SEATTLE - The Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF) and Coordinated Care, an organization committed to improving the health of Washingtonians throughout the state and a Centene Corporation company (NYSE: CNC), held a 'Strong Youth Strong Communities' (SYSC) youth summit at the Seattle Seahawks' Lumen Field on Friday, June 7.
Led by Hall of Famers Darrell Green, Aeneas Williams, and Walter Jones, SYSC is based on the premise that investing in today's youth can yield generational returns and positively impact current and future communities. The youth summit was attended by 400 youth from six schools.
Washington youth, like in many other states, are often challenged by the exposure to crime, drugs, limited access to quality health care and face social isolation and depression. The summit focused on these challenges and the impact they can have on a student's mental wellbeing. The pro athletes were able to share their real-life stories, lessons and methods for success in dealing with these issues.
'Coordinated Care knows the mind-body connection is critical to overall health, and we welcomed the opportunity to work with young people today to support their mental wellbeing and healthier futures,' said Coordinated Care President and CEO, Beth Johnson. 'We are committed to serving children, youth and families in Washington and proud to partner on this important event.'
Coordinated Care is a health plan in Washington that covers over 300,000 Medicaid members with more than 48% of them being children and youth. In addition, the plan also maintains a network of local behavioral health care providers and partners with organizations committed to expanding access to mental health services. Other partners supporting the youth summit included Tacoma School District, Franklin Pierce School District, Chief Leschi School, Communities In Schools of Federal Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and Kids Mental Health Pierce County.
'We believe that it's our collective responsibility to work together to help every child feel engaged, safe, supported, healthy, and challenged. We are so proud to partner with the many organizations today to promote health and mental health both inside and outside of the classroom,' said Josh Garcia, Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent. 'We believe it is critical our young people have available resources to tackle mental health challenges, and the youth summit today taught students new strategies to cope with our changing environment.'
Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Seattle Seahawks player Walter Jones said, 'It was an honor to be back in the Seattle community today to teach our youth how to tackle mental health challenges. Our youth are living in an extremely difficult, and often isolated, environment so providing them with the tools for success will open doors and help them navigate our increasingly digital world.'
The youth summit featured an interactive breakout session where students discussed what they faced in their schools and communities as well as discussing issues that are important to them.
About Strong Youth Strong Communities
SYSC is a nationwide campaign led by Centene Corporation, in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, national non-profit organizations, and local community service providers to bring teens together to learn life and leadership skills that help unlock their potential.
About Coordinated Care
Coordinated Care provides free and low-cost health insurance coverage to more than 300,000 Medicaid, foster care, Medicare and marketplace members across Washington, with more than 30,000 providers in-network. Coordinated Care is committed to transforming the health of the community one person at a time. They treat the whole person by breaking down barriers to accessing care, walking members through their benefits, and connecting them to the care they need. Coordinated Care is a Washington managed care organization and a Centene Corporation company, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives.
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