JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Pat Geraghty, CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue, has been named one of four individuals to receive the 2019 OneJax Humanitarian Award Silver Medallion. The award honors those who have demonstrated the highest level of personal and professional integrity, have given generously and extensively to the Jacksonville community and have been dedicated to the improvement of human relations among diverse groups locally.

OneJax, an Institute of the University of North Florida, will recognize the honorees at its Humanitarian Awards dinner on April 11.

"When the Florida Blue board of directors recruited Pat eight years ago, we were looking for a visionary business leader who would also live – by word and deed – the mission of the company," said John Ramil, chairman of the board of directors for Florida Blue and its parent organization, GuideWell. "Pat immediately immersed himself in the Jacksonville community, dedicating time and resources to improving the lives of those around him. We are proud that his years of leadership and service have been recognized with this honor."

Geraghty's nomination for the OneJax Humanitarian Award catalogued numerous contributions to Jacksonville and the First Coast community during his tenure, which included:

• Spearheading partnerships with dozens of organizations committed to improving the health of Jacksonville's communities, and taking on leadership positions to help advance their causes (e.g., as campaign chair and board chair for the United Way of NE Florida and as a founding member of the American Cancer Society's CEOs Against Cancer);
• Working with many Jacksonville organizations including City Year Jacksonville, PACE Center for Girls, the American Heart Association, Volunteers in Medicine, Generation W, Wolfson Pediatric Behavioral Center, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation and the First Coast YMCA, resulting in $8 million in support to the Northeast Florida community in 2017 alone;
• Leading Florida Blue's collaboration with the Sulzbacher Center and other community partners to open the Florida Blue Pediatric Center at Sulzbacher Village, a full-service health clinic that brings health care to children living in Health Zone One;
• As a strong supporter of inclusiveness in the workplace, engaging with city officials and local business leaders to ensure they understood the importance of the Human Rights Ordinance to the community and its LGBTQ citizens;
• Helping to establish Florida's First Coast Relief Fund with leading community partners in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which inspired the community's residents and businesses to raise more than $4 million for the recovery efforts.

"Each year, we wonder how we will ever outdo the previous year's group of Humanitarian honorees, but yet again, we have a group of incredibly deserving people who have made an immeasurable positive impact on our community," said Nancy Broner, OneJax executive director. "This year's honorees are truly passionate about making Jacksonville the best place it can possibly be and are impacting the lives of so many in Northeast Florida."

About Florida Blue
Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, has been providing health insurance to residents of Florida for nearly 75 years. Driven by its mission of helping people and communities achieve better health, the company serves more than 5 million health care members across the state. In total, Florida Blue and its affiliated companies serve 16 million people in 29 states. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.