OKLAHOMA COMPLETE HEALTH AND URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER OKLAHOMA CITY PARTNER TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES
Date: 02/25/25
Oklahoma Complete Health, a care management organization serving the needs of Oklahomans with a range of health insurance solutions and subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), today announced a partnership with the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City to address social drivers of health (SDoH). As part of establishing Health Empowerment Zones (HEZ), this approach highlights opportunities to improve health outcomes in certain geographic areas.
“Oklahoma ranks 47th in the nation for health in women and children, so partnering with trusted leaders in the community is critical to ensure we’re prioritizing the importance of health and well-being across the state,” said Oklahoma Complete Health President and CEO Clay Franklin. “The Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City has a strong track record in this type of work and shares our common goal of improving the health outcomes for Oklahomans.”
The HEZ model is a community-led process. Each Health Empowerment Zone conducts a needs assessment or leverages existing assessments to implement a data-driven plan of action to address conditions that are preventing people from being as healthy as possible.
“Just across the quadrants of Oklahoma City, life expectancies differ by as much as a dozen years,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. “This should be unacceptable to all of us. Any effort to close those gaps is a worthy one, and I commend all involved in this initiative for working to provide equal opportunity, so that all people in our city can aspire to healthy outcomes.”
Oklahoma Complete Health and the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City have established a Health Empowerment Zone in Oklahoma County to drive awareness for populations needing prenatal and postnatal care, access to healthcare for infants, services to promote a healthy lifestyle for youth and broaden mental health and substance use services. Oklahoma Complete Health will donate $100,000 per year over three years to the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City to ensure the model is successfully implemented in line with core public health principles.
Marginalized and underserved communities often face barriers such as transportation challenges, limited access to healthy food and shortage of medical providers. Additionally, the county grapples with higher-than-average chronic disease rates, including adult diabetes and youth behavioral health challenges, underscoring the critical importance of Oklahoma Complete Health’s HEZ initiative.
“The Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City is thrilled to work with Oklahoma Complete Health to implement initiatives that will improve the quality of life and health outcomes in the state,” said President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City Dr. Valerie Thompson. “Together, we are committed to creating lasting change.”