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Press Release
Medica Declares Support for Make It OK Campaign, Mental Health Month
Health Plan Has Long History of Support for Mental Health Issues
May 11, 2015
Minnetonka, Minn. — In support of May as Mental Health Month, Medica has joined with other community organizations and signed the Make It OK pledge. Organizations that sign the pledge are declaring that it is okay to talk about mental health as a common illness. The goal of the pledge is to stop the stigma of mental illness. Sign the pledge online.
Medica now can refer interested pet parents to Pets Best for a policy. Pet parents need not have a Medica policy to receive the referral. The referrals are made through Medica's individual and family business unit, which provides health insurance to people who purchase health coverage on their own.
CEO David Tilford has signed a proclamation that demonstrates Medica's support as an organization for removing the stigma of mental illness. "By signing this proclamation, Medica hopes to encourage people to talk more openly about mental illness and, importantly, to ask for help. We believe it is a real illness that can affect people at any time and from all walks of life."
Medica has a long history of support for mental health improvement efforts. In the past four years alone, the Medica Foundation has provide $1.4 million in grants to mental health programs and activities. Some examples include:
- Mental Health Resources. Mental Health Resources received a three year strategic grant to provide intensive case management services for high-risk adults with a chronic mental illness and/or substance abuse problem. Mental Health Resources provided services to 140 high-risk adult clients. Their impact on the lives of clients was significant: 94% avoided arrests or incarcerations, 85% increased medication compliance and 68% decreased substance abuse. Overall, there was almost a 50 percent reduction in medical spending for Medica members who participated in the program.
- St. David's Center for Child and Family Development. St. David’s Center received a three year strategic grant to launch two new programs. The Multidisciplinary Team Assessment Program used a team based assessment approach to serve 217 children. Following assessment, 88% of these children received the recommended treatment services. St. David’s also created a new community-based Autism Day Treatment Program targeted to support Somali families living in Minneapolis.
- Washburn Center for Children. The Washburn Center received a grant to expand an evidence-based, best practices program offering intensive in-home services to families whose children had a high risk of being removed from their homes and placed in residential treatment or an inpatient hospital program. 94% of the children served were able to remain in their home.
About Medica
Medica is a health services company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. With approximately 1.5 million members, the non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.
Medica's vision is to become the community’s health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.
Connect with Medica on Twitter @Medica4Me and Facebook @Medica4Me.
About the Medica Foundation
The Medica Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable grant-making foundation. It is an affiliate of Medica Health Plans, a Minnesota-based nonprofit HMO. The Medica Foundation generally seeks to fund community-based programs and initiatives that can provide sustainable, measurable improvements in the availability, access and quality of healthcare.
###Contact
Greg Bury, Medica
952-992-8437
[email protected]