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About Us

Community & Diversity Engagement

Community and Diversity Engagement

    

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By supporting innovative, sustainable initiatives, and recognizing the need to also support capacity, we invest in our communities to better the overall health of North Carolina.

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Cheryl Parquet

Director of Community Relations Department

Supporting community engagement through strategic investment

Our multi-year community investment strategy aims to fight local hunger, invest in our communities, and improve equitable health access. By supporting community-led initiatives, offering Healthy Blue℠ Medicaid, and building our workforce diversity, we're working to build a healthier North Carolina.

Listening to our communities

We’re on a listening tour across North Carolina, talking to local leaders who are collaborating on solutions to our toughest common challenges.

We call it The Extra Miles Tour – an opportunity for Blue Cross NC leaders to visit hospitals, colleges and other institutions, meet with local leaders and learn how Blue Cross NC can better work to meet each community’s needs. 

Fighting local hunger

Far too many North Carolinians – especially children and older adults – don't get enough to eat. We help ensure that North Carolinians can access nutritious food by adapting to changing circumstances and leading efforts to support our neighbors in need:

  • Investing in food banks
  • Delivering meals
  • Offering nutrition education
  • Supporting local farm-to-table initiatives
  • Providing crisis relief 
  • Focusing our resources on the hardest-hit areas of the state

Our food security efforts are designed to meet people’s needs in the moment and to develop solutions for a sustainable future. 

Community investments

Access to care

Connecting neighbors with the health care they need.

Behavioral health

Supporting mental health services in underserved areas.

Food security

Fighting hunger and increasing access to nutritious food.

Housing security

Increasing access to safe, affordable housing.

Maternal and infant health

Reducing disparities in maternal and infant health care.

Corporate citizenship

Broadening our positive impacts across North Carolina.    

Healthy Blue – transforming Medicaid in North Carolina

We offer Healthy Blue℠ to improve the health and well-being of our Medicaid members. With our focus on primary care, preventive health and care management, this plan increases medical access and quality of care for those who need it most.

To reach our goals, we’re partnering with supporting programs: 

Diversity in our future workforce

To help more North Carolinians get the coverage they need, we’re building an insurance sales force that’s as diverse as those we serve. We’re partnering to support internships and fund scholarships for diverse candidates: 

Durham Technical Community College

We launched a five-year insurance career pathway partnership with scholarship opportunities for students enrolling in insurance licensing programs. Students receive pre-licensing education, networking opportunities and resources to help them get started.

Central Piedmont Community College

We are providing scholarships and additional resources and guidance for workplace success, including small-business counseling and interview preparation, for 26 students per year for five years. Through this program, we hope to increase diversity in the insurance industry.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

We participate in the North Carolina Governor’s HBCU Internship Program to give students immersive professional experience that will increase their competitiveness in the job market. Our African American and Black Employee Network (AABEN) even partners with our HBCU student interns for a mentorship program.

Our Community and Diversity Engagement team

Cheryl Parquet

Director

  • Nonprofit organization engagement
  • Funding opportunity identification
  • Employee volunteer opportunities

Melissa Biediger

Senior Program Manager

  • Employee engagement
  • Extra Miles Tour
  • Behavioral health

Sophie McMillian

Senior Program Manager

  • Board service engagement
  • GivingWorks
  • Strengthen NC

David Shaw

Senior Program Manager

  • Operational excellence
  • Employee engagement
  • Strengthen NC

Leo Scarpati

Program Manager

  • DEI community engagement lead for government markets
  • Multicultural marketing engagement

Elijah Evans

Program Manager Associate

  • Employee engagement support
  • GivingWorks support
  • Experiential activation support

 

Get more community insights

See the Point of Blue blog for our latest investments in the communities we serve.

Helping parents of kids with disabilities

Erica Ryder, a Blue Cross NC employee, has advocated for resources to help parents who have kids with IDDs.

Improving food security in NC

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle partners with Blue Cross NC to improve food security across the state.

Building bilingual behavioral health care

Blue Cross NC supports El Futuro as part of the goal to improve access to behavioral health in rural and underserved communities.