Florida Blue Named a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida Blue's strong commitment to policies and practices supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees has resulted in a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index for the eighth straight year. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Florida Blue, the leading health solutions company in Florida, joins the ranks of 517 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.

"It is important that our workforce reflect the diversity of the five million people we serve across the state of Florida, so a welcoming, inclusive culture is essential," said Florida Blue CEO Pat Geraghty. "We strive to create an environment where all employees can bring their whole selves to work. We continue to push for this protection for all people in Florida, not just our employees. For eight years running, we have received a perfect score for LGBT workplace inclusiveness and we are very proud of our commitment."

Florida Blue's efforts that factored into the perfect score include the use of diverse suppliers and vendors and support of programs around the state such as Metropolitan Charities' Mature Gay Men's Program in St. Petersburg, the University of North Florida's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center in Jacksonville and free concerts such as the Orlando Gay Chorus. Initiatives supported by Florida Blue include the Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce Coalition, the Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance and the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network.   

The 2017 CEI rated 1,043 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. Florida Blue's efforts in satisfying all of the CEI's criteria resulted in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.

For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

About Florida Blue
Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, is a leader in Florida's health care industry. Driven by its mission to help people and communities achieve better health, Florida Blue has more than 5 million health care members across the state. An additional 15.5 million people in 16 states are served through its affiliated companies. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Florida Blue is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.floridablue.com.

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SOURCE Florida Blue