Category: LIFE AT BLUE CROSS NC

When you picture Small Town USA, you probably picture a place like my hometown—a farming community with 1,600 people and three stoplights. When explaining the dynamics of rural North Carolina, I often say that it’s nothing like the movies, but in some ways, it really is: Everyone knows everyone, people put in long hours to serve their communities and families, and we all look out for our neighbors. After all, that’s what small-town communities are all about. It’s a blessing … Continue reading “What growing up on a farm taught me about food security”

For Cheryl Propst, nursing is personal. Years ago, Cheryl’s grandson was born deaf. When he was not quite three years old, he received cochlear implants, which are a type of hearing aid that has internal and external parts. The procedure went well, and he seemed to be doing fine. One day while playing with a cousin at his other grandparents’ house, he passed out. At first everyone thought he was just playing a silly toddler game. But when they realized … Continue reading “Blue Cross NC nurse saves a life over the phone”

Breast cancer took a lot from Robin Winters. It took her hair—dreadlocks she’d been diligently growing for 15 years to connect with her cultural heritage. She lost both her breasts in a mastectomy at age 53. She even lost relationships, as friends and family struggled to support her through the most difficult time of her life. But, as Robin tells it, God gave her twice as much back. As an operations specialist at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North … Continue reading “It’s like wearing a neon sign announcing “I’m a cancer survivor””

When you think of American Indians, do you think of the Cherokee? Or perhaps tribes in the western United States, like the Sioux, Shoshone or Apache? You may be surprised to learn that North Carolina is home to more than 130,000 American Indians. That number includes eight tribes and four urban Indian organizations. In fact, North Carolina has the highest Native population east of the Mississippi River! November is American Indian Heritage Month – a time to celebrate and raise … Continue reading “How to be an ally to Indigenous people this American Indian Heritage Month”

As we approach the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, I reflect fondly on my family’s journey to North Carolina. When we arrived in Raleigh in the early 1970s, my parents (dad from Cuba and mother from Argentina) held close to their Latin traditions, and our young family had already lived in Brazil and Central America. You can imagine the curiosity of seeing our family of four speaking Spanish when we took our first walk through then-new Crabtree Valley Mall in … Continue reading “Honoring Hispanic Heritage at Blue Cross NC”

When Venelina Vateva found out she was pregnant with twins, she did what all new moms do. She imagined all the milestones she would celebrate with her kids: birthdays, graduations, first dates. She wanted to be there for every second of it. But then something terrible fell into her lap, the way terrible things do. At just 28 years old, while pregnant, she was diagnosed with incurable cancer. It started with nausea and tiredness—nothing unusual during pregnancy. She assumed it … Continue reading “The doctors thought it was pregnancy symptoms. It was something much worse.”

In the kitchens and cafes of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC)’s Durham campus, Chef Michael Mahony and his team are busy turning one person’s trash into another person’s treasure. Every scrap of food waste in the kitchen is destined for composting. Be it vegetable peels or unsold sandwiches, all food waste from food prep and unsold food is weighed and then added to our compost bins. For the past two and a half years, … Continue reading “Blue Cross NC Goes Green”

Meet our summer interns! Since 2005, the Blue Cross NC Summer Internship Program has connected energetic students from schools all over North Carolina to meaningful projects across our business. These students also have opportunities to network with leaders and professionals across the company, practice the skills they have learned in their classrooms, and participate in professional development and training as a cohort.   Early career talent is a crucial part of the way that we continue growing and expanding our perspective as a company, and that has … Continue reading “Blue Cross NC interns are the next generation of health care leaders”

The idea of freedom means different things to different people. At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina NC, we believe that true freedom means the ability to live a life where barriers to health and wellness no longer exist – especially those barriers rooted in discrimination. When people are free to show up as themselves and have access to all the things they need to thrive, everybody wins.   I am particularly thrilled that this week, President Biden signed the Juneteenth bill. However, the original intent of my writing … Continue reading “Leading at the intersections of health and freedom”

George Price isn’t afraid to be vulnerable in sharing how he copes with his diagnoses of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Telling his story to Blue Cross employees has helped George. It’s also helped others who may be facing similar challenges and don’t know how to talk about them. We met up with George to see how he’s doing and what his life has been like over the past year. In addition to dealing with the pandemic, … Continue reading “Blue Cross NC employee shares how he’s coped with OCD, ADHD during the pandemic”