Resolution 080771

..Title Recognizing Keystone Mercy Health Plan for receiving the National Committee for Quality Assurance Award for innovative efforts to reduce health care disparities. ..Body WHEREAS, Keystone Mercy Health Plan ("Keystone Mercy"), the largest Medicaid managed care in Southeastern Pennsylvania has been awarded the prestigious "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" by the National Committee for Quality Assurance ("NCQA") and this award recognizes the 40-Day Journey, a component of the company's Health Ministry Program, for its success in reducing health disparities and helping African American women and their families receive appropriate services; and WHEREAS, NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality and it accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas and is committed to providing health care quality information through the Internet, media, and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers, and others make more informed health care choices; and WHEREAS, According to NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane, "Keystone Mercy Health Plan's innovative efforts to improve the lives of African American women and their families is a model for health plans across the country and as a nation of diverse cultures, languages, and lifestyles, it's essential for health plans to recognize the health risks and vulnerabilities of special populations and design programs that reach out and improve the quality of those members' lives."; and WHEREAS, In 2000, Keystone Mercy created a faith-based, wellness program for African American women called the Health Ministry Program for Women and a component of the program, the 40-Day Journey, focuses on the family through a six-week educational series emphasizing nutrition, exercise, medication compliance, and water intake; and WHEREAS, Participants in the Health Ministry Program reported an improvement in mobility and flexibility as well as in their attitude and hope for the future and participants with diabetes showed health improvements that included a drop in triglycerides, decrease in LDL ("bad") cholesterol, weight loss, drop in systolic blood pressure, and a decline in diastolic blood pressure; therefore be it, RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and commend the Keystone Mercy Health Plan for receiving the National Committee for Quality Assurance Award for innovative efforts to reduce health care disparities by creating the Health Ministry Program for Women and the 40-Day Journey. FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to representatives of Keystone Mercy Health Plan as an expression of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. ..End 1