Florida Blue Partners With Communities Across the Sunshine State
Sponsored by: Florida Blue
Driven by its mission – helping people and communities achieve better health – Florida Blue formally launched its Growing Resilient Communities initiative in 2021 to break the cycle of generational poverty in targeted underserved ZIP codes in Florida’s major markets.
“Our mission calls us to drive meaningful change to improve the health of the people and communities we serve,” says Florida Blue President & CEO Pat Geraghty. “This initiative is about building cross-sector collaborations and empowering residents in these communities to identify and implement sustainable solutions that drive better health outcomes.”
Florida Blue identified five ZIP codes in four major markets across the state – Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville and Orlando – to invest even more deeply to impact critical drivers of health. Florida Blue and the Florida Blue Foundation have contributed more than $8M to these communities since identifying them in 2019.
“We’re addressing social determinants of health at a hyper-local level to create unique solutions to meet the needs of our diverse communities,” Geraghty says.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 63,000 people reside in the 10 square miles comprising the 33311 ZIP code, and nearly 30% live in poverty.
Florida Blue’s investment is developing affordable housing options, offering job training and education opportunities, and supporting upward economic mobility in the surrounding communities of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Oakland Park and Wilton Manors.
Grants and support went to the Urban League of Broward County for intergenerational affordable/ workforce housing; the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance for its Prosperity Partnership upward-mobility program; Broward College’s BrowardUp, offering job skills and education on-site in the select communities; the YMCA of South Florida for its new L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center; and Dillard High School for a Florida Blue-sponsored Partnership Education for Business Success (PEBS) program offering high-school internships for business track students.
“The most impactful way to engage the community is to serve as a trusted partner, identifying challenges and solutions together,” Geraghty says.
“With this initiative, we are engaging diverse partners, making significant financial investments, and building upon comprehensive strategies. By lifting up those around us with investments in people and relevant programs, we will positively impact conditions in these communities. Together we will help those affected in meaningful, powerful and long-lasting ways that will benefit generations to come.”
