SCAN Health Plan Grants $20,000 to The Salvation Army, Supporting Food Distribution to Seniors

Emergency Funding Aims to Alleviate Food Insecurity in Local Senior Community

LONG BEACH, Calif., May 21, 2020—SCAN HealthPlan^®, a not-for-profit provider of Medicare Advantage health plans in California, today announced it has awarded a $20,000 COVID-19 emergency grant to The Salvation Army Long Beach Corps and Community Center, as part of its community giving program. The emergency funding will support the purchase and weekly distribution of food boxes providing nutritious and balanced meals to 200 seniors in Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill and Hawaiian Gardens.

“This grant will help ensure older adults in need have access to healthy food while remaining safely at home during the-shelter-in-place period,” said Denise Likar, vice president of Independence at Home at SCAN Health Plan. “We are pleased to collaborate with The Salvation Army to make sure vital community services to vulnerable seniors continue without interruption during the pandemic.”

Older adults often report missing or skipping meals due to factors that impact their ability to obtain or prepare food, including disability, lack of reliable transportation and limited income. And, at a time when COVID-19 presents additional challenges, access to food is vital to ensuring they’re able to maintain their strength and health. 

“We are so thankful to SCAN Health Plan for recognizing the need amongst seniors in our community and partnering with us to make sure they receive food during these unprecedented times,” said Captain Sergio Garcia, corps officer at the Long Beach chapter of The Salvation Army. “Our relationship with SCAN in serving the seniors of the greater Long Beach and surrounding communities has been in place for several years and we are grateful that they have stepped in to help get healthy food into the hands of those most in need.”

Since March of this year, SCAN Health Plan has granted a total of $719,000 in emergency funding to 35 organizations. SCAN plans to continue its funding of nonprofit organizations that are providing critical services to seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About SCAN Health Plan

SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, serving more than 215,000 members in California. Since its founding in 1977, SCAN has been a mission-driven organization dedicated to keeping seniors healthy and independent. Independence at Home, a SCAN community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers. SCAN also offers education programs, community funding, volunteer opportunities and other community services throughout our California service area. To learn more, visit scanhealthplan.com or facebook.com/scanhealthplan or follow us on Twitter @scanhealthplan.

About The Salvation Army

For more than 130 years, The Salvation Army California South Division has provided services and hope to those in need from San Luis Obispo to San Diego County. The Salvation Army's history of public service dates back to 1865, over the years it has since evolved into a social service provider of unmatched scope and breadth - delivering assistance to those in need without discrimination. Internationally, it is an organization with a lineage of public service that dates back to 1865, and has evolved over the decades into a social service provider with an unmatched scope and breadth. The Salvation Army currently has representation in more than 128 countries worldwide, in addition to nearly 8,000 centers of operation across the United States. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/2ZhPn1Y. 

Media Contact:
Havas Formula for SCAN
scanhealth@havasformula.com 
619-234-0345

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