Former CEO Ray Flachbart wanted to build a healthier Idaho

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health is celebrating 25 years of giving back to Idaho and addressing the root causes that impact health. What started as a small private 501(c)3 organization has grown into the largest health foundation in Idaho with a statewide reach.

The story begins in 2001 when Ray and Marybeth Flachbart moved from Houston to Idaho as Ray was named the CEO of Blue Cross of Idaho in 2001. Marybeth says her late husband was drawn to the job.

“He really felt what brought us to Idaho was that Blue Cross was not for profit and independent, and he believed that’s the way healthcare should be provided for folks,” Marybeth said.

“The other thing that made him unusual for a CEO was his emphasis or focus on wellness. He used to say we spend some extraordinary amount of money the last six weeks of somebody’s life to keep people alive, but we don’t spend enough on the social determinants of health. He thought if people had adequate nutrition and education and things like that, they were a lot more likely to be healthy.”

Ray promoted wellness on campus by turning conference rooms into fitness centers, offering lunch-and-learn programs to employees, and encouraging them to use the walking paths at the company headquarters in Meridian.

“The Foundation was an outgrowth of that,” Marybeth said. “He was always touched by the employee giving campaign. What made him most proud was the corporate culture. He was so proud of Blue Cross. And the Foundation just came out of that desire of how we can reach people or how do we provide that?”

Ray spearheaded the effort to start nonprofit Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health in his first few months. The organization was approved by the Blue Cross of Idaho board of directors and established later in 2001. Ray, and then-executive vice president Gary Dyer and former medical officer Doug Dammrose made up the Foundation’s board of directors.

“He was a visionary,” Dyer said. “He had a lot of great ideas about where things should go. I think he brought the company a long way.”

THE EARLY YEARS

The Foundation’s goal was the same as it is today – address the root causes that impact health. In 2002, smoking was huge issue in Idaho. Children’s health, namely childhood obesity, was another concern.

The Foundation’s first program came in 2002, which was a smoking cessation program that drew participation from 36 medical providers and 172 patients. The next year, a “Wheels for Wellness” bike ride was introduced. An education program featuring Blue Ann Ewe, a sheep mascot from an Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, was brought to Idaho to promote healthy habits to children at schools and appeared at community events.

Jim Everett, a longtime CEO of the Treasure Valley Family YMCA, noticed when community events started to happen.

“That was kind of a change from the previous (Blue Cross of Idaho) CEOs — he kind of put a stake in the ground, and now Blue Cross has had that outsized impact in the community now for 25 years,” Everett said.

Rachel Flachbart Sladek, Ray and Marybeth’s daughter, said philanthropy has always been a family value.

“Giving back was woven into our daily lives, and they modeled generosity in ways that shaped who I am,” said Rachel, the development director at the Wyakin Foundation. “One of my earliest memories of community service was attending the American Heart Association walk at Julia Davis Park when I was about 10. My dad spoke about my grandpa’s heart issues and how grateful he was for the work the AHA was doing for families like ours. Moments like that taught me that showing up matters.”

The Foundation continued with annual bike rides — later renamed the Wheels for Wellness Blues Cruise — that raised funds for local nonprofits. The Foundation also began expanding its work beyond smoking cessation and fitness programs. Some of the grants offered from 2005 to 2012 were:

• Evidence-Based Medicine – Spine Care. This program helped surgeons, pharmacists, nurses, and health industry personnel identify flaws in studies that threaten their validity to improve health outcomes.
• Color Me Healthy — A healthy eating and nutrition program to teach 3-5 year-olds about fruits and vegetables. The program reached more than 360 children at 17 childcare sites.
• Good Health Club — A toolkit for healthcare professionals to provide materials for families about healthy eating and physical activity.
• Family Medical Residency — A partnership program with Family Medicine Residency of Idaho that addressed the need for more primary care physicians in Idaho.
• Trail support — the Foundation provided grants to help fund the Meridian greenbelt, the Canyon Rim Trail in Twin Falls, and the Centennial Trail in North Idaho.

Ray retired from Blue Cross of Idaho in 2012. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2013 and died in 2018.

“Ray was the most effective CEO I worked for and set high standards of leadership for everyone,” said Dyer, who retired from Blue Cross of Idaho in 2007 after 34 years with the company.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Ray’s retirement didn’t end the Flachbart legacy with the Foundation or in Idaho philanthropy. Marybeth was asked to join the Foundation board in 2021 as one of its community members. Her extensive background in education has been invaluable as the organization’s work has expanded significantly in that important area.

The Foundation was able to grow its impact by reaching all 44 Idaho counties and shifting its focus from event-driven philanthropy to a systems-level approach, thanks to Blue Cross of Idaho’s continued support of the organization Ray started. The Foundation has focused on the root causes that impact health in its focus areas of community, education, and healthcare since 2016.

“We’ve come a long way since the Blues Cruise,” Marybeth said. “We go to tiny places, and it’s truly transformative to those communities. I think in every area – housing, education, mental health … I can’t think of an area where the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health hasn’t made a difference. The work is so varied, and all the money is spent in Idaho. It’s amazing.”

Rachel, not surprisingly, has worked in philanthropy for most of her career.

“Both of my parents showed up for the community because they believed it was the right thing to do,” Rachel said. “They wanted to leave the world better than they found it, and that belief has inspired me to follow in their footsteps. After losing my dad, it has been my honor to continue their legacy by helping nonprofit organizations secure resources for the Treasure Valley and for Idaho. I am so proud to be their daughter and so grateful for the example they set.”

The Foundation’s work continues to this day, a testament to the vision that Ray had when he came to Idaho.

“An aspiration I have would be to level the playing field for access to high-quality medical services, education, and solutions to issues within their own community,” Marybeth said. “The capacity is there. Idahoans are amazing. Sometimes they just need little help to transform it. The Foundation is well poised to help do that. I couldn’t have imagined that 25 years ago.”

Everett said his friend would be amazed how the Foundation’s annual budget increased from $50,000 to more than $4 million in 25 years.

“I think Ray would have been extraordinarily proud with what has happened,” he said. “You don’t get to his level without being a dreamer, but I think this would have exceeded all his expectations.”