Finding a COVID-19 Vaccine

In a lab, a scientist looks through a microscope
The novel coronavirus is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic that has stunned the global health care system. To date, the CDC reports more than 7 million COVID-19 cases and more than 200,000 associated deaths. For those who have successfully avoided the virus, there are still plenty of other challenges that have arisen during the pandemic: Preparing for flu season Keeping up with preventive care Avoiding COVID-19 scammers Talking to kids about COVID-19 While masks may mitigate the spread of COVID-19,...
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Preparing for Flu Season in the Age of COVID-19

Sick man in bed checking fever with thermometer
While it may seem like we’ve just packed away our summer clothes, preparations for the 2020-2021 influenza (flu) season are already underway. This year, the flu vaccine is especially important because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care professionals recommend getting the flu shot early, in September or October, since an early vaccine offers the best protection for the entire flu season....
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The Advantages of Telemedicine, Both as a Patient and Caregiver

Peter Panageas helps his mother set up telemedicine on a tablet
Peter Panageas joins his mother Esther Panageas for a virtual doctor’s visit using telemedicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries have altered the way they do business. Health care is no exception. We’ve made a lot of changes to ensure that our members have safe and convenient access to the care they need....
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The New Era of Working from Home

Bob Toner, working from his home
I’ve always been an advocate for a healthy work-life balance. I thought my team could work from home for a day or two a week. That said, I never thought we would be able to work from home full-time. What can I say? I’m a bit old school that way. However, now that I am working from home full time due to the COVID-19 pandemic,...
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Getting Preventive Care During COVID-19

Even under “normal” circumstances, it can be challenging to keep up with recommended preventive care for you and your family. That includes: Annual visits to your primary care doctor for a checkup and routine blood work Well-visit appointments for children Immunizations, like the flu shot Cancer and other health screenings Add a global pandemic like COVID-19 to the mix,...
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The Health Challenges Facing Millennials

Sonia Cordner stays connected with her friends and family during the COVID-19 pandemic via video chats. As a millennial, I’m one of the 73 million people who was born between 1981 and 1996. That’s why I was curious when the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) published their Health of America Report on Millennial Health....
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Preventing Health Care Fraud: How to Stop COVID-19 Scammers

Situations like the COVID-19 pandemic can bring out the best in many people, but unfortunately, they can also bring out the worst in others. There has been a recent increase in the number of scammers trying to trick people into sharing personal information through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media, and even door-to-door visits. You may think you won’t be fooled,...
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Social Service and Generosity While Social Distancing: How to Make a Community Impact While Staying Home

A hand coloring a picture with crayons.
You might have read that title and scratched your head. How is it possible to serve and practice generosity while physically distancing yourself? As an extrovert and someone whose role at work is to organize community engagement activities for the Blue Crew, Independence’s corporate volunteer program, these past few weeks have been very difficult. To keep our associates and their families safe we’ve had to cancel our participation in dozens of volunteer opportunities throughout the community....
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How the COVID-19 Outbreak Made Independence Member Robert Heiler a Believer in Telemedicine

An older man uses telemedicine from his laptop
Technology has made our lives simpler, faster, and better in more ways than we can count. But having grown up in a generation where the most techie thing I owned was a transistor radio, I’ve been admittedly slow to embrace the electronic world in which we live. I finally converted to a smart phone last year,...
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How to Stay Physically and Mentally Active at Home

A woman stretches in her home, as a dog watches
Let’s just get it out in the open: it’s not easy staying home right now. It’s spring and we’ve had some beautiful days. We want to enjoy lunchtime walks, the start of baseball season, hockey and basketball playoffs, weddings, graduations, spring musicals, and socializing with family and friends. Instead, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the best course of action we can take right now is to stay home....
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