We stand against racism. We stand with our Black employees and members along with all others who are experiencing trauma as a result of the ongoing violence against Black lives in our country. We stand with our fellow North Carolinians committed to fighting inequities facing the Black community and all minorities. We mourn the loss of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many other lives lost due to excessive use of force by those who are supposed to protect us from violence and by other forms of racism. As a nation we must become more comfortable with having a real dialogue so that we can listen, learn, act and grow together. No community can truly be healthy until racism no longer exists. We must acknowledge that racism leads to health disparities. These current events shine a light on the inequities impacting the health and safety of our communities and reinforces the need to rethink all of our systems, including health care. Our employees are driven by our mission to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities – to achieve this we must end discrimination. As a health plan and as a member of the North Carolina community we will work every day to create a more equitable health care system.