Unison Health Plan Employees Brighten New Year for Local Charities

More Than 6,400 Pairs of Socks Collected in Nationwide Drive

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Employees from Unison Health Plan, part of AmeriChoice, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company, have donated 1,243 pairs of socks to Operation Safety Net, helping Pittsburgh’s homeless. In addition to the donated socks, Unison used monetary donations to purchase more than 200 pairs of diabetic socks and dozens of thermal socks. Nationally, the drive collected socks in nearly 30 different locations to benefit local charities.

“Our objective with this drive was to provide for one of the most basic needs for disadvantaged populations, a warm pair of socks,” said AmeriChoice President Russell Petrella, Ph.D. “Our 3,600 employees responded generously to this first Warm Socks for the Holidays drive, donating and distributing about 6,400 pairs of socks to local charities in nearly 30 cities.”

AmeriChoice is UnitedHealth Group’s Medicaid managed care unit, and its nearly three million members in 25 states and the District of Columbia are among the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

The effort carried on a long tradition of AmeriChoice giving back to the communities it serves, with support for initiatives such as the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree programs, among others.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in this way and we hope these socks will help make the holidays brighter for thousands of people,” Petrella said.

About Unison Health Plan of Pennsylvania
Unison’s health plans include MedPLUS, adultBasic, CHIP and Medicare. Many of these plans are available in the following 45 counties: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Clarion, Crawford, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Greene, Jefferson, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mercer, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York. Throughout Pennsylvania, AmeriChoice, following its 2008 acquisition of Unison Health Plan, serves approximately 250,000 beneficiaries in 50 counties. AmeriChoice has become the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company.

Here is a partial list of the locations and the charities AmeriChoice Health Plans are benefitting with Warm Socks for the Holidays:

AmeriChoice
Jeff Smith, 952-931-5685
jeff.smith@uhc.com

Source: AmeriChoice