Page 19 - Baltimore County 2022 Quality of Life Guide & Business Directory

Q&A:
© Baltimore Business Journal 2021
Brian Pieninck,
CEO, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Tasha Dooley
At CareFirst, our team champions a purpose-driven approach to ensuring that we are reducing stigma around mental and behavioral health and eliminating health disparities in the communities we serve and beyond. This means increasing access to care, always striving to improve quality and tailor responses to individual needs, as well as reducing healthcare costs to create better health outcomes for our members and communities.
CareFirst has provided a variety of resources for our members, including access to 7 Cups, the world's largest behavioral support system, and CloseKnit, an advanced, virtual-first primary care practice — both centered around individuals receiving the care they need when they need it, 24/7. We are also partnering with providers, embedding behavioral healthcare practitioners into primary care practices and investing in telehealth solutions.
As the largest insurer in the Mid-Atlantic, we are investing in changing the systems that have limited access to behavioral and mental health services by investing in the expansion of the behavioral health workforce, ensuring that we can place behavioral health providers in rural and underserved communities. In addition, we've increased our advocacy and collaboration with federal, state and local policymakers to ensure that we are partnering to eliminate barriers in access to providers.
What should local residents and employers know about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield's plans for the future?
Pieninck: CareFirst's mission is to drive the transformation of the healthcare experience with and for individuals and communities. Quite simply, we put care first. And we remain committed to identifying innovative ways to better serve our Baltimore-area neighbors and the people and communities we serve across the region.
We have 15 offices throughout our service area, with significant real estate commitments in Baltimore and Washington, DC. These cities are and will continue to be our corporate hubs. Extending from those hubs, we will also maintain and enhance our presence through smaller offices that will include a presence in places like Northern Virginia, West Virginia, and many other urban, suburban and rural communities where we live and serve each day.
Our commitment to maintaining a strong presence in communities throughout the region won't change. As a leading area employer, we also remain committed to our corporate presence and the health and well-being of the people throughout the region. To provide quality, accessible healthcare to our service region, we truly believe we must remain embedded in our communities. This approach will allow CareFirst's workforce to be more closely connected to people we serve, in order to ensure a deep understanding of their needs.
Nonprofit insurance company CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield provides jobs for more than 2,000 people in Baltimore County, making it one of the area’s biggest employers. CEO Brian Pieninck has been with the company since 2015. We asked him to talk about CareFirst’s work in the local community, and its plans for the future.
In 2022, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield renewed the lease for its Baltimore headquarters for another 15 years. What makes the Baltimore area a good place to be located?
Pieninck: Baltimore has a rich history influenced by industries built around our famous port and carried forward by those who have recognized the incredible resources and future potential the Greater Baltimore region offers.
As the region continues to expand its reach and vital role
in the success and growth of Maryland, we know there are many opportunities for public and private partnerships that will help spur innovation and investment in the prosperity of our communities. There is incredible talent and enterprises that call this region home today and continue to attract those who share CareFirst's optimistic view of the future.
The decision to keep CareFirst's Maryland headquarters in Baltimore reflects the company's continuing dedication to the health, well-being and economy of the Greater Baltimore region and its residents. CareFirst will remain part of the fabric of our shared communities, building and fostering closer relationships and stronger connections to improve and support the health and economy of the city.
How has the way that CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield serves customers in the Baltimore area and beyond changed through the pandemic? How has it remained constant?
Pieninck: As a not-for-profit healthcare company, from
the outset of the pandemic, CareFirst has remained laser- focused on its mission, which, at its core, is intended to improve the health and well-being of our communities and the people we serve.
The past two years of the pandemic have been incredibly challenging, and many experienced strains on mental health for themselves and their loved ones.
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