Blue Health Initiatives 2016-2017 Impact Report

A Message
from Virginia Barnes
Blue Health Initiatives is about Kansans. It’s about all of
us – coming together – to become a healthier place to
live. For too long, Kansas has ranked near the bottom
of the health charts. This report applauds the work of
the hundreds of Kansans partnering with Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Kansas to improve the health of their
neighbors and families. Together, we’re investing in our
communities and in doing so, changing our state for
the better.
Since launching Blue Health Initiatives in 2016,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has charged me
with aligning much-needed resources toward sustainable
statewide progress. The effort is designed to support the
development of healthy initiatives that acknowledge the
long-term nature of this work. It will take all of us to see
this through. I hope you’ll join us!
As the Director of Blue Health Initiatives, I am honored
to support the Kansans involved in the initiatives outlined
in this report. I am a Kansan, born and raised, and I am
currently raising my own two children here in Topeka.
The health of our state is as important to me as a mother
and resident as it is to my professional work.
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