The Regence Group Donates $100,000 to American Red Cross to Support Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ — The Regence Group is making an immediate corporate donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross for what is being called the largest disaster relief effort in its history, staving off the public health catastrophe that awaits survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

The Regence Group donation comes as the Red Cross and other emergency teams hasten to the devastated Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, where millions of people are without clean drinking water, food, sanitation and health care facilities.

“The images of personal devastation pierce our hearts,” said Mark Ganz, president and chief executive officer of The Regence Group. “We are powerless over the forces that took their homes, but working together we can help to bring these people what they most need now: food and water, shelter and medicine, and the comfort of knowing they are not alone.”

The Regence Group, the largest health insurer in the Northwest/Intermountain area, is an affiliation of four state Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans including Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

Additionally, Regence will encourage and facilitate employees who want to donate to their local Red Cross organizations, in keeping with its commitment to build healthy communities.

Created in 1996, The Regence Group is the largest affiliation of health care plans in the Pacific Northwest/Mountain State region. It includes Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (in Washington). Through these plans, Regence provides health, life, vision, dental and long-term care insurance to nearly three million members. The Regence Group and its affiliate plans are not-for-profit, independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. More than one in three Americans has coverage from the Blues. For more information, visit http://www.regence.com/.

Regence Group

CONTACT: Samantha Meese of Regence Strategic Communications,+1-503-225-5332

Web site: http://www.regence.com/