UnitedHealth Group Announces UnitedHealth HEROES Grant Recipients; Grants Aimed at Helping Combat Childhood Obesity
- Grants support local programs that help children combat childhood obesity
- 109 grants awarded to community organizations in 15 states
- Community-based, service-learning initiative in collaboration with Youth Service America
MINNEAPOLIS (March 12, 2009) – UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has awarded 109 grants to schools and community-based organizations that have developed programs to combat childhood obesity in their communities.
The grants are part of the UnitedHealth HEROES program, a service-learning, health literacy initiative designed to encourage young people, working through educators and youth leaders, to create and implement local hands-on programs to address the issue of childhood obesity. Grants were awarded to schools and youth-focused, community center-based programs that have demonstrated a clear understanding of the health risks associated with pediatric obesity; proposed creative solutions to combating obesity in their neighborhoods and communities; and can be easily implemented, scaled and measured.
UnitedHealth Group collaborated with Youth Service America (YSA) to develop the UnitedHealth HEROES program. Two UnitedHealth Group companies, UnitedHealthcare and AmeriChoice, launched the program in 15 states in November 2008. To date, UnitedHealth Group and YSA have awarded more than $71,000 in grants to 109 community-based projects. A list of all the grant winners is available online at
www.ysa.org.
“We believe that as people become more aware of health issues through health literacy and advocacy initiatives they will make positive changes to live better lives,” said Rick Jelinek, CEO of AmeriChoice. “We believe the UnitedHealth HEROES grants will empower teams of students to collaborate with teachers and community leaders to develop their own awareness programs that will make their schools and neighborhoods healthier. In reviewing the grant applications, we were inspired by the creative ideas our young people came up with to help fight obesity and encourage healthier living.”
“With UnitedHealth HEROES, we are helping young people take action to improve their overall health and quality of life in a way that’s not only educational, but beneficial for their communities,” said Gail Boudreaux, president of UnitedHealthcare. “We believe the best way to combat childhood obesity is to partner with the public and private sectors and the community to address local factors that contribute to the rise in obesity.”
The HEROES service-learning projects are implemented during the spring semester and will culminate on YSA’s 21st Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 24-26. GYSD provides an opportunity for students to include their projects in a larger, global youth service movement that seeks to improve communities in all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
YSA and UnitedHealth Group will offer a second round of HEROES service-learning grants in August. More information about the UnitedHealth HEROES program and upcoming grant deadlines is available at
www.ysa.org.
About Youth Service America
Youth Service America seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles. Founded in 1986, YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations and governments. For more information:
www.ysa.org.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.
