Pennsylvania Commission for Women’s new Hannah Callowhill Penn Awards

Did you know that Pennsylvania was in the forefront of the women’s movement long before Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and other activists clamored for women’s rights in the 19th century?

In fact, the colony of Pennsylvania was ruled with an even hand by a woman for 14 years in the beginning of the 18th century. It was Hannah Callowhill Penn, the second wife of William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.   Hannah was 28 years younger than her husband and after he was incapacitated by a stroke in 1712, she ruled the colony until her own death in 1726.

Long ignored by history books, Hannah Callowhill Penn is finally getting some recognition, and it’s about time. The Pennsylvania Commission for Women, of which I am chair, is partnering with the Office of the First Lady Susan Corbett to present a new award named after Hannah Penn.

UnitedHealthcare is proud to be the co-sponsor of the inaugural Hannah Penn Leadership Awards.  Our corporate culture, dedicated to fairness and opportunities for advancement of women at all levels, mirrors the values Hannah Penn lived. We look forward to recognizing those who serve as role models, resources and sources of inspiration to the women of The Commonwealth. 

We are also delighted to be involved with Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Susan Corbett, who has a long and distinguished record of community service in many areas, including the arts, parks, children, tourism and economic development.  Her husband,

Governor Tom Corbett, is an advocate of women’s leadership as evidenced by the key leadership roles women hold in his administration.

The Hannah Penn Awards will be given yearly to three Pennsylvania women who have made outstanding contributions through mentoring of other women. We created the award to inspire leadership among women across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by proactively highlighting innovative approaches to mentoring. The recipient of the recognition is intended to be a role model, inspiration, and resource for women and organizations serving women. We will present awards in three categories: Business Leadership, Civic & Volunteer Leadership and Rising Star for women between the ages of 16-29 years old.

The Hannah Penn Award was announced on “Hannah Callowhill Penn Day” in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 12, 2013. The Pennsylvania Commission for Women will publicize the award and seek nominations throughout the calendar year in conjunction with a campaign to promote awareness of Hannah Penn’s leadership.  

Applications will be accepted through December, 31, 2013. We’ll give out the first Hannah Penn Awards in March 2014 at the Commission’s first annual Finding Common Ground Conference in Harrisburg.  Nominations may be made by organizations, businesses and individuals. More information about the Hannah Penn Award and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women can be found at www.pa.gov/commissionforwomen.

I urge both men and women to start thinking about the women they know who have really made a difference in the careers and lives of other women. We can honor the memory of Hannah Penn by honoring those women today who are following in her footsteps as leaders and pathfinders.

Susan Corbett announcing the Hannah Penn Award as
Governor Corbett and Sue Schick stand by her side.

 

A little puppy love is good for the heart

On UnitedHealthcare’s list of recommended treatments for heart conditions, you typically won’t find “puppy” listed.

But this week, it was just what the doctor ordered for Samad, a 3-year-old boy from Philadelphia who suffers from a severe heart condition known as Long QT Syndrome.

Through his illness, Samad hasn’t asked for much but there was one thing he wanted more than anything: a puppy.  When Samad’s mom rewarded him with a dollar one day for doing a good deed, Samad carried it around with him constantly.  When anyone asked what he was going to buy with his dollar, he invariably replied, “my dog.”

Make-A-Wish^® Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley fulfilled Samad’s dream with a friendly female puppy dubbed “Dolly Dollar.” At UnitedHealthcare, we pitched in to throw Samad and Dolly Dollar a puppy shower at our offices to make sure they had all the supplies they’d need to make Dolly Dollar comfortable in her new home.

As part of a renewed three-year, $3 million alliance with UnitedHealth Group, each of Make-A-Wish’s 62 chapters is eligible to receive wish-granting funds.  UnitedHealth Group has funded more than 1,250 wishes beginning with its initial three-year, $4.5 million alliance in 2007.   Additionally, UnitedHealth Group employees and the dollar-for-dollar company match have resulted in more than $2.8 million in donations through the company’s annual United Giving Campaign.

Our partnership with Make-A-Wish often reminds me of the reason why I do what I do.  At UnitedHealthcare, our mission is to help people live healthier lives.  On a daily basis, it’s our job to focus on the details of how we help our plan participants connect with the right doctors, pay for the treatments they need, manage their health care, and adopt healthy habits.

But it’s also important to look up from the details once in a while and make sure that we don’t lose sight of the big picture. When we help people get the healthcare they need, they have more opportunities to enjoy the good things in life, like the love between a little boy and his new puppy.

And that’s a mighty good thing for the heart.

3-year-old Samad celebrating his wish come true with gifts from UnitedHealthcare

“With a Little Help From Our Friends,” we can fight type 1 diabetes

That’s not only a paraphrased line from a great Beatles song but also the theme of this year’s Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Promise Ball 2013.

JDRF is an organization founded in Philadelphia 42 years ago by Lee Ducat, whose son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was nine years old. She asked his doctor at The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania if the diagnosis meant her son would be dependent on insulin for the rest of his life. When he responded that things could change if they had money for research, Ducat’s mind was made up. She threw a cocktail party on May 21, 1970 - and JDRF was born.

Since then, the organization has awarded more than $1.7 billion to diabetes research and has become the leading global organization focused on Type 1 diabetes. The organization’s mission is to encompass every life stage: stopping or slowing the disease’s progression in people newly diagnosed, reversing it in those who have lived with it for years, avoiding or reversing complications, and preventing the disease in people at risk and in future generations. JDRF’s leadership, research funding and advocacy efforts have led to many innovations in the fight against Type 1 diabetes and are a true source of inspiration to all of us.  That’s why we chose to partner with them.

As part of our own mission, UnitedHealthcare works to build and maintain strong relationships in our local communities and work collaboratively with like-minded organizations that share our commitment to help people live healthier lives. Partners like JDRF. We’ve been involved with their Walk to Cure Diabetes and Promise Ball for the past several years. In 2009 and 2010, I was corporate chair for the Walk to Cure Diabetes. The latter year, JDRF named our key accounts director for Eastern Pennsylvania Volunteer of the Year for his pivotal role in raising more than $4 million for the event – the most in its then 40-year history in Philadelphia.

This year, the Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware chapter has delighted us by naming UnitedHealthcare and me as the 2013 honorees at this year’s Promise Ball. We couldn’t be more proud! It is a great honor to be recognized by an organization that began with such a passionate, dedicated woman and is now run by volunteers equally determined to find a cure. The 2013 Promise Ball is expected to provide more than 600 of the Philadelphia area's most prominent business leaders, professionals, and community members a high-energy, yet elegant, evening of dinner, a silent and live auction and dancing to the sounds of the Fab Four, the ultimate Beatles tribute band, with fantastic opportunities to support Type 1 diabetes research. The event will take place Saturday, April 27, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia.

Come join us, I can guarantee there won’t be any singing out of tune!

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth Millions of Dollars

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again: Many of the chronic diseases that afflict most Americans and add millions to the overall cost of health care delivery are preventable.  The 2012 American’s Health Ranking Report confirmed this fact.  The report found that while American’s are living much longer we are doing so with more chronic illnesses than before.  One of the most widespread is type 2 diabetes.

 

I’ve also talked about the need for all stakeholders - health insurers, physicians, hospitals, patients and community-based organizations - to work together to develop innovative ways to prevent the onset of diseases like type 2 diabetes.  So I’m happy to point you in the direction of a community-based program that is making a difference.

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program was highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article. A national initiative, the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program is easily accessible via your local YMCA.  Research by the National Institutes of Health has proven that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can reduce the number of cases of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60%.  The cost of the program varies by location but UnitedHealthcare members can submit the cost as a medical claim for reimbursement.  To find a location near you go to www.notme.com.

An ounce of prevention really can save millions of health care dollars and add years of healthy living to your life!

Engaging in Oral Health for Children

A little boy was taken to the dentist. It was discovered that he had a cavity that would have to be filled. "Now, young man," asked the dentist, "what kind of filling would you like for that tooth?" "Chocolate, please," replied the youngster.

Chocolate would certainly have been my first choice when I was a child, but with three boys of my own, I know that oral hygiene is a key aspect of our overall health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gum disease, or periodontitis, is the second most common oral disease in the world after tooth decay. Beyond all of the trouble it can cause in the mouth – from bad breath and swollen gums, to jaw infection and tooth loss - periodontal disease causes chronic inflammation, which could play a role in other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Experts recommend children begin seeing a dentist before their first birthday. Beginning life-long practices of good oral hygiene in childhood is just as important as instilling healthy eating and exercise habits to make sure our kids live long, healthy lives. But more likely than not, those children who are not eating well also lack access to proper oral hygiene.

Recognizing this need in our community, UnitedHealthcare teamed up with Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry to launch Project Engage, an initiative designed to improve the oral health of children enrolled in the state’s Medicaid health plan. The program will begin by working with children and families in North Philadelphia with the goal of expanding the initiative to other parts of the state and country.

UnitedHealthcare's donation to Temple University will help build
an oral health registry to improve the dental health of Philadelphia children.

Project Engage focuses on improving the oral health of children by creating an oral health registry, which will use dental claims information and operating and emergency department histories to identify children at risk of developing tooth decay. Those children and their families will then be contacted by a community health worker to receive information, counseling and assistance with scheduling dental appointments. Public health dental hygienists will also be available to provide in-home care and additional treatments, such as fluoride varnishes and sealants, if needed. In addition, primary care physicians and general dentists will be trained on preventive screenings.

UnitedHealthcare has had great success with other oral health interventions across the country, so I’m looking forward to having one here in Pennsylvania. It’s certainly something worth smiling about! 

Make it Your Business to Prepare for Changes to the Health Care System

Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in a Main Line Society of Professional Women panel titled, “From the Oval Office to Your Office.” On the panel with Farah Jimenez, president and CEO of the People’s Emergency Center and Karen Dougherty Buchholz, VP administration at Comcast Corp., I was charged with giving my perspective on what businesses should be doing now to prepare for provisions of the Affordable Care Act which go into effect next year.

It’s a particularly relevant question. Real changes are taking place within the health care industry and employers need to prepare themselves for what the new legislations will mean in practice.

In my opinion, the first step for any business or individual is to become an educated consumer. Although the law is hundreds and hundreds of pages, there are many resources available that break down the basics into understandable pieces. In fact, UnitedHealthcare has a very comprehensive website - uhc.com/reform - offering videos, brochures and other information designed to help business owners and consumers learn about the changes.

It’s also a good idea for employers to reach out to their broker or consultant, well in advance of their 2014 plan renewal date, to discuss their specific group size and current health benefit package. The changes brought about by the law will compel employers to go through a rigorous analysis, assessing cost and potential impact on employee productivity, satisfaction, turnover and recruitment. It makes sense for them to start early. Learn everything they can about what the Affordable Care Act means to their business and take the time necessary to choose how best to handle it.

Change can be unsettling, but in the end, the best leaders use it as an opportunity for improvement. I challenge all business owners to make the most of this opportunity for their company!

From left to right: Eileen Connelly Robbins, Sue Schick, Karen Dougherty Buchholtz, Renee Amoore, and Farah Jimenez

HEROES Fighting Against Childhood Obesity

From the First Lady to this season’s Biggest Loser, the subject of childhood obesity is getting high-profile attention - and rightly so! Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bringing with it a rise in obesity-related preventable medical conditions in children that aren’t normally seen until adulthood – elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

These diseases come along with a huge cost to both our children and our health system. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona summed up the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic when he stated, “Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."

As a mom, this statement really scared me.  As parents, all we want is for our children to live long, happy, healthy lives…longer, happier and healthier than ours. To think that might not be possible for a whole generation due to a preventable disease is unacceptable!

At UnitedHealthcare, we’re proud to be part of the fight against childhood obesity with our HEROES program - a wellness initiative we developed with YSA (Youth Service America) to encourage young people, working with educators and youth leaders in their communities, to create and implement walking, running or hiking programs. The program provides grants of up to $1,000 to fund youth-led projects that include both an activity element and a service component that increases awareness, provides direct service, enables advocacy on behalf of a cause, or features youth philanthropy around the issue of childhood obesity. This year’s grant recipients began Jan. 21, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and will end on Global Youth Service Days, April 26-28.

This year, we’ve provided more than $175,000 in HEROES grants to nearly 200 schools and nonprofit organizations nationwide. Locally, in Pennsylvania and Delaware, our HEROES are:

·         The Allegheny Valley YMCA, Natrona Heights - The “Moon Walk Challenge” for students in Allegheny and Butler counties will combine fitness and education. During the course of the program, students will walk a combined total of 2,160 miles, which is equal to the diameter of the moon.

·         Northern Cambria High School - the Family, Community and Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) group’s 45 high school students will plan “old school” physical activities such as hula hoop contests, wheel barrow races and sack races and share nutritional information at North Cambria school and community throughout the year.

·         Campus Community School in Dover received a grant to implement running programs for three groups. One will consist of a running club for students who will train together twice a week for a 5K run. Another group of students will take part in running activities for 40 minutes a week during “Club Time,” and a third group of staff and students will participate in a “Couch to 5K” program.

·         The Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc. (DAPI) in Wilmington received a grant to support prenatal and family health by adding exercise planning to its nutrition program for pregnant women and their families.

I congratulate these programs and the children behind them. They are standing up for themselves and their peers by saying “no” to a shortened, unhealthy life. We should all take a page from their book and learn to live healthier, more active lives. Working together is the best chance we have to get childhood obesity under control!

A complete list of grant winners and their projects is available online at www.ysa.org/HEROES.

Exercise is always more fun in a group!