NewsCenter for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Even as a child, Deanna Salazar knew what she wanted out of a career—opportunities to help improve others’ lives. Today, she fulfills that passion in her role as chief administration officer and general counsel at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), as well as through her various positions as a board member for organizations such as Teach For America and Expect More (now known as College Success Arizona). These opportunities have enabled her to drive change at both the individual and community level.

In an effort to reach those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine yet, the state has partnered with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to hold a free vaccination event at Chase Field on Saturday, June 5 -- and free baseball tickets are up for grabs.

The Arizona Coyotes Foundation recently announced that it has partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Sharecare to launch a “Small Business Spotlight” initiative that will highlight five Arizona-based small businesses during the 2021-22 NHL season.

Youth4Youth recently received a grant for more than $80,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to implement school-based prevention programs and establish a Drug-Free Communities Coalition.

Buck, an integrated HR and benefits consulting, technology, and administration services firm, today announced that it was selected by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) to provide a range of retirement, actuarial, and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) consulting services.

Pyx Health, a tech-enabled services company that provides health plans and their members an innovative, scalable solution that effectively addresses the nation's critical loneliness epidemic, announced today that it has contracted with Health Choice Arizona to combat loneliness and social isolation among the plan's most vulnerable members.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBS Arizona) has seen a 4,800 percent increase in telemedicine use among its 1.7 million patient members.

A Glendale organization is one of seven throughout the state to which Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is granting $565,000 to provide programs and services to address substance use disorders.

As a number of states open vaccine eligibility to more adults, Blues insurers across the country are aiming to be a community resource to ensure shots are administered.

If you are an allergy sufferer, Dr. James Napoli with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona recommends staying indoors and trying to avoid pollen altogether.

The subsidy expansion under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 could allow more than 89,000 uninsured Arizonans to be eligible for health insurance plans with lower or no-cost premiums, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ).

Here are the Top 10 healthiest employers in Arizona, based on public voting for the 2021 edition of Ranking Arizona, the state’s biggest and most comprehensive business opinion poll.

At the heart of the effort are the volunteers—nearly 400 each day—staffed, organized and managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) in an unprecedented public-private partnership.

3. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona partnered with the state to help staff and manage hundreds of volunteers at two of the state's three mass vaccination sites.

“If you do contract COVID between the first and second shots, the first thing I’ll say is, absolutely get the second shot,” says Dr. Piyush Gupta. He says patients do need to wait for their 10- to 14-day quarantine to end, but do not need to test negative prior to getting their second dose.

Currently, the recommendation is to wait a minimum of two weeks after you get another type of vaccine (for flu, pneumonia, shingles, etc.) before you get the COVID shot. We wanted to know why there was that mandatory two-week waiting period, so we took that question to Dr. Piyush Gupta.

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is pleased to announce that Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) has transitioned to an Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS)-run COVID-19 vaccination point-of-dispensing (POD) site.

Vaccinations mean that hope is here, and Arizona’s recovery has been jumpstarted with one of the highest-volume, 24/7 vaccine sites in the country at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. With more than 8,000 vaccines administered every day … about one every 10 seconds … Arizonans have come together in a colossal act of love.

So far, 15 health insurance organizations have signed on to the Vaccine Community Connects pilot program. Beginning this week, these insurers will reach out to their members, with a focus on people living in the country's most at-risk vulnerable and underserved areas, including African American and Hispanic communities.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recently came out with guidance about "double masking" as a way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it turns out, two masks may be better than one --but it all depends on what kind of masks you're wearing and if you're wearing them properly. We asked ABC15 Health Insider Dr. Piyush Gupta about this to see if it was worth it.

How quickly does your immunity develop once you get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is recognizing frontline heroes in the state who have gone above and beyond to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.