PHX Reporter

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona issued the following announcement on June 23

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) recently contributed $10,000 to assist the Navajo Nation in Arizona in its efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus. The funds will help the tribe purchase critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) that can help prevent the continued spread of COVID-19.

The Navajo Nation is home to the largest American Indian tribe in the U.S. and spans across four states, including Arizona. The reservation has one of the highest per-capita rates of COVID-19 infections in the country, with more than 4,000 confirmed cases in Arizona. Funds provided by BCBSAZ will directly benefit the Navajo Nation’s Dikos Ntsaaígíí-19 (COVID-19) relief efforts as tribal leaders continue working to reduce infection rates.

“The Navajo Nation has some of the most immediate COVID-related health needs in Arizona,” said Pam Kehaly, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “We stand alongside our strong tribal communities and their leaders in the fight against COVID-19.”

 “The Navajo Nation is grateful to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona for their donation of more than $10,000 in funding and personal protective equipment to our COVID-19 response efforts,” said 24th Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon. “With the help of our partners, the Navajo Nation has been able to consistently expand the scope of testing and donation distribution for our most remote members of our communities. We continue to work tirelessly to flatten the curve of the coronavirus, which is still very much a part of our reality.”

BCBSAZ has also donated 4,000 masks that will be distributed to shoppers at Bashas’ and Bashas’ Diné Market locations on the Navajo reservation, as well as masks to be used as needed by employees and critical members of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA). The ITCA is a nonprofit organization comprised of leaders from Arizona’s Indian tribal governments that advocate for self-reliance through public policy development.

For more information about how BCBSAZ is helping communities throughout Arizona during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit azblue.com/coronavirus.

Original source can be found here.