UC Riverside has received $5 million from UnitedHealth Group for the creation of a medical education program and related health sciences programs, giving a significant boost to the fundraising campaign for the School of Medicine that UCR is seeking.
The charitable contribution to UCR is part of an overall commitment UnitedHealth Group is making to help meet the health care needs of underserved groups and communities in California.
"UnitedHealth Group's generous gift has created a strong foundation for our health sciences initiative and provided the momentum for our campus to attract other gifts from foundations, corporations and individuals," Chancellor France A. Córdova said. "Even more importantly, it will go a long way toward supporting the launch of our efforts."
UnitedHealth Group's contribution to meet health care needs is a response to a University of California study of April 2005 that called for the creation of one or more new comprehensive medical education programs by 2020. The report that ensued from the study emphasized situating such programs in medically underserved regions in the state, such as the Inland Southern California, a region projected to face significant shortages of physicians in the future.
"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 William W. McGuire, M.D., UnitedHealth Group chairman and CEO.
Besides UCR, UC Merced will benefit similarly from a $5 million contribution from UnitedHealth Group. The company will make the total $10 million contribution to the UC Regents according to the following schedule: $2 million in 2006; $4 million in 2007; and $4 million in 2008, to be divided equally between the two campuses.
UCR plans to use its share of the contribution to hire staff, such as deans, professors, assistants and other personnel, who would establish course work and classes associated with the health sciences program on campus; renovate and upgrade research and educational facilities; and continue and expand upon planning efforts for both the academic vision and the business model for the health sciences initiative that UCR launched last year to serve Inland Southern California's vast medically underserved population.
Recently UnitedHealth Group merged with PacifiCare Health Systems, one of the largest HMO provider networks in Inland Southern California.
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.