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$10 Million Gift From UnitedHealth Group Will Fund Feasibility Studies and Development Activities for New Medical and Health Science Programs at UC Merced and UC Riverside

Posted on: Thursday, 27 July 2006, 12:01 CDT

Grants Target Campuses in Regions Facing Acute Shortages of Doctors and Nurses, and with Large Medically Underserved Populations

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) announced it is providing funding to support the development of new medical and health science education programs through grants to the University of California totaling $10 million.

According to UnitedHealth Group Chairman and CEO William W. McGuire, M.D., the charitable contributions are earmarked to support steps toward the creation of programs at UC Riverside and UC Merced because they serve regions identified in a recent University of California study as being medically underserved and subject to significant future shortages of health care professionals.

"UnitedHealth Group is committed to expanding access to health care, and part of that commitment includes fostering new educational opportunities to make certain we have the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals required to meet the growing needs of an aging and diverse population," said Dr. McGuire.

University of California President Robert C. Dynes noted that UnitedHealth Group's contribution comes at a time of continued state budget constraints as well as growing enrollments in the UC system.

"UnitedHealth Group's generous contribution will fill a great need for us in continuing to meet our commitment to our future students and to the communities served by UC Merced and UC Riverside in the San Joaquin Valley and Inland Empire, respectively," said Dynes.

A 2005 study commissioned by UC, "Health Science Education, Workforce Needs and Enrollment Planning," identified the need to create additional health care education programs in California. It identified the Southern Central Valley and the Inland Empire as areas particularly subject to future health care work force shortages and medically underserved populations.

The contributions totaling $10 million over a three-year period will be divided equally between UC Riverside and UC Merced for feasibility studies and other activities necessary to establish medical and health science education programs at the two campuses, including building educational capacity by hiring teaching and support staff needed to establish research, course work and classes for future programs.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, Specialized Care Services and Ingenix. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 70 million individuals nationwide.

Source: Business Wire

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