Gary D. St. Hilaire, President and CEO, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

George Floyd’s life mattered and his death, as wrong in every way as is possible, cannot be allowed to simply pass as yet another instance in which intolerance and injustice provoke more words than actions.

We owe each other and the generations to come so much more than that.

As we have throughout our 90-year history, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey stands firmly and unequivocally against discrimination, hatred, racism, violence, and bigotry and with those committed to advance the causes of equality and justice.

The pain, sorrow, anger, frustration, grief and fear that many, particularly Black New Jerseyans, are feeling is real. To move beyond acknowledgment towards healing and real change requires both empathy and action. Toward that end, our company is:

• Expanding on our longstanding partnership with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice to advance their important work in providing equality of economic opportunity, empowering disenfranchised New Jerseyans to more robustly participate in and impact the political process, and promoting equal justice in our state;

• Continuing to take an active role in New Jersey’s communities and supporting local efforts to address inequality, including our on-going work to actively address health disparities that are a symptom of social and economic inequity;

• Engaging our diverse workforce – 5,500 strong – in organized, open, and constructive forums about racism and social justice while also helping employees who are hurting take care of their health – both mind and body; and

• Using the exceptional strength and value of Horizon’s diverse workforce to promote individual accountability towards equality, respectful behaviors, and constructive social dialogue and action.

From its very beginnings, Horizon’s mission has centered on the well-being of our members and New Jersey’s communities. That well-being must include achieving the broadest goals of equality, which requires an enduring and demonstrable commitment to acknowledge and actively confront the many ways that discrimination, bigotry and racism impact the health, security, and welfare of Black communities and all people of color and diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to those ends is resolute.

As a company headquartered in Newark and a proud citizen of New Jersey with offices and employees located throughout the state, we stand dedicated and ready to be part of the solution in advancing the cause of equality.