UnitedHealthcare has donated $50,000 to support Indiana organizations' health and wellness programs for low-income families. Grant recipients include: Indiana Parenting Institute, Nurse-Family Partnership and United Health Services.
Supporting and Empowering Young Families
A $10,000 grant to Indiana Parenting Institute will support the organization's "Birth2Eighteen" program, which teaches young, underserved families effective parenting and life skills, and connects them to community resources to improve family relationships and encourage children to lead productive and successful lives.
"Our vision is a community where children are well-nurtured by their parents and the community to achieve their full potential as responsible and productive citizens of society," said Laura Smith-Wynn, founder and president of Indiana Parenting Institute. "We are excited to work with UnitedHealthcare to achieve this healthy outcome for Indiana families."
According to KIDS COUNT® in Indiana, 16 of every 1,000 children in Indiana were victims of maltreatment in 2014 – the state's highest rate of child abuse and neglect in 10 years. The most prevalent form of maltreatment in Indiana, and nationally, is neglect, with parents and other relatives as the vast majority of perpetrators.
Using Data to Drive Improved Birth Outcomes
A $25,000 grant to Nurse-Family Partnership's National Service Office will support development of a prototype perinatal profile report that helps identify risk and protective factors for healthy birth outcomes for low-income, first-time moms and babies. The profile will serve as a communication bridge between care providers, mothers and health plans, helping to ensure comprehensive, coordinated and person-centered care.
"We are thrilled to partner with UnitedHealthcare to develop this prototype so health care providers and high-risk mothers can team up to better track health outcomes," said Roxane White, president and CEO of Nurse-Family Partnership. "Our nurses empower moms to do all they can to be healthy themselves and to help their babies thrive. A better health profile further empowers moms."
The 2015 America's Health Rankings® report noted that Indiana has a higher-than-average infant mortality rate, with seven infant deaths before the age of one for every 1,000 live births, and nearly 8 percent of children born in Indiana weighing less than 5 pounds/8 ounces at birth.
Addressing Food Insecurity in North Indiana
A $15,000 grant to United Health Services will provide nutritious and affordable food to students at Ivy Tech Community College in North Indiana through the opening of a pop-up food pantry, helping to reduce hunger while improving school performance and retention.
"We know that food insecurity is a key predictor of poor health outcomes, so addressing the issue is a means to help improve health and well-being," said Jim Baxter, director, Covering Kids & Families of North Central Indiana, a division of United Health Services. "We are grateful for this partnership with UnitedHealthcare and the ability to meet the needs of Ivy Tech Community College students in a new way."
A 2014 study by Feeding Indiana's Hungry and Feeding America shows that 1 in 6 people, or an estimated 1.1 million people, in Indiana turn to food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families.
"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 children and families," said Yasmine Winkler, central region CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State.
UnitedHealthcare serves more than 870,000 Hoosiers enrolled in employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare health plans with a network of 170 hospitals and more than 20,000 physicians and other care providers statewide.
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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