Amerigroup Foundation Supports Health Literacy in King County
<0> WellPoint, Government Business DivisionMaureen C. McDonnellVice President, External Communications(757) 473-2731orWellPoint, Government Business DivisionFinley HinesPublic Relations Specialist(757) 955-8831 </0>
The presented the University of Washington (UW) with a $10,000 grant for its EthnoMed project, a UW Medicine program that positively impacts the health literacy of refugee and immigrant communities in King County.
“Culturally specific information is critical to reduce health disparities and to enhance understanding between medical practitioners and their patients,” said Daryl Edmonds, Amerigroup Washington president. “We are very pleased to support health care education for members in King County’s immigrant community, many of whom lack familiarity with Western health care systems and practices, such as disease management, preventative care and use of medications.”
UW Medicine’s EthnoMed project will help meet the complex health care needs of Burmese and Bhutanese immigrants, both locally and across the United States. Delivered by outreach workers in home settings and community centers, the presentations will cover important topics ranging from doctor visits and medication to accessing health insurance and social services.
“We are grateful for Amerigroup’s support to positively impact the health of our community,” said Dr. J. Carey Jackson, medical director, EthnoMed and International Medicine Clinic, Harborview Medical Center. “The Foundation’s grant will enable us to increase our outreach efforts educating newly arrived refugees, in their own language, and empowering them to take charge of their health and health care.”
In 2011, EthnoMed was selected by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care to receive a Language Access Champion Award, which honors work that contributes to improving the lives of all people through the promotions of language access in health care.
The is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., and the largest corporation focused solely on meeting the health care needs of financially vulnerable Americans. The Foundation works to create healthy communities by fostering access to health care, encouraging safe and healthy children and families, and promoting community improvement and healthy neighborhoods.
Amerigroup Washington began serving members July 1, 2012. We serve 35,000 members through Washington’s Healthy Options Medicaid program and Washington’s Basic Health plan. Our associates share genuine pride in making a difference in the lives of people who might need a little extra help, and we are fortunate to call these combined efforts our work.
is Harborview Medical Center's ethnic medicine website containing medical and cultural information about immigrant and refugee groups. Information is specific to groups in the Seattle area, but much of the cultural and health information is of interest and applicable in other geographic areas. EthnoMed is a joint program of the University of Washington Health Sciences Libraries and Harborview Medical Center's Interpreter Services Department/Community House Calls Program (ISD/CHC). EthnoMed is directed by clinical faculty in the Department of General Internal Medicine's Refugee and Immigrant Health Promotion Program at Harborview, and maintains roots in the Pediatrics Department and strong connections in the International Medicine Clinic. The EthnoMed team works with caseworker cultural mediators, medical interpreters, health care providers and ethnic community leaders who serve as authors and advisers of the Web content.