CLARITA SANTOS LEADERSHIP IN COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Clarita Santos is Director of Community Health Initiatives at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). In this role, she oversees BCBSIL’s community investments, volunteerism and community engagement across Illinois. Since 2007, she has provided guidance and recommendations on the allocation of BCBSIL grant dollars to community partners in support of the goals of increasing access to care and decreasing health disparities among the uninsured and under-insured in Illinois. Currently, Clarita is coordinating Be Covered Illinois, a grass-roots initiative to inform and educate Illinois residents about the Affordable Care Act, in partnership with community organizations. Prior to joining BCBSIL, Clarita was the Director of Program Funding at the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. Clarita has been in the field of public health since 1992, with a particular focus on Asian American health issues. Previous roles include Executive Director of the Asian American AIDS Services, Co-Vice President of the Asian American Institute, board member of the Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans, member of the Chicago Department of Public Health HIV Prevention Planning Group, FilCRA (Filipino Civil Rights Advocates), and the Filipino American Network. In 1996, Clarita was one of five founding board members of the Asian Health Coalition. Today that agency is a leading non-profit healthcare organization with a network of over 25 community partners in the Chicago metropolitan area. The community has recognized Clarita for her many contributions to promoting health in Asian American communities. In 1998, Clarita was appointed by Mayor Richard Daley to serve on the Chicago Commission on Human Relation’s Advisory Council on Asian Affairs and in 2012, Clarita was honored with a Breaking Barriers Award by the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Asian American Leadership Council, which recognizes Asian and Asian American women leaders in the metropolitan Chicago area who have made an outstanding and lasting impact in the fields of health and wellness. Today, Clarita serves on the State Health Improvement Plan Implementation Coordination Council as appointed by Governor Quinn and remains a board member of the Asian Health Coalition. Clarita received her master’s degree in P u b l i c H e a l t h i n H e a l t h P o l i c y a n d Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1996 and her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the College of Charleston in 1992. Clarita and her husband Steve are the proud parents of 4 year old Lily and 8 year old Ian. Clarita was nominated by Dr. Rufino Crisostomo.