By J.J. Morgan
Rated among the nation’s best health plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) provides care to more than 31,500 Massachusetts employers and 2.8 million members.
“Our customers, like us, are trying to create more diverse work forces, and they, too, are responding to the demographic changes we’re seeing in our society,” recently said Andrew Dreyfus, President and CEO, BSBSMA. “Our current goal is about affordability and providing the best services to our customers and members; a piece of that has to be superb in the area of diversity, multicultural understanding, and multicultural marketing.”
With a focus on business diversity and multicultural outreach, in 2007, Juliette Mayers, Executive Director, Multicultural Marketing, BCBSMA, led the creation and launch of the company’s Multicultural Marketing (MCM) program.
“Back then,” said Mayers, who joined BCBSMA in 2001, “healthcare reform was very new to the Massachusetts marketplace. There were a lot of new entrants and constituents, who were not familiar with healthcare insurance. As a result of that, we saw the need to help to really educate them. ”
“The whole focus is on making sure that we are supporting our multicultural members,” said Mayers, “as well as outreaching to the community at large, and helping to address the needs of multicultural constituents”.
According to Mayers a key part is taking a look at disparities in healthcare, which is a huge issue, both for the Latino community and the African-American community. As well as seeing where the gaps are and how to develop new strategies to prevent them.
Statistically, minority communities have higher mortality rates for both cancer and heart disease.
The project, which has been recognized nationally and locally, was extended under Mayer’s leadership to two other initiatives: the Multicultural (McM) Ambassadors and Multicultural Leadership Development (MLDP) programs. Following extensive cultural competency training, McM Ambassadors connect with diverse audiences, meeting them where they live and work. More than 35 BSBSMA associates now work as McM Ambassadors, and have reached more than 100,000 people across the state at a wide variety of annual multicultural events. The MLDP was created to provide McM Ambassadors with an opportunity to develop leadership capabilities and further their careers.
New McM Ambassador Brenda Rosario has worked in various positions for ten years at BCBS. Now working as a Claims Processor, the Dominican-American was inspired to become an Ambassador last year.
“I love the way that BCBS cares about the Latino community,” she noted. “It’s very important here to have that relationship with the community.”
Following two promotions, Yvonne Howard, who has worked at BCBSMA since 2007, now works as a data analyst. She was selected as an MCM Ambassador when the program was initiated, and joined the MLDP program four years ago. She said that these experiences gave her the confidence and skills to progress in her career.
“It gave me an opportunity to get out into the community. Diversity is the biggest thing that we bring,” said Howard, who was recognized earlier this year with a community award for her work.
“This is an expression of Blue Cross’s commitment to the Latino community,” added Mayers. “One of our major events every year is the El Mundo Fenway Family Festival. I think we were at the very first one, which has been fabulous for us. We look at it as a partnership, and it’s been a great partnership.”
