Funds aim to increase access to specialized treatment programs for children in foster care and resources for transition age youth

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina has announced $200,000 in grant funding to six local organizations supporting children in foster care and transition age youth across the state.

“As an organization, we are committed to building healthier communities in North Carolina,” said Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. “We are honored to collaborate with organizations focused on creating lasting change to improve the health and well-being of children in foster care and young adults.”

Grant funds will help organizations increase access to specialized treatment and services for children in foster care and transition age youth, including:

• Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth & Families
• The Hope Center at Pullen
• Center for Child & Family Health
• Creating a Family
• Strong Able Youth Speaking Out
• Youth Villages

“Being in foster care is a unique situation that leads to a unique set of challenges for children and youth,” said Meredith Yuckman, executive director, The Hope Center at Pullen. “This investment by UnitedHealthcare will help our organization provide the kind of tailored support this population needs. We are so grateful for the collaboration as we plug foster youth into networks of support that power their growth and success.”

Each year, more than 23,000 young people age out of foster care according to the National Foster Youth Institute. These North Carolina organizations provide resources to overcome childhood adversity and support the transition into independence for new young adults to promote the development of healthier communities.

“Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is proud of the important contributions of our Strong Able Youth Speaking Out (SaySo) program. SaySo aims to improve the substitute care system by educating the community, advocating for needed changes, and supporting youth who are or have been in substitute care in the state,” said Jen Kimbrough, executive director of strategy, Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. “Our program supports youth before they transition out of care and engages young adults as experts with lived experience. SaySo creates an essential space for foster care experts to have a seat at the table and advocate for the well-being of youth in care.”

These grants are part of UnitedHealthcare’s ongoing commitment to building healthier communities in North Carolina. Most recently, the organization awarded $275,000 in grants to three non-profits supporting children and youth in kinship and foster care. Additionally, a $3.2 million grant from the United Health Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of UnitedHealth Group, will support East Carolina University in expanding youth access to mental health care services over the next three years.

UnitedHealthcare serves more than 1.8 million members enrolled in Medicaid, employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare and retirement plans in North Carolina, with a network of 173 hospitals and over 64,500 physicians and other care providers statewide.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.6 million physicians and care professionals, and 8,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn.

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