UnitedHealthcare Awards $5.2 Million in Grants to California Nonprofits – $710,252 to St. Joseph Hospital

UnitedHealthcare Awards $5.2 Million in Grants to California Nonprofits – $710,252 to St. Joseph Hospital

<0> UnitedHealthcareMatthew Yi, 714-822-1097orSt. Joseph HospitalCathy Semar, 714-771-8075 </0>

St. Joseph Hospital has been awarded a $710,252 grant from UnitedHealthcare to help implement St. Joseph Hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) system that will connect 27 community clinics throughout Orange County to improve care delivery to local patients.

The grant is part of $5.2 million UnitedHealthcare is awarding to nine health care organizations to support nonprofit clinics and hospitals that improve health care services for underserved communities statewide.

The UnitedHealthcare funding will help St. Joseph Hospital expand its “AXEIUM Practice Management System” to enhance care coordination and referrals throughout a local network of 27 community clinics in Orange County.

In 2008, UnitedHealthcare provided a $317,242 grant that enabled the hospital to develop a chronic disease management program for the hospital’s community clinic network.

“We’re grateful for the generosity of UnitedHealthcare,” said Steven C. Moreau, president and CEO, St. Joseph Hospital. “The implementation of our electronic health record system with all of our community partner clinics will provide better access to patient medical records and ultimately improve the quality of care for clinic patients.”

The latest grant announcement and check presentation was made at La Amistad de Jose Family Health Center, one of the community clinics benefiting from the UnitedHealthcare grant, during a reception that included elected officials, community leaders, hospital executives and UnitedHealthcare executives.

“I applaud UnitedHealthcare for recognizing the importance of working together with community health centers such as St. Joseph Hospital and its 27 partner clinics, and helping to fund the implementation of a new electronic health records system that will benefit thousands of individuals and families throughout Orange County,” state Sen. Mimi Walters said. “This is an important investment and will greatly improve the patient’s experience as well as the coordination and communication between the clinics and the hospital.”

Since 2008, UnitedHealthcare has provided more than $30 million in grants to 53 nonprofits statewide. Seven of them are in Orange and Riverside counties, receiving $6.8 million.

“St. Joseph Hospital and its community clinic partners play a vital role in delivering care to residents in Orange County, especially in meeting the basic health care needs of underserved families in our community,” said Brandon Cuevas, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with them by providing this grant that will greatly improve the technology used to provide patients with quality health care.”

In addition to these grants, UnitedHealthcare’s California Health Care Investment Program has provided $269 million in total investments to 46 health care organizations throughout the state to help underserved, low-income and underinsured communities and populations.

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, serves more than 2.4 million Californians with a care provider network of 319 hospitals and more than 57,000 physicians statewide.

Founded in 1929, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, is a nationally recognized, 525-bed, not-for-profit Catholic hospital dedicated to extending the healing ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, St. Joseph Hospital's reputation for clinical excellence and compassionate, family-centered care draws patients from all over the United States. Equally important is St. Joseph Hospital's dedication to caring for the medically underserved through health education programs, a free-standing medical and dental clinic, and mobile health vans. St. Joseph Hospital depends on philanthropic support from the community to carry out its mission. These efforts are coordinated through the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation.

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 and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 780,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,900 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 40 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

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