Our Passion

Turning Wellness into a Career at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska

Growing up, Elise McHatton was more likely to deliver speeches or engage in spirited debates than wear a sports uniform. “Ironically, I wasn’t an athlete or into fitness in high school,” McHatton said. “My friends and I skated a little bit at our local ice rink in the winter, but […]

Laughter is the Best Medicine

While she was being treated for pediatric brain cancer, big-hearted and precocious 5-year-old Gabby Krause always brought a container of fart putty to meetings with her medical team. If things became too serious with the doctors, nurses, and her parents, that distinctive pfffftt sound would ring out from Gabby’s pocket […]

Ignite Your Career at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska

In his early 20s, Luke Grobeck struggled to find a job. Turning to e-commerce, he had some success selling retro video games online. From there, he worked at AAA in customer service and dispatched tow trucks until the pandemic hit in 2020. Like many at the start of the pandemic, […]

two women

Tools for Healthier Life

Angel Pacana’s type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2010 came as something of a surprise. A family history of the disease, combined with the onset of some troubling symptoms, prompted a doctor’s visit that revealed elevated blood sugar levels. For 10 years, Pacana struggled to manage the condition and its effects. […]

opera mask

Opera Omaha Breaks Barriers Through Art

You had to strain—hard—to hear the young woman from the Ollie Webb Center, Inc., an Omaha nonprofit for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. So soft-spoken and reserved, she was barely audible when she showed up for her first workshop with Opera Omaha’s Holland Community Opera Fellowship. Fast forward one […]

woman at an event

Team Blue Takes Steps Toward a Cure

Darcy Swope, a Nebraska/Iowa Chapter Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) board member, has witnessed first-hand the impact inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can have on someone’s life. Her son, Riley, first experienced symptoms in high school but wasn’t diagnosed with ulcerative colitis until his freshman year of college. According to the […]

woman

A Holistic Approach to Employee Wellness

Gratitude, faith, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) helped Molly Billings, director of HR operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE), through the loss of her mom in September of 2022. When her mom passed away, Billings immediately reached out to the EAP offered to BCBSNE employees. […]

doctors

An Angel on Earth: A Caring Nurse’s Outreach

Last winter, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was surging, filling hospitals and alarming heath authorities worldwide. Meanwhile, Jim Sanderson of Hastings, Nebraska, was hard at work pursuing his passion as a singer-songwriter. Sanderson crossed paths with COVID-19 in January 2022, and his condition turned severe. He was hospitalized at Hastings’ […]

woman

Wellness is More than a New Year’s Resolution

After months of holiday treats and cups of cheer, many of us find ourselves setting ambitious health goals for the year ahead. A few might even see those goals survive until February.  Caroline Kahnk makes a living helping colleagues keep their resolutions and enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. […]

mother with newborn child

Personalized Pregnancy Care from a Caring Heart

Jenny Hemmer was always interested in health care. “For a while, I wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “I’m an empathetic personality. I like to help people.” That caring heart led her to fulfilling work as a nurse in Omaha for over ten years. But overnight shifts and unpredictable […]