UnitedHealthcare and CBS EcoMedia Renovate Veterans Services Center
For More Information Contact:
Courtney Johnson, UnitedHealth Group
courtney_t_johnson@uhc.com
612.702.7703
Lindsay Brown, CBS EcoMedia
Lindsay.Brown@ecomediacbs.com
212.975.1989
Enhancing wellness for homeless veterans with disabilities – project beautifies landscape, enhances comfort and improves energy efficiency
SAN DIEGO – March 20, 2014 – UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers today completed a landscape-beautification project at the Hawley Veterans Services Center and helped renovate the facility that serves San Diego-area homeless, disabled veterans.
More than 30 UnitedHealthcare employees laid mulch, pulled ice plant and renovated the horseshoe area. The project was made possible with a grant from UnitedHealthcare and in partnership with CBS EcoMedia, which will provide additional renovations including flooring and installation of energy-efficient heating and air conditioning units. This project is expected to help decrease the facilities use of energy and to reduce utility costs for the program.
The Hawley Center, a program of Volunteers of America, Southwest, is a 20-bed transitional housing facility in El Cajon that serves single male veterans who are homeless with disabilities. Veterans can reside in the program for up to two years and through personal goal setting and case management, begin to work towards increasing skills and income for their successful transition back to self-reliance.
“UnitedHealthcare, its employees and CBS EcoMedia are real difference makers in our community and we are grateful for their support,” said Gerald McFadden, Volunteers of America, Southwest President and CEO. “This exciting new partnership will help us, not only improve our facilities, but will enhance our ability to serve veterans in need.”
Along with the volunteers, others in attendance included Tony Lonigro, CEO Southwest Region, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans; Paul Polizzotto, President and Founder of CBS EcoMedia; Gerald McFadden, Volunteers of America, Southwest President and CEO.
“Volunteers of America Southwest’s Hawley Veteran’s Services Center is an important resource for our military veterans who are in need,” said Lonigro. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to support our veterans through this important organization, and we hope the residents at this facility enjoy their new garden and renovations inside the building.”
“We welcome this opportunity to express our gratitude to our nation’s veterans,” said Paul Polizzotto, founder and president, CBS EcoMedia. “The upgrades to The Hawley Veterans Services Center - funded by UnitedHealthcare - will foster health and wellness while freeing up critical dollars that can be redirected into essential services for our veterans.”
Since March 2012, Volunteers of America has partnered with EcoMedia, a division of CBS, to identify and build environmental improvement projects in low-income and subsidized housing developments nationwide. CBS EcoMedia uses advertising to support tangible, positive community projects by selling ads to companies and using a portion of the funds collected for community projects with partnering organizations such as Volunteers of America that have environmental, wellness or education projects in need of support.
This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to inspire service and encourage volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or “like” Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
Last year, UnitedHealthcare became the managed care support contractor for the West Region of the U.S. Defense Department’s TRICARE program, serving nearly 2.9 million military service members retirees and their families in 21 states.
About Volunteers of America Southwest
Volunteers of America, Southwest inspires hope through its ministry of service by providing individuals and families with the tools they need to improve their quality of life. The organization operates 28 human service programs in the areas of education and social development of young children, treatment and rehabilitation, veterans, housing and aging services. Each year, more than 13,000 lives are changed through our services. Programs are located in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. To learn more visit us online at www.voa-swcal.org.
About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media.
Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS
By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.