PRESS RELEASE

Health Plan of Nevada and Southwest Medical Associates Turn Headquarters Cafeteria into Meal Prep Base for Those in Need

April 06, 2020
  • Partnership between these local UnitedHealth Group companies, City of Las Vegas and Clark County is helping to fill a surging need 

Thousands of Las Vegas area homeless will have access to healthy meals, as UnitedHealth Group’s Southern Nevada-based companies─ Health Plan of Nevada, Southwest Medical Associates and OptumCare─ reallocate their campus cafeteria staff to provide 10,500 meals each week, at least through the end of April. The effort comes as nonprofits report massive increases in the number of people needing help in accessing food.

UnitedHealth Group leaders devised the plan to help Compass Group food service workers get back to work in recently closed office cafeterias in several U.S. cities and to serve a community need.

“During this unprecedented public health emergency, access to healthy meals will increasingly become a challenge for many in the Las Vegas Valley,” said Don Giancursio, CEO, Health Plan of Nevada. “As a part of UnitedHealth Group, Health Plan of Nevada is proud to be able to participate in the enterprise’s multi-city effort to reallocate space and resources for such an important need.”

The City of Las Vegas and Clark County, partners in this effort, will be transporting and distributing 1,500 bagged meals each day, Monday through Thursday to Cashman Isolation/Quarantine Complex and Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, among others. On Fridays, 4,500 meals will be bagged and delivered to these shelters so healthy food is available on site through the weekend as well.

“The need grows daily during this health crisis. We are grateful for our community partners, including Health Plan of Nevada and Southwest Medical Associates for their much-needed help", said Kathi Thomas-Gibson, Director, Office of Community Services, City of Las Vegas.

Meals are being prepared by more than 18 Compass Group employees, who normally cook for, and serve, Health Plan of Nevada, Sierra Health and Life, Southwest Medical Associates, and OptumCare staff based at the Tenaya Way campus, many of whom are now working from home.

“As one of oldest and largest multispecialty medical groups in the state, OptumCare Nevada has dedicated itself to the health of Southern Nevada for years,” said Robert McBeath, MD, president, OptumCare Nevada. “This is another great example of people working together across the organization and between organizations to give our community strength for the fight while our health care providers battle this pandemic.”   

UnitedHealth Group is covering the $500,000 in food costs and wages for the Compass Group employees in Las Vegas. This outreach is part of UnitedHealth Group’s recently announced $50 million initial commitment to support communities affected by COVID-19.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping to make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.uhg.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on Twitter.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individualsemployers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with over 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and more than 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

About OptumCare Nevada

OptumCare Nevada is the state’s largest multispecialty medical group with over 450 local health care providers through 45 OptumCare Specialty and Primary Care and Southwest Medical, including seven convenient care centers, six urgent care centers, one that is open 24-hours, two outpatient surgery centers and two community centers catering to older adults, plus access to a vast network of contracted primary and specialty care providers through the OptumCare Network of Nevada for Medicare Advantage patients. OptumCare Specialty Care includes the 55,000-square-foot OptumCare Cancer Center offering a wide range of services under one roof in the Las Vegas Medical District. To us, success means the health and happiness of our patients. That’s how we’re helping to create a health care system that works better for everyone.For more information: OptumCare.com/Nevada

About Eurest USA

Eurest is a $1.75 billion food and vending organization serving the business and industry market with over 2,000 locations and more than 18,000 associates throughout the United States. Eurest serves more than 850,000 guests daily and is a sector of North Carolina-based Compass Group North America. Compass Group North America is the leading foodservice management and support services company with $18.6 billion USD in revenue in 2018. Compass Group North America is owned by Compass Group PLC based in the United Kingdom, operating in 45 countries with 600,000 associates worldwide. For more information, visit eurest-usa.com.