UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, recently announced a new package of Empowering Health grants that will go to 5 community-based organizations in Pennsylvania.

Seeking to expand access to care and address the social determinants of health for the uninsured and low-income communities, the firm has already committed $11.1 million to this end in 12 states.

Blair Boroch, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Pennsylvania, said through a press release:

UnitedHealthcare is honored to support the important work these local organizations are doing to provide greater access to services for underserved communities in Pennsylvania.

UnitedHealthcare says the grants will help people facing challenges like access to food and nutrition, social isolation and behavioral health issues, while also supporting local health education efforts.

Beneficiaries

Grant recipients in Pennsylvania include:

• Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, Philadelphia – $275,000 to support care coordination of integrated school-based services in Philadelphia schools and expand services to early childhood learning centers.
• The Food Trust, Southeast Pennsylvania – $200,000 to expand farm to school and early care and education (ECE) programs through the implementation of family cooking workshops; expand the Quarter Back for Local food program; and increase professional development opportunities through the Pennsylvania Farm to School Institute.
• Jefferson Health, Philadelphia – $150,000 to provide breast and colorectal cancer screenings through the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center mobile unit. The funding will also support immigrant and refugee communities through a pilot community health worker wellness program providing healthy eating and exercise classes and follow-up clinical care through Jefferson’s Hansjörg Wyss Wellness Center.
• MANNA, Montgomery and Chester counties – $125,000 to expand the medically tailored meal delivery program for congestive heart failure patients in partnership with Pottstown Hospital.
• St. Mary Medical Center, Bucks County – $100,000 to support the Healthy Eating Living Partnership (HELP) Center and the Trinity Health Farmbox program, which provide healthy food for underserved communities.

“Social and economic factors continue to have a significant impact on achieving and maintaining good health. These grants enable us to work closely with our community partners and to be there for what matters in addressing social determinants of health for their residents,” added Boroch.

Our convenient online medical symptom checker is now available through the MyJeffersonHealth patient portal & at https://t.co/ZiUc2rRadf. Learn more about your symptoms & suggested care with the click of a few buttons. More info & instructions available: https://t.co/DFqkLszmDq pic.twitter.com/WEFhdJuQ4b

— Jefferson Health (@TJUHospital) July 26, 2023

Milestones

UnitedHealthcare shared data from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which indicates that approximately 80% of what influences a person's health is related to non-medical issues, such as food, housing, transportation and the financial means to pay basic daily needs.

“Identifying and addressing social determinants of health needs is a core aspect of how UnitedHealthcare serves its members. Last year, UnitedHealthcare screened 4.9 million members, made 2.4 million referrals to community resources, and ultimately closed the loop and confirmed that 84% of members had at least one of their social needs met,” pointed out UnitedHealthcare.

Since launching its Empowering Health commitment in 2018, UnitedHealthcare has invested more than $62 million in Empowering Health grants, reaching nearly 11 million people through partnerships with community organizations in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

In Pennsylvania, the firm has provided more than $8.2 million in contributions over the past three years on behalf of its businesses, foundations, and employees, including a 2020 $2 million grant for Family First Health's York location, a school-based health center located in Hannah Penn K-8, home to a significantly low-income population.

Other milestones to highlight:

• An investment of more than $800 million in affordable housing communities
• Since 2011, partnered with food banks and meal delivery services
• In 2019, it joined the American Medical Association to standardize how the social determinants of health data are collected and used to create more holistic care plans.
• In June 2022, the United Health Foundation, UnitedHealth Group's philanthropic foundation, made a $100 million commitment over 10 years to advance health equity, furthering its efforts to eliminate health disparities. This was the largest single philanthropic commitment ever made by the United Health Foundation.