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BALTIMORE CITY, MD (March 31, 2009) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) and Baltimore Ravens players today presented the second of three $100,000 annual grants to Health Care for the Homeless and served lunch to HCH clients at the organization's facility in downtown Baltimore.

Half of CareFirst's $300,000 donation will be directed toward increasing medical services for Maryland's homeless in the Baltimore region. The other $150,000 will bolster the CareFirst/Ravens Community Touchdowns Program. The program began during the 2003-2004 National Football League (NFL) season and has generated nearly $200,000 for area charities.

Health Care for the Homeless works to reduce the incidence and burdens of homelessness through the provision of health-related services, education and advocacy. HCH delivers a comprehensive range of medical care, mental health services, social services, addiction treatment, and access to housing and employment for at least 12,000 Marylanders annually at clinic sites in Baltimore City, Frederick, and in Harford, Montgomery and Baltimore Counties. CareFirst has long recognized the importance of Health Care for the Homeless in Maryland and the crucial need for improving access to quality health care for people who otherwise might go without.

Chet Burrell, CareFirst President and Chief Executive Officer, explained, "For more than 20 years, Health Care for the Homeless has been a lifeline for Maryland's homeless. We are especially fortunate to have such a generous and caring organization working to help our community during these exceptionally challenging financial times."

"Our life-saving work is made more effective by partners like CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield," said Jeff Singer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Health Care for the Homeless. "CareFirst helps us improve the health of people experiencing homelessness by getting them off the street and back into the mainstream."

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is a member of the Ravens All Community Team (ACT), a partnership among the Ravens organization, the players and members of the corporate community working to improve the quality of local communities through volunteerism and fundraising. The ACT utilizes the generous support of Ravens players and the philanthropy of its members to build both financial and public support for a multitude of youth-based local and regional charities. Through a wide variety of activities and events, the ACT makes a positive impact in the Maryland area while strengthening ties between the Ravens, its partners and the community.

In its 72nd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care organization which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to nearly 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas.

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