Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield today launches their annual Back-to-School Campaign, bringing free community events to families across Queens and the Metropolitan New York area. Designed to prepare students for a healthy return to school, the campaign highlights the importance of health screenings, wellness resources, and family engagement as critical components of academic success. The events will take place at Anthem’s Community Service Centers in Jamaica on August 12^th and Flushing on August 17^th. Anthem will partner with Comunidad LatinX at a special Back-to-School event in Astoria on August 19^th as the exclusive health insurance partner among dozens of sponsors and partners.

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Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield associates celebrate with New York students as they return to school.

"Our kids can't succeed in school if they aren't well prepared with supplies and well when it comes to their health," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "Thank you to our friends at Anthem for being on the ground in our communities to ensure that our families have the information and resources they need to make this upcoming school year as healthy and productive as possible."

Joining Anthem in their Queens events are Queens Library, Child Center of NY, Jamaica Community Partnership, Public Health Solutions, and many others. This year’s campaign builds on the success of last year’s initiative when over 100,000 school supplies and 10,000 books were distributed. Each event offers tailored support for school-bound children and their families, including free health-focused giveaways, wellness education, and access to local service providers.

“Backpacks and pencils are important—but so is a clean bill of health,” said Dr. Christy Valentine Theard, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid and Medicare in New York. “These events are about more than supplies. They connect families with the care and information they need to help their children thrive—inside and outside the classroom.”

Beginning today and running through September 9^th, the series spans urban and suburban communities and includes partnerships with local school districts and nonprofit organizations. Health-related offerings include hygiene kits, vision and hearing screenings (where available), mental health referrals, and wellness education.

In addition to these events, Anthem will again partner with Optimum and Warner Bros. Discovery News12 for their branded Back-to-School events in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Westchester, and Nassau County. News12 will feature select events through on-site coverage, capturing the voices and stories of the families and local organizations making a difference. News12 is a 24-hour hyper-local news, weather, traffic, and sports cable channel in metropolitan New York.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Serving New Yorkers for 90 years, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP is on a mission to materially and measurably improve the health of New Yorkers. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP is the trade name of Anthem HP, LLC. Independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., serving residents and businesses in the 17 eastern and southeastern counties of New York state. Additional information about Anthem is available at www.anthem.com. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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“These events are about more than supplies. They connect families with the care and information they need to help their children thrive—inside and outside the classroom," said Dr. Christy Valentine Theard, Anthem BCBS Medicaid/Medicare President.