For Immediate Release: March 30, 2022
For more information contact:
Kelly Cannon
Kelly.Cannon@BlueKC.com
O: (816) 395-3711
KANSAS CITY, MO. (March 30, 2022)—Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) is proud to be named the “Healthiest Employer” in the large business category (1,500 to 4,999 employees) by the Kansas City Business Journal for 2022. The annual award recognizes companies in Kansas City that prioritize employee well-being through comprehensive wellness programming and benefits. Blue KC, an honoree in 2021, has been recognized multiple times since the program was established in 2009. However, this marks the first time Blue KC has won the large business category.
“I congratulate all the companies that have been named Healthiest Employers. Their commitment to the health and well-being of their employees makes Kansas City a better place to work and live,” said Erin Stucky, President and CEO, Blue KC. “At Blue KC, we take a holistic approach to the physical, emotional and financial health of our employees. We challenge ourselves to support our employees in living their healthiest lives through a comprehensive employee wellness program.”
The award was assessed by Healthiest Employers LLC, a data and research company, based on a wellness program’s culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis. In total, 30 Kansas City-based organizations were recognized for their healthy employee efforts based on the number of employees. Blue KC is listed in the 1,500-4,999 employees category.
Throughout 2021, Blue KC continued to bolster its virtual wellness offerings, including healthy cooking classes, a monthly garden club, virtual self-defense and music therapy. Mindful by Blue KC, which launched in 2020, provides employees with tools and services to address stress, depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. In 2021, the program was expanded to include a wellness counselor with whom employees can have confidential discussions. In addition, Blue KC offers a monthly series of Mindful Coffee and Exercise sessions with mental health professionals on timely topics to better support employees during life’s daily challenges.
Wellness Beyond Weight—an initiative of the A Healthier You program—expanded its offerings to focus on overall well-being, such as financial planning and community involvement. And to help remove the stigma around behavioral health issues within the workplace, 182 Blue KC managers and employees completed Mental Health First Aid® training in 2021.
“At Blue KC, our members are at the center of everything we do, and those members include our employees,” noted Mark Garrett, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. “I’m proud of our intentional focus on whole-person health, and our investment in meaningful support team members need to be healthy in mind, body and spirit. Our comprehensive employee well-being program is one of many reasons we continue to receive recognition as a healthy place to work.”
Blue KC is committed to balancing work and life priorities by emphasizing the health and well-being of its employees. To learn more about employee benefits and search available job openings at Blue KC, please visit www.BlueKC.com.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.
