UnitedHealth Group Receives Hispanic Health Leadership Award

UnitedHealth Group is the recipient of the National Hispanic Medical Association’s (NHMA) 2010 Hispanic Health Leadership Award, recognizing the company for its innovation in creating high-quality initiatives aimed at improving the health of Hispanic consumers.

"On addressing health matters that impact the Hispanic community, UnitedHealth Group is a true leader,” said Dr. Elena V. Rios, M.D., M.S.P.H., president and CEO of the NHMA. "The company’s initiatives show a strong dedication to both diversity and the development of programs that speak to the unique needs of our community in a culturally competent way.”

"UnitedHealth Group operates under a simple belief: that no matter what language you speak or what culture you come from, everyone deserves quality health care,” said Dr. Manuel Selva, Jr., senior medical director for UnitedHealthcare, Southeast Region. "The services and products our company has developed to help Hispanics lead healthier lives revolves around three basic principles: a commitment to bilingual excellence, interacting with individuals in a culturally relevant way and communicating in a linguistically accurate fashion.”

UnitedHealth Group was selected to receive the Hispanic Health Leadership Award based on its dedication to creating a diverse health care work force and its strong commitment to the needs of local, medically underserved communities.

NHMA highlighted three UnitedHealth Group programs targeting the Hispanic community: PlanBien^SM, the Latino Health Scholars Program and support for Community Health Centers of Excellence in Hispanic communities.

PlanBien offers a suite of products enhanced with bilingual health information and services. It includes dedicated, bilingual call centers and Web sites, and access to bilingual physicians and clinical teams. Today, PlanBien serves more than 35,000 individuals in six states.

The Latino Health Scholars Program was created as part of UnitedHealth Group’s Diverse Scholars program aimed at fostering a more diverse health care work force. Through the United Health Foundation, the program has awarded more than 330 scholarships totaling more than $1 million to help Hispanic students across the country pursue health careers.

The Foundation works with leading Hispanic organizations such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Health Foundation of the National Hispanic Medical Association, and others to administer the scholars program.

UnitedHealth Group and the United Health Foundation also strongly support Community Health Centers of Excellence across the country, creating partnerships with local community clinics to address racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities.

To date, the program has provided $23 million in funding for health centers in Miami’s Overtown community, the Bywater area of New Orleans, the Anacostia community in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

About the National Hispanic Medical Association
Established in 1994 in Washington, D.C., the National Hispanic Medical Association is a non-profit association representing 36,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of the organization is to improve the health of Hispanics and other underserved populations.

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. Visit www.unitedhealthgroup.com for more information.