Category: WellCare Voices

The Importance of Mentoring Women Leaders

By Rhonda Mims

On the eve of International Women’s Day, which is tomorrow, March 8th, I’m reflective on and appreciative of all the women who have paved an incredible path for me and  who afforded me the opportunity to pay it forward by driving change for others. Thanks to a number of good women and a few good men over the years who mentored me, I have been enormously fortunate to work with some amazing community partners and thought leaders, while leading diversity initiatives for Fortune 200 and global professional services organizations. It has been an incredible journey, and the ride continues with fast-paced momentum.  Continue reading “The Importance of Mentoring Women Leaders”

Conversations on Understanding: Driving Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

By Ken Burdick

Today, on this national Day of Understanding, WellCare continued its journey toward creating an environment where all ideas are welcome and our associates feel confident and empowered to bring their “full selves” to work each day. In partnership with CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, I’m proud to join 150 other companies across the country in hosting the nation’s largest conversation to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Continue reading “Conversations on Understanding: Driving Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace”

Do You Know Your Risk for Prediabetes?

By Dr. Mark Leenay

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 84 million Americans have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated, can lead to Type 2 diabetes within five years.

Mark Leenay

Prediabetes means your blood sugar level is higher than normal. Although prediabetes is a precursor to Type 2 diabetes, the long-term damage — especially to your heart, blood vessels and kidneys — may already be starting. Continue reading “Do You Know Your Risk for Prediabetes?”

The Loneliness Epidemic

By Ken Burdick

Did you know loneliness poses the same health risk as smoking 15 cigarettes a day? In fact, new research indicates weak social connections and feelings of extreme isolation could shorten a person’s life by 15 years. With more than one-third of U.S. adults age 45 or older indicating they are lonely, we’ve reached a critical number of individuals who are at risk for serious health outcomes. Continue reading “The Loneliness Epidemic”

A Thanks to Our Interns on National Intern Day

WellCare’s 47 summer interns are nearly finished with their 12-week program, and we can think of no better day than July 26 – National Intern Day – to recognize their talents, hard work and efforts to support WellCare’s mission of helping our members live better, healthier lives.

With guidance from their people leaders and the Internship Advisory Board, WellCare interns are working across various lines of business, while learning about our corporate culture and mission to serve. Group activities have included a volunteering event with Feeding Tampa Bay, the largest food rescue and distribution organization in the Tampa Bay community, and speed-dating style meetings with members of WellCare’s executive leadership team. The interactive session allowed leaders to share an overview of their area, their educational background, career story and answer questions. Continue reading “A Thanks to Our Interns on National Intern Day”

Pride Matters: How I Went from Liking to Loving My Job

By Robert Brennan

My husband, Chrys, and I moved to Florida almost four years ago from Washington, D.C. when he took a new job in Tampa. I had spent 15 years working in the government sector supporting various major IT software development initiatives in California for the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State. These positions offered me a lot of job security and allowed me to be my true self at work. I was a bit apprehensive about my first corporate job because I wasn’t sure whether I would be accepted for who I am.

I didn’t need to worry for long. Continue reading “Pride Matters: How I Went from Liking to Loving My Job”

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”