SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare Enhances Access for Chinese-American Population With New Medicare Resource Center

SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare today celebrated the grand opening of a center dedicated to the health care needs of the Chinese-American community in the greater Los Angeles area. Building on the company’s long-standing commitment to the Chinese-American population, the SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center in Alhambra, Calif., will serve as a trusted, one-stop source of culturally and linguistically sensitive health care information and services for Chinese-Americans in the community.

"SecureHorizons has had a presence in the community for more than two decades, and throughout our history, we have developed an understanding of the needs of Chinese-American seniors, many of whom are first-generation immigrants who aren’t fully comfortable navigating the social-welfare and health care systems in the United States,” said Marc Russo, regional president of SecureHorizons. "Our goal with the SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center in Alhambra is to help people in our community live healthier lives.”

This new center will be staffed with an executive director, sales personnel and service representatives, all of whom are fluent in the Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese. By communicating in a familiar dialect, the representatives will help visitors overcome language barriers that can sometimes limit their access to vital information and benefits.

The representatives are trained to offer educational consultation consistent with all required regulations for social benefit programs including Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug coverage and supplemental health insurance. Community members may also access the Center for information on services of importance to frail elderly adults, such as caregiver respite, meals-on-wheels and transportation programs. On a regular basis, the Center will also host free seminars on a variety of health-related topics for the benefit of the community.

"Chinese-American seniors and their adult children in the Los Angeles area have come to trust SecureHorizons to provide high-quality Medicare coverage,” said Martina Lee, executive director of the SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center. "This center will bring an essential educational resource to our community in a setting and language that are familiar to them.”

Distinguished guests, including Dr. Judy Chu, vice chair, California State Board of Equalization and former state Assemblywoman, 49^th District, joined SecureHorizons representatives at today’s grand-opening celebration. Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new center, SecureHorizons hosted a member appreciation event at the Almansor Court Banquet Facility, where members and their families and friends enjoyed traditional Chinese entertainment and availed themselves to health screenings.

The SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center in Alhambra is modeled after SecureHorizons’ office in New York City, which opened in 1994 and has become a staple of the community. In recognition of UnitedHealthcare’s innovative initiatives to provide quality health care services to New York City’s Asian population, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded the company the "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award” in September 2008.

The SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center is located at 30 W. Valley Blvd., Suite 101, in Alhambra, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Appointments for one-on-one counseling are available but not required. For more information, call (626) 537-3030.

About SecureHorizons

SecureHorizons is a division of Ovations, the segment within UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) that is exclusively focused on health and well-being for individuals age 50+ and dedicated to servicing the health care needs of America's aging population. SecureHorizons provides a portfolio of Medicare Advantage services to the rapidly growing population of Medicare-eligible people.

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