Blue Shield Distributes 4,000 Hand Sanitizers and Masks to Local Health Departments
Supplies will benefit Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady Vaccine Clinics
Latham, N.Y. – Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York distributed more than 4,000 hand sanitizers, 4,000 pens and hundreds of face masks to Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady County Departments of Health for their upcoming vaccine clinics.
“As a community-based, not-for-profit health plan, it’s important to us to continue finding new ways to support the health and safety of our community,” said Keith Dolan, Regional Executive, Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York. “Getting vaccinated is our community’s best defense against COVID-19— this is one of the ways we’re proud to support our local health departments in encouraging individuals and families to sign up to get vaccinated today.”
The local health plan also distributed thousands of personal protective equipment kits to local schools, community centers, municipalities, and small businesses.
Throughout the pandemic, Highmark Blue Shield supported the community in several ways, including:
- Distributing $411,000 in relief for nearly 30 local primary care provider (PCP) groups through its COVID-19 Provider Relief Program (PRP) and launched a reimbursement program for doctors and nurse practitioners to help cover the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) within their practice.
- Donating $150,000 to the Capital Region COVID-19 Community Response Fund and delivered hundreds of healthy snack-packs and bottles of hand-sanitizer to Capital Region heroes who are on the frontlines.
- Donating $150,000 through its Blue Fund to support major health-related initiatives to enhance the health of the region.
- Employees donating $5,000 to local organizations recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2,000 pounds of food for The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
To learn more about BlueShield’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit www.bsneny.com/coronavirus.
About Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York
Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York is a trade name of Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Since 1946, Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York has helped millions of people lead healthier lives. Blue Shield offers a full range of insured, self-insured, and government programs and services covering businesses, families, and individuals, as well as dental and vision plans and stop-loss coverage. As a community-based, not-for-profit health plan, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield contributes significantly to organizations that strengthen and enrich the health of the community.
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