TMCnet News
Medica Responds to Twin Cities Social Unrest, Racial Inequities with Employee Efforts, Grants and Loan FundingMedica has launched several initiatives to support communities directly impacted by long-standing racial inequities and social unrest in the Twin (News - Alert) Cities over the past few weeks. The efforts include actions by employees, $750,000 in grantmaking and providing $1 million in funding for low-interest loans. Medica employees lead donation drive/volunteer efforts Medica employees have worked diligently to develop several ways to help the communities served by the organization. These include:
Medica employee Theo Perkins delivered the donations and experienced firsthand the reaction from representatives of the recipient organizations. "When I opened the van doors, their eyes grew wide like deer looking into car headlights on high beams," he said. "Everyone in the organization was excited and asked where it is coming from. I could not wait to tell them Medica is hosting an empoyee drive to donate items for our community in need and they all loved it. "Medica has been donating to and volunteering for the community, for several years now," Perkins added. "Stuffed animal drives for kids, employee giving and much more. Medica is the best company to work for and cares a lot about their employees and our community." Nonprofits receive $750,000 from the Medica Foundation to address health and racial inequities. Minority-led and minority focused organizations and community health centers are receiving $750,000 from the Medica Foundation. These crisis relief grants, awarded to more than 20 organizations, focus on health and mental health needs, youth and family support, food security and other issues of concern in minority communities. The community's needs are exacerbated by the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these grants, organizations are providing critical support to their friends and neighbors during a time of crisis and beyond. Organizations that received funding include:
The Medica Foundation website features a list of organizations that received an initial round of $550,000 in funding. It will be supplemented by an additional $200,000 in the coming months. Medica deposits fund loans to help hard-hit communities Medica has earmarked $1 million of its reserves for deposits in community banks in areas affected by the recent social unrest in the Twin Cities. Medica will deposit $250,000 of its reserves in each of four banks in those areas. The deposits are an expansion of Medica's community banking initiative announced in January of this year. "The events that have unfolded over the last few weeks in the Twin Cities show that our community is in a lot of pain," said John Naylor, Medica President and CEO. "Medica is dedicated to finding community-led solutions and these initiatives are some examples of our commitment. We are also working with people and organizations in the broader community to address the issues underlying this unrest." About Medica Medica (www.medica.com) is a non-profit health plan headquartered in Minnesota. The company serves communities in the heart of America by providing health care coverage and related services in the employer, individual, Medicaid and Medicare markets. It operates in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica's vision is to be trusted in the community for our unwavering commitment to high quality, affordable health care. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200714005874/en/ |