"Dr. Wallinga is a leading voice for science-based public policies thatbetter protect children from environmental pollutants, especially those thatenter the food chain," said Foundation Vice President Joan Cleary. "Throughresearch done by IATP and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, weknow that environmental contributors to childhood diseases, such as asthma andsome types of cancer, cost Minnesotans some $1.569 billion per year."

Wallinga will receive the award at a luncheon on Thursday, November 20 atSt. Paul's RiverCentre. Additionally, IATP will receive a $15,000 grant tosupport and advance its upstream work.

"Since environmental contributors to childhood diseases are largelypreventable, educational efforts as well as public policies to protect thehealth of children by preventing exposures and pollution can providesignificant health and economic benefits," said Cleary. "Dr. Wallinga'sleadership points to upstream causes and solutions, such as developingpolicies for more rigorous testing of chemicals and products before they enterthe market."

Wallinga received a medical degree from the University of MinnesotaMedical School, a master's degree from Princeton University and a bachelor'sdegree from Dartmouth College. He authored Playing Chicken: Avoiding Arsenicin Your Meat; Poultry on Antibiotics: Hazards to Human Health; and PuttingChildren First: Making Pesticide Levels in Food Safer for Infants andChildren. He is a co-author of In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to ChildDevelopment and co-developer of the Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit,endorsed by the Academy of Pediatrics and used by clinicians across the UnitedStates. He serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health.

For more information, visit http://www.bcbsmnfoundation.org.

The Blue Cross Foundation's purpose is to look beyond health care todayfor ideas that create healthier communities tomorrow. By addressing keysocial, economic and environmental factors that determine health -- beyondgenes, lifestyle and access to health care -- the foundation's work extendsbeyond the traditional reach of the health care system to improve communityhealth long-term and close the health gap that affects many Minnesotans. Thefoundation has become the state's largest grantmaking foundation toexclusively dedicate its assets to improving health in Minnesota, awardingmore than $25 million by the end of 2008.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paulsuburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan andcontinues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, moreeconomical and timely availability of health services for the people ofMinnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest healthplan based in Minnesota, covering 2.9 million members in Minnesota andnationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliatedcompanies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licenseeof the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go tohttp://bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield ofMinnesota.

SOURCE The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation