WellCare of New York, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., (NYSE:WCG), announced today the opening of its newest Welcome Room in Buffalo, New York. WellCare Welcome Rooms are neighborhood health information, education and activity centers. Open to the public, in New York they offer a comfortable environment where visitors can ask questions about Medicaid, Medicare and Managed Long Term Care, and members can get help accessing needed care and services. Welcome Rooms also host dozens of free events each month, ranging from exercise and nutrition classes to education on preventive health, safety and disease management topics.
"WellCare is proud to bring our new Welcome Room, and all of its health-related activities, to the residents ofBuffalo," said Ryan Fogarty, vice president, WellCare of New York. "This location extends our presence, and makes it easier for the community to access the tools and information they need to make health care decisions for themselves and their families."
To demonstrate WellCare's commitment to the community, two $2,000 donations were presented to local organizations at the June 22 grand opening of the Buffalo Welcome Room. Catholic Charities of Buffalo will use the funding to support area food pantries. Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division will use the funding to support its high school equivalency diploma exam preparation classes.
"We appreciate WellCare's support in assisting us in our mission to help those in need," said Eileen C. Nowak, director of Parish Outreach and Advocacy for Catholic Charities of Buffalo. "Our eight pantries and outreach centers provide food boxes and other resources to help ensure people can get the sustenance they need."
"Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division has partnered with WellCare since 2015," said Lester B. Leopold, director of Adult and Continuing Education at Buffalo Public Schools. "In addition to this generous donation for adult education programming, WellCare employees have spoken to students in over 80 classrooms within our division to stress the importance of good health and to provide information about available health plans."
The Buffalo Welcome Room, located at 47 Court Street, is WellCare's 11th Welcome Room in New York. Other locations include: Brooklyn (Sunset Park and Nostrand Avenue), Queens (Jackson Heights and Flushing),Bronx, Manhattan (Chinatown and Washington Heights), Nassau, Poughkeepsie and Albany.
For information about events and activities at the Buffalo Welcome Room, call 716-846-7901. As of March 31, 2016, WellCare serves approximately 118,000 Medicaid members, 41,000 Medicare Advantage members, 55,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members and 7,000 Managed Long Term Care members in New York.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The company serves approximately 3.7 million members nationwide as of March 31, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos athttps://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.
