For immediate release: June 10, 2003
Contact: Leigh Tofferi - (802) 371-3205

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF VERMONT RECOGNIZED WITH BEST OF BLUE AWARD

Berlin, VT - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont garnered a 2003 Best of Blue Award for Provider Education and Communications for its work on a domestic violence "tool kit." Sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the Best of Blue Marketing and Communications Awards Program solicited over 150 entries from more than 30 member health plans nationwide.

The domestic violence tool kit - issued to all primary care, emergency room and ob/gyn practitioners in the state - sought to improve the services that domestic abuse victims receive from health care providers. The tool kit also offered safety information to patients at risk of or experiencing domestic abuse.

"We're especially proud of this award because our program served a great need in our state," said BCBSVT director of corporate communications Beth Lewis. "It has been quite fulfilling to see how this tool kit serves as a valuable resource that helps both victims and health care providers in Vermont."

A physician's guide containing facts about domestic abuse, and a discussion about the physician's responsibilities in assessing, documenting, intervening and referring patients to support services came inside the tool kit. A poster about victim safety accompanied the package, as well.

"Since obtaining the tool kit, providers reported a 52 percent jump in their screening ability, a 43 percent increase in their ability to document abuse signs, and a 30 percent hike in their capacity to steer patients towards community-based support services," Lewis related.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state's oldest and largest private health insurer, providing coverage for about 180,000 Vermonters. It employs over 350 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and its full-service field office in Williston, and has offered group and individual health plans to Vermonters for more than 60 years. More information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is available on the Internet at www.bcbsvt.com Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

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