Not long after arriving at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, Christine Lewis began to envision what the career path ahead of her might be.
“The courses in psychology intrigued me,” says Christine, a reporting solutions consultant at BlueCross.
“Helping others had always been important to me, and while I wasn’t sure what career that would become, choosing psychology as my major felt like the right step toward making a meaningful impact in people’s lives.”
Another decision while at Bryan would also impact her career path and her life. Before her senior year, she got engaged to Lucas Lewis, a graduate of Bryan who was serving in the Army.
“I graduated with a degree in psychology in 2006 while Lucas was deployed to Iraq, and we got married a week after he returned,” Christine recalls.
While the transition from college student to military spouse was a quick one, the move to upstate New York near Fort Drum after the couple married opened the door to Christine’s career.
Learning from those she helped
Christine began working at a group home for adults with severe mental health conditions, offering support for their care and helping them with everyday tasks and socializing with other residents.
When Lucas deployed again to Iraq, Christine returned to her native Chattanooga as a case manager at a mental health center. These roles gave Christine valuable insight into behavioral health care facilities and processes related to care. But more importantly, she learned about the people who rely on them.
“I was able to connect with the person behind a diagnosis,” Christine says. “That gave me empathy and context for everything I’ve done since then.”
New ventures and a greater reach
Christine came to BlueCross in 2008 as a clinical assistant on projects related to behavioral health care for Medicaid members served by the BlueCare division. She was soon promoted to behavioral health quality management specialist.
“Each quality management initiative required summarizing and analyzing data on care and services our members receive,” Christine says. “I liked helping clinical and data teams understand each other’s terminology and needs.”
Inspired by those experiences, she embarked on a new role in 2022 as a reporting solutions consultant. She also earned a master’s degree in data science with help from BlueCross tuition assistance.
“That’s the way I’m wired,” Christine says. “I love digging into the details found in data.”
She creates reports required by the state’s Division of TennCare as part of providing coverage to members with Medicaid. She also uses her data skills to work on strategic projects that document improvements in behavioral health outcomes and members using health care resources.
Christine’s background in behavioral health and experience with clinical teams in quality management is a benefit in her reporting solutions role.
“When I work with clinical teams, it is easier to provide clear results because having a background in behavioral health allows me to more readily understand their reporting needs and terminology,” Christine says.
While her career started one-on-one with patients, she finds great reward in the work she does now on a broader scale.
“I love that what we do here is so member-focused,” Christine says. “I have a 30,000-foot view of how we can make positive changes that affect a large population.”
On a mission inspired by a need
Christine, Lucas, and their son live on a farm north of Chattanooga where Lucas spent time in his childhood. They moved there when Lucas left the Army to care for his ailing father, and it’s been a place of solitude and reflection.
“Adjusting to life outside of the military structure can be hard for veterans,” Christine says. “The civilian world often seems chaotic, and they may experience post-traumatic stress because of their combat and training experiences.”
In 2015, a friend from Lucas’ Army unit who ran a nonprofit to support veterans invited Lucas and Christine to a retreat.
“They shared battle stories I’d never heard,” Christine says. “Their unit has now lost more soldiers after coming home, mostly to suicide, than they did in combat.”
The visit got Christine and Lucas thinking about how the tranquility he found in their rural setting could help others. When a piece of property adjacent to their farm was up for sale in 2022, it was the push they needed.
“We wanted to preserve the land for the peace that it brought us, but also to share that peace,” Christine says.
They established Project Gallantly Forward, a nonprofit retreat for veterans and their families at no cost to the veteran. As the Lewises raised funds for the retreat, veterans in the area volunteered to help develop the property.
The project has grown from a field with camper spots to a retreat with two cabins, fishing, hiking and disc golf. It’s a venture that they both love and that their son has also invested time to welcome children of veterans who’ve visited.
While it takes a lot to balance work, farm life and service, what the family hears from veterans about this endeavor makes it worth the effort.
“We both have hearts for helping others,” Christine says. “Lucas lost friends from his unit. That’s weighed heavily on him, and it’s long been on his heart and mine to give them a place to rest, reflect and heal.”
Marie joined the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee corporate communications team in 2012. A Florida native, she has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, community relations, speech writing and special event planning.