UHC Funds Community-Based Social Determinants of Health Efforts

UnitedHealthcare is aiming to address social determinants of health and increase access to care by granting $11.4 million to community-based organizations throughout the country.

As a part of its Empowering Health initiative, the payer is awarding grants to programs that provide underserved communities with resources such as food, transportation, and mental healthcare services.

Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and New York will each receive the highest grant awards of $1 million each, according to a UHC spokesperson. Virginia, Washington, DC, and Michigan follow close behind, receiving $900,000, $795,000, and $750,000 in grants, respectively. The remaining 11 states will receive between $200,000 and $555,000.

The grants will support a total of 84 community-based organizations across the states, the UHC spokesperson noted. These organizations serve a wide range of community needs.

A portion of the grant money in Indiana will go to Healthier Moms and Babies, an organization that helps reduce infant mortality and provide support for new mothers. The organization will use the grant to expand its prenatal home visitation program which assists low-income families, according to the press release.

“Social and economic factors have a profound impact on achieving and maintaining good health,” Charlotte Macbeth, chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare of Indiana Medicare and Medicaid, stated in a separate, state-specific press release.

“Through Empowering Health grants we’re working with local organizations to provide Hoosiers with greater access to essential resources in high-risk and high-need communities so they can live healthier lives.”

Several states will also allocate money to organizations that help families facing food insecurity. Gleaners Community Food Bank in Michigan will expand its mobile food pantry program, increasing access for more families. The organization plans to partner with school districts as well to reach more children and families.

Some of UnitedHealthcare’s funding will go toward the Just One project in Nevada, a mobile food market that delivers groceries to underserved communities in Southern Nevada. The organization addresses several social determinants of health including access to transportation and food insecurity, explained the press release.

The grant money will also benefit the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and help further its mission of increasing access to healthy food for low-income residents. The convention works with faith-based organizations and partners with Black-owned farms to supply their produce.

The press release highlighted three community-based organizations that focus on mental and behavioral healthcare that will receive funding from the payer. Mental Health America of South Central Kansas will use the grant to promote programs that help combat social isolation and provide other behavioral health services.

The payer’s donation will also help Maryland and New York improve behavioral healthcare access for their communities. Community Crisis Services will provide mental health training to first responders in Maryland. Catholic Charities of Onondaga County in New York helps refugees receive mental and physical health screenings and provides navigators who can assist with referrals and medication compliance.

This philanthropic initiative builds on UnitedHealthcare’s commitment to address social determinants of health through supporting community-based organizations. Since the payer launched its Empowering Health program in 2018, it has awarded $40 million to community-based organizations in 29 states, the press release stated.

Awarding grants to local organizations has been a popular strategy among payers in order to reduce social determinants of health barriers and care disparities.

Cigna launched an Education and Workforce Development grant program that was open to nonprofit organizations that worked with students enrolled in all levels of education. The grants offered support in different areas depending on the education level, but the payer ultimately sought to improve the quality and accessibility of education for community members.

Blue Shield of California worked to reduce racial care disparities in communities of color by awarding $300,000 to local nonprofit organizations that prioritize the mental health of youths.