(BCBSIL) is marking Pride month with community involvement, education and other supports for the LGTBQ+ community. It’s part of our commitment to diversity, equity and addition that helps us address health and economic inequities in the communities we serve, the goods and services we offer and the support we provide local organizations and providers making a significant impact.
Community Engagement
June 18-20, our headquarters building will display”PRIDE” and attribute rainbow accent lights, visible across Chicago’s Millennium Park.
June 29, the Blue Door Neighborhood Centers are joining with Above & Beyond for”Taking Pride: Mental Health over the LGBTQ+ Neighborhood”. This virtual conversation will examine the association between anxiety, mental health and substance use disorders within the LGBTQ+ area.
Additionally, Our employee volunteerism program, Blue Corps, has curated opportunities for employees to support Pride-month pursuits like a Pride Month Senior Food and Greeting Card Drive together with the Center on Halsted and Pride Month Tie-Dye project with Ignite.
June is known as Pride month in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in nyc, a series of demonstrations from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning community.
“PRIDE Month actions are a great way to show our supports to get LGTBQ+ communities, however, PRIDE is over a month,” said Krishna Ramachandran, vice president, provider performance for BCBSIL. “Year-round we support our employees, our associates and our families and work to make sure we’re promoting a culture of commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.”
Through our grant and sponsorship programs, BCBSIL has provided nearly $750,000 In funding over the last 10 years to associations focused on supporting LGBTQ+ communities and causes, including: Springfield PrideFest, AIDS Foundation Run & Walk Chicago, Peoria Proud’s River City Pride Fest and Howard Brown Health Center’s 63rd Street location, serving Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.
Employee Empowerment
Our Business Resource Group, Pride Alliance, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies team that fosters diversity through educational seminars, an open membership policy, media, mentoring, community outreach campaigns and employee cultural awareness activities. Besides partnering on the June 28th BDNC webinar with all the Blue Door Neighborhood Center, Pride Alliance is hosting a series of educational worker seminars this month on topics such as Transgender Programs and Resources, LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Healthcare in addition to a training sponsored by Diversity Best Practices, among BCBSIL’s diversity and inclusion spouses.
BCBSIL has been a longtime sponsor and player in Chicago’s Been postponed until October — providing our workers another opportunity To observe PRIDE and honor the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in Their struggle for equality.
