Share This“We’re excited to be sponsoring the new stadium, but our partnership with the Buffalo Bills has been about so much more than that,” emphasizes Dr. Michael Edbauer, president, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York (Highmark BCBSWNY). “Both organizations share a deep commitment to supporting our community, and you see that in the many ways we’ve teamed up for the people of Buffalo over the past couple years.”
Michael Ball, vice president, Community Affairs, Highmark BCBSWNY, adds that beyond being aligned on a desire to help the community, the two organizations are sometimes able to accomplish more for the community by working together.
“Selecting the right organizations to partner with is a critical component of being able to provide what the community needs,” he says. “A strong partnership between organizations that share the same goals and mindset, and have complimentary perspectives and resources, can exponentially expand community influence and impact.”
That has certainly proven true of the collaborations between the Buffalo Bills and Highmark BCBSWNY — in good times and through difficult challenges.
Fitness on the field is just one of the programs that deliver on the vision of making the stadium a community asset.
The Buffalo community is well-known for being compassionate. The City of Good Neighbors, as it’s lovingly known, prides itself on an ability to come together in times of both need and joy.
One bright example of that is the collective adoration of the beloved Buffalo Bills. From kickoff to final countdown, Buffalo has united around hopes, cheering support, and celebration of the Bills since the team first took the field in 1960.
The love and support have flowed in both directions. The Bills have been more than just a sports team. They’re an institution. On and off the field, the team has consistently gone above and beyond to find ways to strengthen Buffalo and the surrounding communities. For millions of residents throughout western New York, the team has become a trusted community voice and presence.
CPR kits that Highmark BCBSWNY helped distribute to 37 Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries.
Like the Buffalo Bills, Highmark BCBSWNY has deep roots in western New York and a long history of stepping up to meet community needs. Since 1936, the company has helped millions lead healthier lives by providing broad access to health care. But beyond its core business mission, it also has a legacy of strong community support programs, sponsorships and partnerships.
That includes a deep understanding of the unifying power of the Bills as a local institution and the opportunities to collaborate for the good of the community. The Official Health Plan of the Buffalo Bills, Highmark BCBSWNY and the team are closely aligned in their commitment to strengthening the community and improving physical and mental health, including a focus on tackling social determinants of health.
The decades-long relationship with the Buffalo Bills deepened in 2021 when Highmark became the naming rights partner of Bills Stadium. But Highmark Stadium was about much more than a new name. Through this enhanced partnership, the health plan and the Bills began exploring how to expand the value of the stadium as a community asset, including as a location for regional health and wellness efforts beyond the football season.
Leveraging the stadium — long a symbol of community pride and togetherness — to offer even more meaningful experiences to the community, the partnership has focused on achieving optimal mental and physical health through events like mass CPR training and forums discussing food insecurity and nonprofit leadership. Together, the organizations have also used their collective platforms to amplify dozens of grassroots organizations, investing in them and amplifying awareness for their work by featuring a “Highmark Community Heroes” nonprofit at each regular season home game.
Stadium activities are just the start. In the past two years, the two organizations have come together during unanticipated adversity to prove just how effective and powerful their partnership can be in meeting community needs.
Highmark BCBSWNY employees and leadership helping with food donations for those impacted by the 5.14 shooting
The racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket on May 14, 2022 caused profound and widespread anguish over the 10 lives that were senselessly taken. The impact was even more severe for residents of the East Buffalo neighborhoods where the shooting occurred. Already grappling with the impact of historic and systemic racism, including high levels of food insecurity and need, the shooting resulted in the sudden closure of the area’s only grocery store. In the midst of grieving, they were cut off from their only access to food, personal hygiene, and other essentials.
Highmark BCBSWNY and the Buffalo Bills stepped in immediately to help. The morning after the closure, teams from each organization mobilized to purchase car loads of needed items and deliver them directly to community pantries. In the weeks that followed, the organizations continued to coordinate volunteer efforts at food distribution pop-ups, food banks, and mass supply distribution events. Within the first two weeks alone, their efforts meant that thousands of dollars of groceries, water, fresh produce, and baby supplies were delivered to the people who needed them.
These efforts continued long after the initial emergency. Throughout the year, the organizations led efforts to collect and distribute donated foods and supplies to underserved residents while their grocery store remained closed. They dedicated a combined $500,000 to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, a collective dedicated to tackling the structural and race-based issues the tragedy brought into focus and to providing ongoing support for the victims’ families.
The organizations also invited people attending home games to contribute to the “Choose Love Mural,” a community labor of love dedicated to those affected by the tragedy. At the Bills’ 2022 home opener, the health plan invited critical partners from the 5.14 response efforts to join them at the stadium for a special remembrance ceremony.
The winter of 2022-2023 was exceptionally difficult for western New York. In December, a historically devastating blizzard brought the region to a halt for weeks. 40 individuals lost their lives, with the areas hardest hit once again including the underserved neighborhoods of East Buffalo.
In response, Highmark BCBSWNY joined the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the NFL Foundation in committing $300,000 to a blizzard relief fund. These joint funds went to providing immediate and long-term support to those affected throughout the community.
The two organizations also once again celebrated the heroes of the day. For example, Jay Withey, the mechanic who rescued stranded senior citizens in Cheektowaga during the storm, was gifted Super Bowl tickets. And local nonprofits, Highmark BCBSWNY team members, and members of the Bills Mafia formed the “Snowplow Mafia,” shoveling out some of the hardest hit East Buffalo homes.
Weeks later, tragedy struck again as viewers around the globe watched in shock when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during a game and received CPR before being taken off field by ambulance. He fortunately recovered from this cardiac event, highlighting the life-saving value of CPR. Building on that, the Bills and Highmark BCBSWNY committed to providing CPR education and training throughout the community.
Together, with joint partners like the American Heart Association, they launched two free community-wide CPR training events, one at Highmark Stadium, and the other at the Johnnie B. Wiley Pavilion in East Buffalo. The organizations also provided free CPR training kits to all 37 Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries for community use.
“The past few months have reminded us that CPR can drastically improve outcomes after a cardiac event,” explained Dr. Edbauer during the announcement of CPR education efforts. “The libraries serve as an important access point for this information.”
Hosting events like the WNY Regional Food System Forum is another way that Highmark BCBSWNY and the Bills have leveraged the stadium for community benefit far beyond football games. Mike Ball, vice president, Community Affairs, Highmark BCBSWNY, presented at the forum.
While the Bills and Highmark BCBSNY have stepped up together in times of tragedy, it’s important to add that some of the most powerful moments of the partnership have also been about community joy and health. As mentioned above, the stadium in particular has become a center for the two organizations’ shared focus on mental health and wellness, with numerous efforts to gather community members for fun, healthy activities.
“Namastadium” has brought together thousands of community members on the field, in the shadow of the scoreboard, to celebrate life and health. The large-scale, free community yoga and mindfulness event allows community members to get centered together in a place they love. Similarly, Fitness on the Field events have attracted thousands of community members to come to the stadium for activities that promote mental and physical health.
One Highmark BCBSWNY contribution to this partnership has been expanding access to the stadium, not just through program opportunities but also literally providing transportation for city residents who have no means to get there.
“Continuing to deliver on a vision of the stadium as a community asset is very important to us,” Dr. Edbauer says. “This is about being a trusted and reliable community partner. With the new Highmark Stadium officially having broken ground, we believe the future of our partnership with the Bills is exceptionally bright. The new state-of-the-art venue will create even more opportunities to provide support and connection with people in our communities. Like the current stadium, the new venue will continue to act as a center for community improvement and an extension of our shared commitment to building a healthier, more engaged region.”
“Namastadium” in action.
The partnership between Highmark BCBSWNY and the Buffalo Bills is successful because of shared core values, including an unwavering commitment to improving and supporting the community — past, present and future. With 150 years of combined history in western New York, both organizations have stood the test of time. They’ve overcome adversity inside their organizations and in the community at large.
The “players” change, “venues” move and evolve, and each year brings new threats and rivals, and new opportunities, that may be very different than they were a decade or two ago. Like the people they serve, the organizations have had to evolve and shift to meet the needs of the day. But the ultimate focus on “winning for the community” has remained constant and strong.
“The Buffalo Bills and Highmark BCBSWNY have a shared focus on the health and resiliency of this community,” says Ball. “Together, we’re committed to supporting and creating initiatives that remove barriers to health, and supporting the needs of our community now, and in the long term. The new stadium is just one aspect of that much larger commitment.”
Michael Edbauer, D.O. is president, Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc. His role includes oversight of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in western New York and Highmark Blue Shield in northeastern New York.
Dr. Edbauer was appointed to his current position in March of 2021, following the strategic affiliation of Highmark Inc. and HealthNow New York Inc., the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and Blue Shield of Northeastern New York, where he had served as executive vice president, chief strategy and growth officer since 2018. A long-tenured health care executive, he previously served as president and CEO of Catholic Medical Partners and president of Trinity Medical.
Dr. Edbauer holds a doctor of osteopathic medicine from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, a master's degree in business administration from Canisius College, and a bachelor's degree in science from the University at Buffalo.
He is a native and resident of Buffalo, New York. He serves on the board of directors for HEALTHeLINK, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Invest Buffalo Niagara, and Say Yes Buffalo.
Michael Ball serves as vice president, Community Affairs, Highmark BCBSWNY. In this role, he guides the company’s support of corporate grants, sponsorships, and community programs, services and initiatives aimed at addressing health disparities throughout western and northeastern New York.
Ball stood up Highmark BCBSWNY Blue Fund to award major grants to local organizations and initiatives that enhance behavioral health, cardiovascular health, health care workforce development, and children’s health, and he continues to lead all elements of Blue Fund’s grant-giving process.
Previously, Ball served as regional director of Empire State Development (ESD), New York’s chief economic development agency, as well as executive director of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council. Prior to joining ESD, Ball was director of planning and implementation and director of Healthy Communities Initiative for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc., a consortium of the region's health care, life sciences research, and medical education institutions in downtown Buffalo. He currently serves as a member of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Board of Trustees.
Ball earned a master’s degree in urban planning from the University at Buffalo, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and urban studies from Canisius College.
Highmark Health and its subsidiaries and affiliates comprise a national blended health organization that employs more than 42,000 people and serves millions of Americans across the country.
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