United Health Foundation Launches $5 Million in National Partnerships to Support Frontline Health Care Workers During COVID-1...
April 17 2020 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Partnerships with the CDC Foundation, Direct
Relief and American Nurses Foundation are part of UnitedHealth
Group’s initial $60 million commitment to fight COVID-19 and
support impacted communities
The United Health Foundation is partnering with the CDC
Foundation, Direct Relief and the American Nurses Foundation to
support the nation’s health care workforce during the COVID-19
crisis. The $5 million initiative is part of UnitedHealth Group’s
(NYSE: UNH) initial $60 million commitment to fight COVID-19 and
support impacted populations, including health care workers,
seniors, hard-hit communities and people experiencing homelessness
and food insecurity.
“Health care workers are on the leading edge of this pandemic,
selflessly caring for patients in need while putting themselves in
harm’s way day in and day out,” said Dr. Richard Migliori, chief
medical officer, UnitedHealth Group. “Working with outstanding
national partners like the CDC Foundation, Direct Relief and the
American Nurses Foundation will help to ensure we are caring for
those who care for us by meeting the clinical, emotional and mental
health needs of these frontline heroes.”
The $5 million partnerships include:
- $2 million to the CDC Foundation to support the purchase
of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as hundreds of
thousands of KN95 masks, more than 100,000 surgical masks and tens
of thousands of surgical gowns, to disperse to hard-hit states
across the nation.
- $2 million to Direct Relief to support the acquisition
of PPE and supplies for frontline health care workers providing
care at community health centers, free clinics and mobile clinics
across the country.
- $1 million to the American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus
Response Fund for Nurses to help build a virtual support system to
promote mental well-being and resilience and recognize nurses’
contributions to fighting the pandemic across the nation.
“As we conclude another week fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we
are reminded each day how this threat impacts our daily lives and
especially health care workers who are making sacrifices for all of
us,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and chief executive officer,
CDC Foundation. “We are grateful to the United Health Foundation
for its generosity to help us increase the resources to fulfill
priority response needs.”
“The United Health Foundation’s donation will help us boost our
support to frontline health care workers in states that have been
disproportionately impacted,” said Thomas Tighe, president and
chief executive officer, Direct Relief. “This is especially
important for the clinical and support staff at safety-net health
care facilities as we work to ensure they have the resources
necessary to continue to provide lifesaving care during this time
of crisis.”
“The United Health Foundation’s generous support will allow us
to leverage technology to expand our reach and support the mental
health and well-being of the nation’s registered nurses on the
front lines of the pandemic,” said Kate Judge, executive director,
American Nurses Foundation.
UnitedHealth Group and its UnitedHealthcare and Optum businesses
are leveraging their full capabilities to fight COVID-19 and
support impacted communities. Initiatives announced to date
include:
- Initially investing more than $60 million to help at-risk
populations and protect the health care workforce.
- Pioneering a non-invasive, self-administered COVID-19 test that
streamlines testing, reduces PPE usage and increases safety of
health care workers.
- Accelerating payments to providers through the crisis, with an
initial tranche of nearly $2 billion.
- Waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment for
U.S. members of UnitedHealthcare plans and simplifying access to
care by reducing prior-authorization requirements.
- Significantly expanding access to telehealth and virtual visits
and redeploying 5,000 Optum clinicians to expand telehealth
capabilities.
- Providing a special enrollment period for fully insured
customers to allow employees who did not opt in for coverage during
the regular enrollment period to secure coverage.
- Conducting proactive personal outreach to support seniors and
the most vulnerable populations among our members.
- Launching a free nationwide emotional support line to manage
the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19.
- Converting company cafeterias to provide more than 75,000 meals
a week for people in need and keeping our café team at work.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care
company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and
helping to make the health system work better for everyone.
UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services
through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides
health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which
provides information and technology-enabled health services. For
more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at
www.unitedhealthgroup.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on
Twitter.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200417005058/en/
Eric Hausman, 952-936-3963, Eric.Hausman@uhg.com
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