Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare Awards $140,000 to Fund Tuolumne County Program Aimed at Improving Rural Health

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare announced that it is awarding a $140,000 Improving Health in Rural Counties grant to the Tuolumne SOAR Collaborative. Centene Corporation's national behavioral health specialty company, Cenpatico, supported the Foundation's efforts to identify an innovative program in California that supports transforming the health of rural communities, through individual focus and active local involvement.

The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare was formed in 2004 to improve the quality of healthcare for medically underserved individuals and families and economically distressed areas. The Foundation supports Centene's purpose to transform the health of the community. Over the years, the Foundation's funding projects have included obesity, school-based health clinics, disparities in mental health among black women and education and outreach related to public health programs such as Medicaid.

"The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare strongly believes in investing in our communities, especially those communities that are challenged around delivery of care," said Kathy Bradley-Wells, President, Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare. "Centene believes we have a responsibility to remove barriers and make it easier to get well, receive access to services and strengthen our communities. We look forward to working with Tuolumne County, who is aware of these challenges first hand."

"As one of our larger counties, California Health & Wellness has more than 6,300 members in Tuolumne," said Greg Buchert, President and CEO of California Health & Wellness, Centene Corporation's California-based subsidiary. "This grant will help bridge disparity gaps that often plague rural communities by centering on barriers to resources and information that address all the needs of the individual, not just their physical health."

The Tuolumne SOAR Collaborative is a collaboration of the Tuolumne County Behavioral Health Department, the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions and 15 other community stakeholders. The $140,000 award will help to increase timely access to income, health insurance and transitional housing among persons with a disabling mental illness or co-occurring disorder who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless as they exit institutions such as hospitals, jails and prisons.

"We are excited about this opportunity and expecting that the outcomes will help to reduce the challenges for homeless persons who are often cycling through incarceration, emergency departments and mental health crisis services. The access to a resource to qualify for benefits and improve lives of the persons targeted is invaluable," said Rita Austin, Director, Tuolumne County Behavioral Health Department.

About The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare
The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare is a non-profit private foundation dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States. The Foundation serves as a resource to identify and support innovative approaches to improving and increasing the quality of and access to healthcare for low-income individuals and families. This is accomplished through an inspired philanthropic giving plan that seeks to promote efforts and activities that identify and address core causes of unequal access and treatment in healthcare. 

About Cenpatico
Cenpatico's expertise lies in managing benefits for vulnerable populations. Our healthcare specialties include behavioral health, foster care, school-based services, specialty therapy and rehabilitation and more. We have managed Medicaid and other public sector benefits since 1994; currently, we serve over 4 million members nationally. Our headquarters are in Austin, Texas and we have local teams across the country in the markets we serve. Cenpatico is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation. We are committed to innovative solutions and designing programs tailored to improving functional outcomes with our members. Find us online at www.cenpatico.com.

SOURCE The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare; Cenpatico

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