WellCare Helps Raise Awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. and TAMPA, Fla., April 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This April, in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, WellCare of Kentucky, a WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) company, sponsored Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky's (PCAK) 2019 Community Awards. The event provided community organizations with resources and tools to host awareness events around the Commonwealth. After overwhelmingly positive responses to the 2018 sponsorship and an increase in applications received, WellCare doubled the sponsorship to $10,000 for 2019, helping PCAK to further community support statewide.

WellCare's sponsorship of $10,000 provided 20 resource packages to community organizations, including child advocacy programs, resource centers, youth detention centers, child protection offices and schools to aid in furthering the mission and message of PCAK.

Each package contains blue pinwheels and educational materials to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month in their local communities. These packages help foster discussions surrounding the issues of child abuse and neglect. In 2018, nearly 41,000 pieces of resource material were distributed.

"At WellCare, we work every day to eliminate barriers to healthcare for all Kentuckians," said Bill Jones, WellCare of Kentucky president. "We are especially focused on the needs of our members who have experienced abuse or neglect. That's why we support children and families through our foster care and adoption programs and partner with organizations like PCAK to help break the long-term cycles of abuse. The work and support they provide to agencies around the Commonwealth is helping to change our communities and save lives."

Pinwheels are the national symbol of child abuse prevention and a visible reminder of the happy and healthy childhood all children deserve. The nationwide Pinwheels for Prevention campaign has seen more than 4 million pinwheels distributed throughout the nation since 2008, with Kentucky distributing over 400,000 of those. Kentucky's total pinwheel distribution ranks second in the nation. 

"Our statewide partner network has done an incredible job of engaging local communities in taking action in support of children and families," said Jill Seyfred, executive director of PCAK. "WellCare's support has allowed us to expand program offerings and share valuable resources with communities across the Commonwealth."

PCAK offers a variety of training for professionals, caregivers and advocates on many topics related to child abuse prevention, strengthening families, understanding childhood development and more. These trainings are free for attendees but rely on support from organizations around the Commonwealth to continue to grow their course offerings. To learn more, visit https://www.pcaky.org/. 

As of Dec. 31, 2018, WellCare serves approximately 444,000 Medicaid members, 14,000 Medicare Advantage plan members and 22,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in Kentucky. To learn more about how we care for Kentuckians, watch Brandi's story at http://youtu.be/YwOw5EgeSYo.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses primarily on providing government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, as well as individuals in the Health Insurance Marketplace. WellCare serves approximately 5.5 million members nationwide as of December 31, 2018. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com.

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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.