April 29, 2008 - Hundreds of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) Associates will join thousand of Americans across the country for the second annual National Walk @ Lunch Day on Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Sponsored by Blues Plans across the country, National Walk @ Lunch Day encourages people to take 30 minutes during their lunch hour and go for a walk. "A brisk, 30-minute walk, done on a regular basis, burns calories and lowers cholesterol, and your risk of diabetes and heart disease," said Dr. John Fallon, Chief Physician Executive at BCBSMA. "Walking at lunch is also a great way to reduce stress and re-energize during our often hectic work days."

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association created National Walk @ Lunch Day to encourage Americans to live healthier lives by incorporating walking into their daily activities. This year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will host lunchtime walks on National Walk @ Lunch Day and tens of thousands of Blue employees, customers and community leaders will take a half hour out of their workday to go for a walk. Locally employees at Jewish Vocational Services in Boston and Emerson Hospital in Concord will participate in the Walk.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (http://www.bluecrossma.com/) was founded 71 years ago by a group of community-minded business leaders. Today, headquartered in Boston, BCBSMA provides coverage to approximately 3 million members. BCBSMA believes in rewarding doctors and hospitals for delivering safe and effective care, and in empowering patients to take more responsibility, become educated health care consumers and become stronger partners with their doctors. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.