- United Health Foundation joins with
The Governor’s Prevention Partnership to reduce drug use among area
teens
- Partnership with The Village for
Families & Children will provide comprehensive, coordinated
behavioral and primary care to local families
To address growing teen drug use and provide integrated health
care for local Connecticut families, United Health Foundation,
Governor Dannel P. Malloy, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership
and The Village for Families & Children announced two new grant
partnerships in Hartford.
The $2.35 million in grants from United Health Foundation to The
Governor’s Prevention Partnership and to The Village for Families
& Children will help each partner increase local education,
outreach and engagement among Hartford teens and their
families.
The grants will fund separate, three-year initiatives with each
partner. These partnerships are part of United Health Foundation’s
city-based approach to provide resources to programs that connect
communities to care, support whole-person health and build
healthier communities.
Gov. Malloy, City of Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and other
community leaders joined executives from The Governor’s Prevention
Partnership, The Village, United Health Foundation and
UnitedHealthcare at The Village in Hartford for the
announcement.
“Addiction is a disease, and together we can treat and prevent
it. These programs will help further strengthen community and
family connections, and help teens develop into active and engaged
members of our communities,” said Gov. Malloy. “I thank United
Health Foundation for this investment to help improve access to
care and address teenage drug use, and I applaud all the partners
working to ensure our communities and families no longer struggle
with the grave costs of this illness.”
At the end of the three-year grants, The Partnership and The
Village will issue white papers with their respective results and
provide details on how these initiatives may be replicated.
“By working closely with these community organizations to
address critical health issues, particularly increasing drug use
among teenagers, we are helping build a healthier Hartford,” said
Martha Temple, senior vice president of Optum Behavioral
Health.
Partnering to Address Rising Teenage Drug Use
According to the 2015 Connecticut Youth Risks Behavior survey,
Hispanic children have higher substance-abuse rates. In
coordination with Family Life Education (FLE), a Hartford-based
nonprofit family outreach organization, the partnership will:
- create an awareness and outreach
program for children, parents and the community focused on
substance abuse among teenagers; and
- introduce programs to identify and
refer high-risk youth for support services.
“This multifaceted community education initiative will reinforce
in-school awareness efforts,” said Jill Spineti, president and CEO
of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “While it is important to
educate young people about the dangers of drug use, parents and
other adults in the community can play a critical role in
reinforcing anti-drug messages, identifying signs of substance use
before it becomes a more serious issue and helping families get the
care their kids need.”
In the past three years, the number of drug deaths in
Connecticut increased 44 percent, according to the 2016 America’s
Health Rankings Annual Report. While Connecticut ranked third in
overall health among all 50 states, it ranked 28th on this measure,
highlighting the need for greater collaboration and increased
efforts to address substance use.
Coordinating Care for Hartford Families
The Village will integrate behavioral health and primary care
services at two pediatric practices in East Hartford and West
Hartford, which are run by the Connecticut Children’s Medical
Center. Working together, the team of primary care doctors,
psychologists and care coordinators will:
- address the range of physical and
social aspects of each child’s health and well-being by using
health screenings, increased parent education and referral
processes to coordinate clinical care and connect families to
needed community services, and;
- intervene early to prevent serious
medical and mental health issues with local children and their
families.
“The future of health care is in integrating primary care and
behavioral health services,” said Galo A. Rodriguez, MPH, president
and CEO of The Village. “This funding by United Health Foundation
will help us demonstrate how this type of integrated system will
result in improved health outcomes for children, better quality of
care, and short- and long-term cost savings.”
About Governor’s Prevention Partnership
Created in 1989, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership is a
not-for-profit partnership between state government and business
leaders with a mission to keep Connecticut’s youth, safe,
successful and drug-free. Co-chaired by Governor Dannel Malloy and
a local business leader, the organization focuses on positive
school climate, mentoring and the prevention of underage drinking
and substance abuse.
The Village for Families & Children (The Village)
The Village is a non-profit multi-service organization that has
served the Greater Hartford area for more than 200 years. Its
mission is “to build a community of strong, healthy families who
protect and nurture children.” To fulfill its mission, The Village
provides a full range of behavioral health, early childhood and
youth development, substance abuse treatment, and family support
services. To learn more, visit www.thevillage.org, call
860-236-4511 or follow us at Facebook.com/thevillagect.
About United Health Foundation
Through collaboration with community partners, grants and
outreach efforts, United Health Foundation works to improve our
health system, build a diverse and dynamic health workforce and
enhance the well-being of local communities. United Health
Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) in
1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation dedicated to improving
health and health care. To date, United Health Foundation has
committed nearly $315 million to programs and communities around
the world. We invite you to learn more at
www.unitedhealthgroup.com/SocialResponsibility or follow
Facebook.com/UHGGives.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170214005379/en/
Governor’s Prevention PartnershipKelly Luxenberg,
860-523-8042kelly.luxenberg@preventionworksct.orgorThe
VillageDonna Jolly,
860-916-1496djolly@thevillage.orgorUnited Health
FoundationMaria Gordon Shydlo,
917-748-9002maria_g_shydlo@uhc.com
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