The Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was established following the historic lawsuit against the tobacco industry by Blue Cross and the state of Minnesota. Blue Cross committed to reinvest that settlement to help pave the way for everyone to achieve their healthiest life. Guided by that goal, the Center for Prevention’s mission is to advance racial and health equity to transform communities for a healthier Minnesota. Its work centers on a vision for a future in which racism no longer determines health outcomes and all people can attain their highest level of health.
The Center’s goals are focused on changing policies, systems and environments (PSE) to support communities most impacted by racial and health inequities by: advancing food justice by ensuring access to healthy, afordable, and culturally relevant foods; and eliminating access to and use of commercial tobacco — especially in communities most impacted by commercial tobacco-related health inequities. To achieve this, we invest, advocate, seek to change narratives, and evaluate, rooting all work in changing policies, systems and environments.
In 2023, the Center for Prevention began implementing our 2023–2026 strategic plan. As a result, we created four new funding initiates that support 19 organizations and five Tribal Nations. Funding for two initiatives began in 2023, and the other two began January 1, 2024.