As a 5th generation Kansan from small town Augusta, Kansas, I was raised knowing that being of service – to your community and to others — is a value Kansans share. It’s the Kansas way.
At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, we take great pride that we are Kansans serving Kansans, with more than 1,600 employees across the state serving our nearly one million members. In honor of Kansas Day, I want to share how we are working to be both the insurer and employer of choice in our great state.
We serve 103 counties – all of Kansas except Johnson and Wyandotte counties. (It’s what I like to call the “Kansasy part of Kansas.”) People on the coasts may see our service area as a monolith of fields and livestock, but we know it’s much more than that. It’s an area of remarkable diversity, full of distinctive communities of all shapes and sizes. We have plenty of agriculture, to be sure, and we’re proud of that. But we also have state-of-the-art manufacturing, vibrant performing arts, major research universities and a long history of highly successful entrepreneurs.
Wichita is the largest market we serve. I grew up in the area, so I’m biased, but I think it’s a remarkable, underappreciated place. It has great neighborhoods, a fantastic arts scene and a wide array of unique local restaurants. It’s also the center of a bustling regional economy that has international reach. From aerospace to advanced manufacturing to energy production to agribusiness, there are multiple industries in Wichita that can take you all around the world.
But what really stands out to me about Wichita is its heart for service. There are so many service organizations working to make Wichita and its residents the best they can be and it is a privilege for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to serve alongside these organizations. Several years ago, we opened a new office near 21st and Rock, bringing employees and members of our senior leadership to live and work in the area. This has allowed us to be involved first-hand in organizations such as the Greater Wichita Partnership and to proudly serve as title sponsor of the Wichita Open, a partnership which benefits KU Wichita Pediatrics. We’re steadily adding staff in the region, which gives our employees more opportunities to live and work in south central Kansas.
No one in health care serves our 103 counties like we do. No one is as committed to reaching each community as we are. And no one is prouder than we are to have Kansas in our name. It’s central to who we are as a company.
