Environmental consciousness, social responsibility, and sound governance have always been guiding principles of our business. Growing up in a children’s home, our founder, Elizabeth “Betty” Brinn, saw an opportunity to make a difference in healthcare by focusing on the unique needs of the individual: ensuring access to food, transportation, education, and job opportunities, and providing a healthy living environment. Nearly four decades later, we are still committed to environmental, social, and corporate responsibility as we aim to fulfill our company purpose: to transform the health of our communities, one person at a time. The value Centene delivers highlights our focus on shaping a better world of healthcare by adding health initiatives as part of our environmental, social, and governance framework. At Centene, our Environmental, Social, Health, and Governance – ESHG – Strategic Framework defines Corporate Sustainability.

Our Sustainability Commitment   Corporate Sustainability Initiatives

At Centene, we believe that a person's environment has a significant impact on their health. That's why we are making investments in initiatives that are anticipated to promote earth and climate-friendly environments such as green spaces. Other activities include a focus on "reduce, reuse, and recycle" waste management, reducing our carbon footprint, improving air and water quality, and delivering health benefits for years to come.

Our employees participate in cleanups of public spaces, neighborhood streets and waterways in their local communities.

The campus of Centene’s global headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, features one LEED Gold Certified building with a vegetated roof and over 22,000 square feet of native plantings. The rooftop green space reduces storm water runoff while decreasing energy consumption and reducing the heat island effect.  

Advancing Environmental Resilience

For more than 30 years, we have been a champion of individual and community health. We believe in local partnerships and value the innovative social programs and services that local groups provide for underserved and at-risk populations.

At Centene, we stand firm in our commitment to be a bold and active participant in creating a more just and equitable society. We advocate for systematic change that embodies social justice, public policy, equity, and inclusion to make our own employees feel valued and respected. We aspire to foster a workforce that reflects the true diversity of our communities and the people we serve. Our commitment extends to our Employee Inclusion Group chapters across various states that focus on engaging and supporting employees with disabilities and caregivers, veterans and military families, LGBTQIA+, women, and multicultural groups.

Serving Our Communities

2022 C-INDEX ANNUAL REPORT: DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (PDF)

• 77% of our workforce identify as women
• 48% of our workforce identify as people of color
• Women make up 66% of employees at the supervisor or above level

• Women and POC comprise 46% of our Board of Directors

_{* As of 12/31/2022.  Workforce data includes all full-time and part-time U.S. employees (including non-integrated companies). Our Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) count, (including international and U.S. non-integrated companies), is approximately 74,300.}

Throughout Centene’s three decades of delivering high-quality health services to at-risk populations, we have been committed to ensuring that our members and providers have access to the care and support that they need, including those in rural communities. Our progress toward improving healthcare access, quality, and affordability continues in our support of pioneering programs that create critical healthcare solutions for the most vulnerable populations.

Centene is at the forefront in applying innovative technologies to healthcare. From Digital Care Management (DCM) to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), we use technology to improve the health of our members and contain rising healthcare costs.

With our national footprint and large population of members receiving healthcare benefits under government-sponsored programs, we are in a unique position to leverage member data to develop models that predict a wide range of health outcomes. These models are employed across our enterprise in various areas of the organization. They aid in managing chronic disease, improving maternal and child health, identifying fraud waste and abuse, mitigating the negative impact of poor socioeconomic conditions, increasing quality of care, and improving mental health.

Digital Care Management (DCM) does not replace our standard Care Management process and practices; it enhances our ability to communicate with members. It offers simple and real-time chat interaction to increase member engagement, promote active involvement in the management of a member’s own health, and provide an alternative care management approach for members who prefer digital outreach.

Our Provider Accessibility Initiative (PAI) helps those living with disabilities access healthcare providers and services. Designed in collaboration with Centene's National Disability Advisory Council and the National Council on Independent Living, PAI ultimately aims to make the healthcare system fully accessible for people with disabilities by removing barriers to care and service in healthcare offices. The PAI has helped identify and provide solutions such as automatic door openers, accessible exam tables and body scales, and programmatic services. Since the PAI launched in 2017, more than2,700 Accessibility Site Reviews have been conducted across 12 states, and more than $1.7 million in grants have been awarded to 200 providers. The program received the 2019 Health Equity Award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

As part of our commitment to improving our members’ lives, we have employed various ways to address the spectrum of social determinants of health (SDOH): the environmental, economic, and social barriers that often make it more difficult to be healthy. Centene understands that health is, in part, driven by the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. Our efforts to address the social determinants of health include interventions that improve outcomes for people facing barriers and limited resources, such as quality food, housing, transportation, and employment.

Telehealth (virtual medicine) has transformed healthcare access, especially for vulnerable populations. Our members can now receive timely, convenient, quality care, regardless of their physical location, including specialist providers. We continue to develop and invest in technologies to expand access to care.

We have been recognized by FORTUNE®, Forbes, and Global Finance for our COVID-19 response. We introduced a three-month paid leave program for our clinical staff who volunteer with a medical reserve force and waived all COVID-19-related prior authorizations and member cost-sharing for Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace members.

Powering Better Health

We believe that good corporate governance is essential to the company's long-term value. Our structure, policies, and procedures demonstrate the Board's commitment to effective governance and accountability.

Living Our Values