We're teaming up and giving our all to build healthier communities.
“Anthem's goal is to make health, not just healthcare, more affordable, while also addressing the inequities prevalent in our communities and healthcare system.”
— Robert Bunch, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia
Addressing Social Injustice and Supporting Communities
Anthem and the Atlanta Dream have joined forces to make an impact on people's health in our cities focusing on areas such as food insecurity, mental health, or other disparities and social justice issues. It is our shared goal to address drivers of health and issues that impact our communities, and we'll show how in the months to come.
Learn more about how Anthem is working to improving the health of our communities, with a focus on:
Food Insecurity
- 54 million Americans will face food insecurity this year. Read more about why we are committed to combatting food insecurity. If you need assistance or would like to help, please click here to learn more.
Mental Health
- Our behavioral health affects nearly every aspect of our day-to-day lives, which is why we are taking a whole health approach to improve access, affordability, and outcomes. Learn more about our whole health approach to behavioral healthcare and why it's important.
Health Disparities
- Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their background. We are committed to closing gaps in evidence and driving better standards of care.
Women's Empowerment and Health
- Arming women with information to make the best healthcare choices for themselves and family members will result in healthier individuals and families. Read more about how Anthem is empowering women's healthcare choices.
Our Communities
Improving health requires taking a broader view and strengthening the communities that are vital in supporting our health. Read more about our work in communities.
Building Healthy Communities Together
These commitments directly align with Anthem's work to address long-standing racial and health inequities facing communities across the country. With the Atlanta Dream's partnership, we will make a measurable impact on health challenges in our city.
The Latest News
Anthem and the Atlanta Dream Team Up in Support of Black Maternal Health
September 28, 2024
In partnership with the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, the Atlanta Dream and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have teamed up to shine a light on this important issue.
On September 28, we hosted a free lunch and learn event, featuring a panel of experts who answered questions and provided knowledge and resources to a large audience of more than 300 women. The panel included Dr. April Ruffin, Medical Director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia alongside representatives from Emory University and Center for Black Women’s Wellness, a certified doula and a licensed professional counselor.
Following lunch, every family left with diapers, baby wipes, formula - donated by Dream fans - and valuable healthcare information, including where to find Doula and Midwifery services in Atlanta.
Shining a Spotlight on BIPOC Women-Owned Small Businesses
Summer 2024
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is proud to partner with the Atlanta Dream to shine a spotlight on women leaders and women-owned businesses making an impact in our community.
Learn more about their journey and what makes these businesses special. Don’t miss out on these inspiring stories, starting with Sistah Shop, the Atlantic Station store featuring more than 100 Black women-owned brands from around the country!
Taste of College Park
May 14, 2024
The Atlanta Dream street team joined Anthem associate volunteers for a “Taste of College Park” showcase event, which included students preparing and sharing recipes they have learned in their Common Threads nutrition classes. To date, the initiative has provided more than 50,000 pounds of food and 4,300 hours of accompanying education to the College Park Elementary School community.
Common Threads’ cooking and nutrition education curriculum teaches students to identify and cook with affordable and healthy ingredients, using experiential learning to effectively increase students’ knowledge and skills to prepare nutritious meals at home.
Manners Matter
May 13, 2024
The 5th graders from our friends at College Park Elementary School took a field trip to the Georgia International Convention Center, where they were treated to a multi-course banquet style meal as part of Common Threads “Manners Matter” program. Manners Matter is an interactive experience aimed at teaching students about basic etiquette and the importance of not only enjoying a meal, but also the company dining with you.
Throughout the meal, Common Threads chefs led the young diners to try new foods as they learned about different courses. Volunteers from the Atlanta Dream, iHeartImpact and Anthem were guests at each table.
Anthem and the Dream Join Nonprofit Common Threads for Teacher Cook-Off at College Park Elementary
August 3, 2023
Anthem is committed to providing school communities with the tools they need to prepare healthy meals. Anthem and the Dream joined the Common Threads staff to help with a teacher cooking training and cook-off at College Park Elementary School.
The event kicked off with a demonstration from the Common Threads chef, and then the group was divided into teams to create their own hummus recipe. Recipes were judged by the school principal and representatives of the Dream and Anthem, with the winners receiving a goody bag of Anthem and Dream gear!
Atlanta Dream and Anthem Continue Support of Food Pantry at College Park Elementary School
Summer, 2023
As a way to help keep the shelves stocked at the College Park Elementary School free food pantry, the Atlanta Dream have organized food drives at six of their games this season. Fans are encouraged to donate healthy non-perishable food items that have been requested by the school to coordinate with their nutrition education curriculum provided by the nonprofit Common Threads. Once the items are delivered to the school, Anthem volunteers are in charge of stocking, organizing and distributing the food to families who need a little help. Hundreds of pounds of food have been collected to support the deserving families of College Park!
Anthem and iHeartImpact Partner with nutrition education nonprofit Common Threads
April 20, 2023
As a continuation of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia’s commitment to addressing access to healthy food and nutrition education for the Atlanta community, Anthem, iHeartMedia and the Dream joined national nonprofit Common Threads for a special nutrition showcase at College Park Elementary School.
Common Threads’ interactive and culturally responsive approach to cooking and nutrition education was celebrated with student-led cooking demonstrations and a healthy food distribution, with the Dream’s Assistant Athletic Trainer Katie Buria leading the kids through a series of fitness exercises.
Common Threads programs provide students, families and staff with cooking and nutrition education designed to encourage lifelong healthy habits. Thursday’s Student Showcase event was the culmination of the Small Bites series of interactive nutrition and culinary programming, highlighted by a student-led cooking demonstration to show off the skills they learned throughout the week.
Atlanta Dream teams up with LA Sparks to support kids at College Park
Summer, 2022
In a unique partnership element, the four WNBA teams sponsored by Anthem and its sister companies have teamed up for a four-team partnership to write letters encouraging students to eat healthy and stay active over the summer break.
During pre-game of select games, a player from each team placed handwritten letters from each player into a mailbox. These mailboxes were placed at Anthem's adopted school in each respective city. The LA Sparks delivered their letters to the kids in Atlanta prior to their game vs. the Dream in August.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Dream celebrate reading with students at College Park Elementary School
March 1, 2022
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Dream continue to work with College Park Elementary to decrease food insecurity and are also committed to helping them achieve their overall health, wellness and educational goals.
As part of this commitment, Anthem associates, Dream staff and players joined forces today as part of the school’s National Read Across America Day. The day was established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to help get kids excited about reading, and calls upon everyone to read and engage with children to make reading a fun and interactive experience.
Volunteers read to students in classrooms and made sure that every student had a bag of new books to take home!
The Dream join Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Heart of America and iHeartMedia to Unveil New On-Site Food Pantry at College Park Elementary School
November 17, 2021
With a goal to help address food insecurity in Atlanta, the partners unveiled a fully functional food pantry at College Park Elementary School complete with refrigeration that will allow for the inclusion of fresh produce and perishables.
Anthem associate volunteers put the finishing touches on the project prior to a ribbon cutting ceremony that featured leaders from the school, the Dream and local community. In addition to the pantry being an on-campus resource, monthly community food distributions will be made available to local families.
Launched in September, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Heart of America, iHeartMedia and the Dream collaboration has already distributed more than 24,000 pounds of food to local students, families, and community members. The food pantry will be stocked monthly with an array of healthy, shelf stable items.
Anthem Teams up with iHeart Media and Heart of America
July 12, 2021
Anthem has teamed up with iHeart Media and Heart of America to help schools across the country expand their access to nutritious foods as a way to improve health. By creating customized solutions like learning gardens, food pantries and teaching kitchens, we aim to provide practical, sustainable resources that will help schools in their nutrition efforts.
Heart of America (HOA), founded in 1997, transforms educational spaces into modern learning environments so that students, families, and communities can learn and grow. The organization has led in addressing education inequity across the United States for nearly 25 years by delivering high-quality resources and engaging spaces to underserved students and campuses to reduce the digital divide and close the resource gap. HOA has rebuilt and revitalized more than 700 educational spaces including libraries, technology labs, science labs, health clinics, auditoriums, recreation/community centers, and more.
iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in the United States, joins the collaboration as a national awareness-building partner in Anthem’s commitment to addressing food insecurity in under-resourced communities.
Finding Your Mental Balance: A Panel on Mental Health
July 1, 2021
Host Tabitha Turner speaks with guests Pam Stahl, Georgia president for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Dr. Anup Sharma, M.D., family physician and Anthem Medical Director, and Atlanta Dream players Monique Billings and Elizabeth Williams about the importance of mental health in athletics, the pressure of being an athlete, how they regularly assess their own state of mind, what the Dream – and WNBA – are doing to support mental health, and more.
Dream partners with Anthem and FREE99FRIDGE for first "Atlanta Dream Food Drive" of the season
June 22, 2021
The Dream's support for non-profit organizations committed to health and wellness in the region continues with the first of four Atlanta Dream Food Drives beginning Saturday, June 26. Fans attending the game against the New York Liberty at Gateway Center Arena @ College Park are encouraged to bring at least one food item to help end food insecurity in the greater Atlanta metro area. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports South.
Saturday night's food drive is in partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia. The Dream are one of four WNBA teams – the New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever – partnering with Anthem companies in a multi-year initiative designed to combat racial and health inequities and promote social justice.
"We continue to see an unprecedented need for support in our local communities and across Georgia, particularly within the fight against food insecurity," said Pam Stahl, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia. "Access to healthy food is a critical part of whole person health, and vital to improving the lives of those we serve across the state."
Items accepted include boxed food, cans, non-perishable condiments and wrapped cutlery sets. Unfortunately, the Dream isn't able to accept perishable goods or opened items. Fans are asked to drop items in donation bins outside the doors prior to entering the arena.
In addition to the June 26 game, the Dream will host food drives at select home games throughout the season:
Sunday, July 11 at 5 p.m. ET vs. the Indiana Fever
Tuesday, September 14 at 7 p.m. ET vs. the Indiana Fever
Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. ET vs. the Los Angeles Sparks
Items received from the four Dream food drives will benefit Free99Fridge, an Atlanta-based grassroots organization fighting for food justice and ending food disparities one fridge at a time. Fans unable to attend one of the aforementioned home games can participate by purchasing items on Free99Fridge’s Amazon Wishlist.
The Atlanta Dream and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are joining forces to address social injustice and promote health and well-being throughout metro Atlanta.
May 13, 2021
The two organizations will team up to make an impact on under-resourced Atlanta communities, with a focus on food insecurity, mental health and health disparities, by hosting food drives, health screenings and social justice initiatives, in some cases engaging the Dream's brand-new mascot, which will be unveiled in April, in community outreach.