SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnitedHealthcare is supporting Washington’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) Project, which aims to enable low-income people participating in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to have easier access to healthy fruits and vegetables.
In April, the USDA awarded $31.5 million in funding to national, local and state agencies, including the Washington State Department of Health, to encourage access to healthy foods. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan contributed $65,000 toward the state’s grant. The FINI Project matched the contribution with $62,951 for a total of $127,951 to help fight food insecurity in Washington.
The UnitedHealthcare grant will be used to provide in-clinic information on nutrition, diet and exercise at 35 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and 58 farmers markets in five Washington counties (King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane and Yakima). Medicaid and SNAP beneficiaries who meet with a care provider, health coach or nutritionist at the clinics receive a voucher for a local farmers market where they can receive a bag of produce and cooking recipes.
“People in low-income households are vulnerable to obesity and food insecurity due to limited access to healthy foods,” said Doug Bowes, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. “UnitedHealthcare is honored to support the federal and state government FINI initiatives by generating more awareness and access to nutritious foods in the communities we serve.”
For more information and a list of participating clinics and farmers markets taking place July through October, visit uhccommunityplan.com.
UnitedHealthcare serves more than 1 million people in Washington with a network of 96 hospitals and more than 32,000 physicians and other care providers statewide. Additionally, the company employs more than 1,000 people.
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 more than 850,000 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.
[i] Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status
Report 2014, Food Research and Action Center
[ii] 2015
America’s Health Rankings Senior Report
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