UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Supports Fight against Food Insecurity in Washington

• Grant adds to $31 million in federal and $6 million in state dollars that support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)in the state
• One in 5 children in Washington live in a household that struggles to put food on the table[i] and more than 23 percent of adults over 60 are food insecure[ii]

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.

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Consumers visiting the Everett Farmers Market supported by UnitedHealthcare found a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables available for purchase. (Photo: Kim Doyel)

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 UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare 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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UnitedHealthcareMolly McMillen, [e-mail]