New public art display urges Minnesotans to start seeing inequity

Eagan, Minn. (July 15, 2019) – While Minnesota is overall one of the healthiest states in the country, it is also home to some of the worst health disparities. Further compounding this contrast is the fact that less than half of recently surveyed Minnesotans acknowledge how things like safe neighborhoods, a living wage or safe, affordable housing can impact people’s well-being.


To raise awareness of these and other everyday barriers and their impact on health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) has launched a statewide public art display using Rainworks, a rain-activated solution that reveals messages when wet.


“It may be challenging to see the connection between something like discrimination and how healthy a person is, if someone doesn’t face the reality of discrimination every day,” said Dr. Mark Steffen, vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross. “Our hope is that these sidewalk displays encourage conversations across Minnesota communities and help illuminate how things like food, safety, income and education impact the health of individuals and communities.”


The hidden, rain-activated messages about health equity can be found throughout several Minnesota communities including St. Paul, Eagan, Virginia, Aurora, Duluth, Willmar, and Winona. For more information, visit bluecrossmn.com/startseeinginequity.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

For more than 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. We are on a mission to inspire change, transform care and improve health for the people and communities we serve by reinventing both ourselves and the broader system. Our more than 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. As a proud nonprofit organization, we believe working to advance wellness for all Minnesotans is the greatest investment we can make. Our goal is nothing less than for everyone to be able to achieve their full health potential, regardless of race or other socially defined circumstances. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which serves more than 107 million members across the U.S.