LOUISVILLE, Ky. and
TAMPA, Fla., June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sometimes getting a
job is the first step toward a healthier lifestyle. That's why
WellCare Health Plans' (NYSE:WCG) Community Foundation is working
with the Kentucky Community and
Technical College System (KCTCS) to provide up to 50 scholarships
for students seeking employment-oriented certificate programs or
two-year degrees.
A 2013 report from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that
stable employment had direct, positive impacts on the health of
families – both because of the increased ability to afford
nutritious meals and health-supporting services like quality child
care but also because of the reduction of stress-related illnesses
and other factors.
"In a world that increasingly expects some post-high school
training, jobs can be hard to find for students who can't afford to
go to college," said Bill Jones,
president of WellCare of Kentucky.
"That means a scholarship like this could be life-changing for the
students who receive this assistance."
The scholarships, valued at $50,000, will help 25 to 50 students complete
programs in fields like medical technology, certified coding,
nursing, manufacturing, skilled labor, information technology and
more. The scholarship program will particularly focus on non-degree
certifications and paraprofessional jobs, which can sometimes be
completed in as little as six weeks. These types of
paraprofessional jobs are in high demand.
KCTCS is the largest provider of post-secondary education and
workforce training in the state. With 16 colleges and more than 70
campuses, it is accessible to students around the state, with more
than 700 fields of study and flexible schedules that work well for
traditional and returning students.
"We appreciate WellCare's generosity and interest in KCTCS
students," said KCTCS president Jay K.
Box. "This scholarship covers many of the fields that are in
demand all across the state. Employers are having difficulty
filling these jobs mainly because they can't find enough highly
skilled applicants. This new scholarship will help us work toward
meeting employers' needs and helping move more Kentuckians into
good jobs."
Through KCTCS' Commonwealth Scholarship program, WellCare will
award a minimum of 25 and maximum of 50 scholarships of
$1,000 each semester of study, for a
maximum annual total of $2,000 per
KCTCS student. For more information or to apply for a scholarship,
visit
www.kctcs.edu/affording_college/paying_for_college/scholarships/commonwealth.aspx.
The KCTCS scholarships are the second scholarship program
WellCare has committed to citizens of Kentucky. Last month, WellCare in conjunction
with the University of Kentucky Medical
School and College of Nursing announced it is funding up to 30
scholarships valued at $180,000 for
medical and nursing students to address the need for quality
primary care in rural areas of the state.
As of March 31, 2017, WellCare
serves approximately 446,000 Medicaid members, 9,000 Medicare
Advantage plan members and 22,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
members in Kentucky. To learn more
about how WellCare cares for Kentuckians, watch Brandi Logan's member story at
http://youtu.be/YwOw5EgeSYo.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in
Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health
Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing
government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through
Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans,
to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical
needs. WellCare serves approximately 4.1 million members nationwide
as of March 31, 2017. For more
information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at
www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at
https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.
About the WellCare Community Foundation
The WellCare Community Foundation was established in 2010 and is a
nonprofit, private foundation. Its mission is to foster and promote
the health, well-being and quality of life for the poor, distressed
and other medically under-served populations – including those who
are elderly, young and indigent – and the communities in which they
live. The WellCare Community Foundation carries out this mission by
supporting work that helps people live healthy, safe and productive
lives, and by assisting groups with serious and neglected health
needs. Underscoring this mission is the WellCare Community
Foundation's goal to serve as a national resource that fosters an
environment where there is a continuum of education, access and
quality health care, all of which improve the overall health,
well-being and quality of life of targeted beneficiaries.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wellcare-working-toward-a-healthier-kentucky-300480126.html
SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.