I am here today on behalf of
my organization, Grow Smart Rhode
Island, to express our deep concern about the potential move of Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Rhode Island from downtown Providence to a suburban office park
location. As an organization convinced
that revitalized cities are critical for Rhode Island's economic, social and
environmental well being, we are
renewing our call today for Blue Cross
to make as strong an effort as possible to work out an arrangement with the
City of Providence that meets its space and financial needs.
In a letter Grow Smart sent recently to Blue Cross CEO Ron
Battista, we noted that the loss of a company of Blue Cross’s stature and large
employment base could be devastating for Providence, particularly now that the
city seems poised to fully capitalize
on its tremendous potential. We commend all those assembled here today,
including Mayor Cicilline and his
Administration, Council President Lombardi, members of the Providence
legislative delegation, the Providence
Foundation and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce for working together
to find the right fit in Providence for
Blue Cross’s needs.
There’s another facet to
this issue worth considering seriously. Committing to stay in Providence
presents Blue Cross with an opportunity
for leadership on public health issues. With the company about to unveil a special
health insurance incentive plan for individuals leading healthy lifestyles, I
would urge Blue Cross to consider the
public health advantages to its 1100 Providence based employees of remaining in
a walkable urban neighborhood easily accessible to public transit and many of
the state’s leading hospitals. If Blue Cross were to move to a suburban office
park, it is highly likely that its employees would be driving more and walking
less. In such a setting, routine errands or lunch appointments during the working day would almost
invariably require car travel by Blue Cross employees. On the other hand, by
remaining in Downtown Providence, Blue Cross can enable its employees to
continue accessing a variety of services by foot, and by so doing improve their
own health status. So for Blue Cross to increase the visibility and credibility
of its healthy lifestyle insurance
plan, staying in downtown Providence is the
right course of action.
Because Grow Smart views Blue Cross ‘s upcoming decision
about its future location as critical to achieving smarter growth both in Rhode
Island generally and Providence in particular, we stand ready to assist the
coalition already working with the company to keep it here in the capital city.