Premera Blue Cross’ Post

We're so excited to welcome Talha R. Ashraf to the Premera team as our new Chief Financial Officer! Talha is a proven healthcare finance leader with a track record of guiding companies to significant growth. We couldn't be more thrilled to have his considerable talents and experience in our corner!

They're our feline friends, our furry family members, and the unintentional guest stars of a lot of our video meetings - they're the cats of Premera, and we're giving them the spotlight this #InternationalCatDay! Share your favorite snapshots of your cool cats (and your weird little goofball cats) in the comments! #PreMEOWra

Don't look now, but back-to-school season is right around the corner! As families around the region get ready to send kids back to classrooms this fall, the Premera team is working to ensure everyone has the gear they need to start the school year right. Our team donated and packed almost 100 backpacks with school supplies like colored pencils, folders, notebooks and more. These classroom ready-backpacks will then be distributed to families who need them by our awesome partners at Boys and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.

Q'et'en Qenq'a - Providence House has opened its doors in Anchorage, providing both recuperative and permanent housing for individuals 55 and older who are experiencing homelessness. Premera was proud to work with Providence Alaska and other local partners to fund this important project, which will help address the need of a growing and vulnerable unhoused population in Alaska. You can learn more about Q'et'en Qenq'a - Providence House in the news coverage linked here. https://bit.ly/3LRsXLM

It's gotten harder for families to find a pediatrician in recent years. At Premera, we're working to change that. As part of our continuing partnership with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Premera, along with other partners, helped to fund the first pediatric medical residency program in eastern Washington. This residency brings new physicians-in-training to the Spokane community, where they will focus on caring for young patients. We're so proud to play a role in training the next generation of these in-demand specialists, and want to share a warm welcome with the incoming cohort serving patients in Spokane starting this year! https://bit.ly/3yl1bV5

Congratulations to Premera Blue Cross Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Dr. Adrian M. Mayers on being named an inaugural member of the CTC Cyber and Tech Security Council at the National Security Institute (NSI). A nationally recognized leader in cybersecurity, Dr. Mayers and his fellow experts on the council will develop actionable plans to address the cyber threats and technological challenges faced by organizations across the United States. Premera values Dr. Mayers' leadership, and we're so glad to know that more people will benefit from his insights and expertise.

We’re honored to note that our recent series of ads developed with Copacino Fujikado won the Silver for Best Small Agency campaign at Ad Age’s latest international conference and awards show. The people you work with are more than employees. They are partners, parents, and caregivers who face the challenges life throws at them with the support of their colleagues, their co-workers, and their benefits. Our customers know this. They choose Premera because we know it. And with the excellent creative collaboration of Copacino's team, we’ve been thrilled to bring that fact to life in these brief stories highlighting the way teams lift one another up.

Making healthcare affordable and accessible is our top priority. But making that vision a reality is going to take a team effort, involving health plans, healthcare systems, providers, policy makers, and others. That's why Premera Blue Cross Senior Vice President Hope Kragh joined yesterday's Healthcare Executive Roundtable at T-Mobile Stadium. Presented by the Employee Benefits Planning Association (EBPA), this event brought together a group of health plan and healthcare leaders who are dedicated to improving affordable access to quality healthcare. It was a great conversation and a valuable reminder of how important these efforts are to businesses across Washington, regardless of industry or size. #affordablehealthcare #healthcareaccess

In honor of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, it's crucial to highlight the unique mental health challenges faced by BIPOC individuals in the workplace. Richard L. Taylor Jr. underscores the importance of fostering supportive and inclusive work environments for BIPOC employees. By creating safe spaces for dialogue, ensuring access to culturally competent mental health resources, and actively supporting diversity, organizations can make a significant impact. Let’s commit to: 1. Providing equitable access to mental health resources. 2. Educating ourselves and our teams about cultural competency. 3. Encouraging open conversations about mental health without stigma. 4. Supporting BIPOC voices and experiences. Together, we can build workplaces where everyone feels valued and supported. Read more from Richard on our blog on how we can make this change happen. #BIPOCMentalHealthMonth #InclusiveWork #MentalHealthMatters

A global technology issue is affecting some Premera vendor services. The impact on Premera's operations is minimal at present, and we are working to address any issues that arise as quickly as possible. You can learn more about what Premera vendors are affected and what we're doing to restore impacted services on our Healthsource blog, and we'll be providing updates via our social media channels as appropriate. https://lnkd.in/gJBFtMF6