed to ensuring its members — no matter where they are on the health spectrum — achieve maximum health. Headquartered in Helena with five regional offices, BCBSMT’s purpose is to stand with its members in sickness and in health.