Wellmark receives award named a 2026 Foundry CIO 100 Award winner for using data and AI to improve business agility. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has been named a 2026 Foundry CIO 100 award winner. For more than 40 years, the CIO 100 Awards have recognized innovative organizations that exemplify the highest level of strategic and operational excellence in IT, according to a press release. Wellmark was recognized for its use of data and artificial intelligence to better connect business priorities with day-to-day work to improve overall agility. "Foundry's CIO 100 Award recognizes organizations that turn technology into real business impact," said Kirstin Slepicka, Wellmark's chief technology officer, in a prepared statement. "This recognition affirms how our team uses data to guide complex decisions, work smarter and stay focused on improvements that will create lasting value for our members and clients." Modernizing how teams work has been a key priority for Wellmark.

Knoxville Community School District receives Grant from The Wellmark Foundation to bring new mental and Behavioral Health services to students. * Posted By: Clayton Sampson * January 15, 2026 @ 4:46 am * Today's Local News The Knoxville Community School District has received a grant from The Wellmark Foundation to bring new mental and behavioral health services to students. The Knoxville Community School District announced that beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, students will have access to in-person therapy and Classroom Clinic, a telehealth service that connects families, schools and mental health professionals to provide personalized mental and behavioral health support for students. "Thanks to the generous support of the Wellmark Foundation, our students will have expanded access to high-quality behavioral health services that meet them where they are - both in person at school and through telehealth," said Superintendent Cassi Pearson. " This grant allows us to strengthen proactive supports, build healthy habits, and equip students with the skills they need to manage challenges, succeed academically, and thrive both in and beyond the classroom." Classroom Clinic, a school-based telehealth company, collaborates with school districts to provide timely and convenient access to youth mental health care. Its services include telepsychiatry, provided by Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, and teletherapy, from licensed mental health counselors. By introducing in-person therapy and Classroom Clinic, students at West and Northstar can access services for their mental and behavioral health similar to how they can visit the school nurse for physical health care. The new mental and behavioral health services are possible, in part, by a three-year School-Centered Behavioral Health Grant from The Wellmark Foundation. The Wellmark Foundation's School-Centered Behavioral Health Grant is available for eligible rural Iowa schools that want to establish lasting mental and behavioral health services for Iowa youth. For more information, visit Wellmark.com/SchoolBehavioralHealthGrant.