UniCare Unveils Community Resource Center in Topeka to Serve Medicaid...( Center Will Provide UniCare's Hea...)

Center Will Provide UniCare's HealthWave Members with Valuable Local

Resources

TOPEKA, Kan., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- UniCare Health Plan of Kansas, Inc. today announced the opening of its first Community Resource Center (CRC) in Topeka, Kansas. With many of Kansas' Medicaid enrollees living in the Topeka area, the CRC will provide access to outreach services, health education referrals, translation and other specialized services for HealthWave members and their families. The Topeka opening will be followed by a second CRC opening in Wichita, Kansas on August 23.

"We are proud to make a real difference in the lives of our UniCare members in Kansas," said John Monahan, president, State Sponsored Business. "Serving the Medicaid population requires highly personalized service. In order for our members to get access to the care they need, we have to help them secure other critical resources, such as housing, job placement, child care and transportation information that can help remove barriers to accessing that care."

Each CRC is part of a unique community-based model designed and developed by UniCare to deliver more individualized health care coordination to its members and their communities. Staffed by a dedicated, bilingual team, the CRCs offer local residents and providers a facility that can design health programs and services to address specific community needs, such as disease- specific programs for asthma or diabetes.

CRCs are also a vital partner for their communities. The Topeka CRC will award grants to three organizations that provide important programs and resources that help improve the quality of life for underserved people in the different communities it serves. These organizations include:

-- YWCA Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

-- Clay County Health Department

-- Washington County Health Department

In addition, the WellPoint Foundation will donate $20,000 to the
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