UnitedHealthcare Donates $30,000 to Support Health and Wellness Programs in Missouri
Two $15,000 grants to community-based organizations helping
low-income Missourians live healthier lives
ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–UnitedHealthcare has donated $30,000 to help two Missouri organizations’
efforts to promote health literacy and support transportation
programming for low-income families.
Health Literacy Missouri (HLM) received a $15,000 grant to
support efforts to help Medicaid-eligible consumers in medically
underserved communities access and understand their health benefits. The
grant will enable HLM to host a series of focus groups with Medicaid
consumers, uninsured community members, and health care professionals,
providing an opportunity for HLM to identify barriers to care and help
improve health literacy by addressing gaps in consumer knowledge about
health care.
These focus groups will take place in southeastern Missouri – a region
in which more than 40 percent of the population live at or below
national poverty levels, and where health care access issues, including
health literacy, have been linked to health disparities. This project
will generate a deeper understanding of the barriers to care in this
underserved, rural region, with the ultimate goal of improving consumer
satisfaction and health outcomes.
“We are excited to partner with UnitedHealthcare on this important
project,” said Catina O’Leary, Ph.D., LMSW, HLM president and CEO.
“Interacting with Missourians in this way will give us a much deeper
understanding of the attitudes and feelings in communities that affect
health care access and use.”
Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) received a $15,000 grant
for its HealthTran initiative to help address transportation issues for
Medicaid and Medicare dual-eligible plan participants in rural
south-central Missouri counties. The grant will fund direct
transportation support for approximately 100 people who are unable to
access Missouri’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) program
and do not have financial resources for health-related transportation.
HealthTran’s trained Health-Transportation Coordinators identify and
electronically refer qualified patients to the transportation provider
that can best meet their needs. MRHA intends to improve access to
primary and preventive care, as well as reduce unnecessary use of the
emergency room.
“Transportation is more than getting a patient from one destination to
another; it is also about effective disease management. If a patient
can’t get to treatment, they can’t get well,” said Doris Boeckman, MRHA
Rides to Wellness director.
Missouri ranked 36th out of 50 states for overall health,
according to the 2015 America’s Health Rankings®
report, which also noted that Missouri was in the bottom half of the
country on measures including public health funding (46th),
lack of health insurance (29th) and disparity of health
status by education level (28th).
“We are grateful for the opportunity to provide additional resources to
organizations that help families live healthier lives and that extend
the reach of critical programs and services, particularly for our
state’s underserved populations,” said Yasmine Winkler, central region
CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State.
UnitedHealthcare serves more than 1.3 million Missourians enrolled in
employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare and TRICARE health plans with a
network of 162 hospitals and nearly 26,000 physicians and other care
providers statewide. UnitedHealth Group and its companies employ more
than 3,200 Missourians – including nearly 1,800 employees hired since
2013.
About Health Literacy Missouri
HLM
is a St. Louis-based nonprofit communications firm that specializes in
clear health communications. Founded in 2009, HLM partners with health
care providers, advocates, and organizations that want people to feel
better, systems to work and flow better, and materials to make more
sense. By integrating evidence-based health literacy principles, HLM
develops customized communications, assessments, and education that help
its partner organizations best serve people with diverse levels of
health literacy. When health information and services are more
accessible, more people can make good health decisions every day.
About Missouri Rural Health Association
MRHA
members recognize the many challenges of rural Missouri and are
addressing concerns by gathering and sharing relevant data to help make
informed decisions and direct policy changes, strengthen peer networks,
and challenge public and private funding sources to invest more in rural
communities. MRHA serves as the voice for rural health issues and in
2016 has identified improved access to care through transportation its
foremost priority. To learn more, visit the website at www.morha.org.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees
and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and
6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare
is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a
diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com
or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
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Contacts
UnitedHealthcare
Jessica Kostner, 952-979-5869
jessica_kostner@uhc.com
