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Medica Responds to Twin Cities Social Unrest, Racial Inequities with Employee Efforts, Grants and Loan Funding

July 8, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS — Medica has launched several initiatives to support communities directly impacted by long-standing racial inequities and social unrest in the Twin Cities over the past few weeks. The efforts include actions by employees, $750,000 in grantmaking and providing $1 million in funding for low-interest loans.

Medica employees lead donation drive/volunteer efforts

Medica employees have worked diligently to develop several ways to help the communities served by the organization. These include:

A food and supply drive for Pop-Up Pantries, YWCA Midtown and Urban Ventures. Employees delivered donations to Medica headquarters every Friday in June, filling up eight full-size vanloads of essential supplies, non-perishable and food items. In addition, employees and their friends and families have provided cash donations of more than $4,000.
A Target registry, "Medica Donations - Pop Up Shop’s Charity Registry," allows shoppers to purchase needed items that Medica will distribute. More than 3,000 items have been purchased through the Target registry, which is available to the public.
Medica employees also are volunteering to help rebuild our community. As an organization, Medica supports these activities through its volunteer time off (VTO) program, which provides employees paid time away from work to volunteer. Due to the extraordinary circumstances this year, Medica doubled the amount of VTO hours available to employees to 32 hours for 2020. In just four and a half weeks, 125 employees logged about 570 VTO hours, representing more than 70 full days of work.

Medica employee Theo Perkins finishes loading a van full of supplies donated by employees for organizations that serve populations impacted by social unrest in the Twin Cities. Medica employees donated eight full-size vanloads of supplies.

Medica employee Theo Perkins delivered the donations and experienced firsthand the reaction from representatives of the recipient organizations. "When I opened the van doors, their eyes grew wide like deer looking into car headlights on high beams," he said. "Everyone in the organization was excited and asked where it is coming from. I could not wait to tell them Medica is hosting an employee drive to donate items for our community in need and they all loved it.

"Medica has been donating to and volunteering for the community, for several years now," Perkins added. "Stuffed animal drives for kids, employee giving and much more. Medica is the best company to work for and cares a lot about their employees and our community."

Nonprofits receive $750,000 from the Medica Foundation to address health and racial inequities.

Minority-led and minority focused organizations and community health centers are receiving $750,000 from the Medica Foundation. These crisis relief grants, awarded to more than 20 organizations, focus on health and mental health needs, youth and family support, food security and other issues of concern in minority communities. The community's needs are exacerbated by the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these grants, organizations are providing critical support to their friends and neighbors during a time of crisis and beyond. Organizations that received funding include:

Marnita's Table, which works to increase equality and decrease disparities across differences. Founder Marnita Schroedl works in the affected communities in Minneapolis to address trauma and create positive change in communities of color through honest and authentic conversations.
Hallie Q Brown Community Center, a St. Paul-based organization is a multi-service center that works to address the unique needs in the African American community. The organization works to improve the quality of life in the community by providing access to critical human services, fostering and promoting personal growth, and developing community leadership.

The Medica Foundation website features a list of organizations that received an initial round of $550,000 in funding. It will be supplemented by an additional $200,000 in the coming months.

Medica deposits fund loans to help hard-hit communities

Medica has earmarked $1 million of its reserves for deposits in community banks in areas affected by the recent social unrest in the Twin Cities. Medica will deposit $250,000 of its reserves in each of four banks in those areas. The deposits are an expansion of Medica's community banking initiative announced in January of this year.

"The events that have unfolded over the last few weeks in the Twin Cities show that our community is in a lot of pain," said John Naylor, Medica President and CEO. "Medica is dedicated to finding community-led solutions and these initiatives are some examples of our commitment. We are also working with people and organizations in the broader community to address the issues underlying this unrest."

About Medica

Medica is a non-profit health plan headquartered in Minnesota. The company serves communities in the heart of America by providing health care coverage and related services in the employer, individual, Medicaid and Medicare markets. It operates in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Medica's vision is to be trusted in the community for our unwavering commitment to high quality, affordable health care. Medica's annual report, which includes the organization's community involvement activities, is available online.

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Media contact:

Medica
Greg Bury
952-992-8437
[email protected]