Category: WellCare Voices

What Juneteenth Means to Me

By Simone E. Facey

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, honors the widely recognized end of slavery in the United States, and is an important holiday in American history.

On June 19, 1865, the Union Army rode into Galveston, Texas to declare freedom for the enslaved. Although the Emancipation Proclamation became effective in 1863, it took more than two years for its impact to be realized in Texas. It took even more time for slavery to be formally abolished through the 13th Amendment in late 1865. Juneteenth represents how the quest for freedom is winding and fraught with perseverance. Continue reading “What Juneteenth Means to Me”

WellCare Honors Our Nation’s Military

WellCare employs military veterans and active duty military personnel as well as spouses of veterans and those on active duty. Veterans Day is an opportunity to pause and show our support for those who wore – or still wear – our nation’s uniform. Two associates share their thoughts on how civilians might honor our veterans.

Megan DePecol is director of talent acquisition in WellCare’s human resources area. She enlisted in the air force after high school and, by the time her military stint had ended four-and-a-half years later, she had achieved the rank of E4. Megan was stationed at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea and Aviano Air Base in Italy where she supported Operation Deny Flight and Operation Deliberate Fore, NATO-backed campaigns related to the Bosnian War.

Rebecca Staggs is a senior network development representative. She served as a navy petty officer third-class areographer’s mate. “That’s a really fancy way of saying I was a weather-guesser,” she quips. Rebecca served four years of active duty and another four in the reserves. She participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Part of Rebecca’s time was spent on the USS George Washington CVN 73, a nuclear aircraft carrier, and in Sasebo, Japan. Continue reading “WellCare Honors Our Nation’s Military”

The Value of Our Nation’s Health Centers

By Carol Steckel

It’s National Health Center Week, and as I reflect over the past few days, I can still remember standing in awe the first time I visited Franklin Primary Health Center’s Medical Mall in Mobile, Alabama. People of all races and conditions were getting the health care they needed—all in one place.

I also remember the health centers in North Carolina and the work they do to provide essential services to people without access to primary care. The caring, the compassion and the commitment to those they serve rang out loud and clear.

What many people don’t realize is how critically important health centers are to both our health care system and to the millions of underserved Americans across the country. Continue reading “The Value of Our Nation’s Health Centers”

WellCare of Nebraska Goes Live!

By Lauralie Rubel

WellCare of Nebraska is proud to announce that after months of hard work by dedicated associates in Nebraska and throughout the WellCare family, we are ready to share our decades of experience coordinating managed care for in-need families and children as well as elderly and disabled persons.

Continue reading “WellCare of Nebraska Goes Live!”

Raising Awareness on Prematurity in the U.S.

Did you know more than 380,000 babies are born prematurely in the U.S. each year?

According to the March of Dimes, the United States earned a “C” on its annual premature birth report card. It is the first time in eight years that the preterm birth rate in the U.S. worsened, dropping from 9.57 percent to 9.63 percent in 2015.

Continue reading “Raising Awareness on Prematurity in the U.S.”

A Physician’s Office Staff Plays an Integral Role in Patient Health and Satisfaction

Early in my nursing career, I worked in a variety of medical practices and saw firsthand the impact that office staffs have in establishing effective, collaborative relationships with patients and their families. These front-line employees are the liaisons between physicians and patients. Research shows that the personal relationship of a patient with his or her doctor and the clinic staff are the strongest predictors of patient satisfaction.

Continue reading “A Physician’s Office Staff Plays an Integral Role in Patient Health and Satisfaction”

My Perspective: Homeless for a Night in Honolulu

How did you sleep last Friday night? Was your air conditioning too cold? Did your neighbor wake you up too early mowing his lawn?

On any given night in Hawaii nearly 8,000 people sleep on the streets without any of the comforts we take for granted. On Friday, Sept. 16, five ‘Ohana Health Plan employees joined community and business leaders for a #CEOSleepout organized by The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands. More than 30 people slept on cardboard boxes at the State Capitol Rotunda in Honolulu to draw attention to homelessness, interact with this vulnerable population, discuss opportunities for collaboration to address this issue, and to raise funds to help The Salvation Army in its mission to support those in need of food, shelter and opportunity. Continue reading “My Perspective: Homeless for a Night in Honolulu”

What’s New at WellCare: Customer Service Goes Social

Research shows what most of us already know – people talk about the customer service they receive from a company. In fact, more than two in five consumers tell other people about their good customer service experiences all of the time. Conversely, at least half of consumers tell other people about their poor customer service experiences all of the time.

As vice president of channel communication services at WellCare, it is my goal each and every day to provide the best customer service experience possible for our members and providers. WellCare is committed to delivering the right care, at the right time, at the most appropriate place. In other words, our number one priority is to be there when they need us, and this means we have to be accessible. Continue reading “What’s New at WellCare: Customer Service Goes Social”