MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

United Health Foundation today announced $1 million in renewed funding to help the Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center improve health care quality and access in Miamis Overtown neighborhood.

The gift renewal which marks a total of $8,975,000 committed since 2004 is provided through the University of Miami Miller School of Medicines Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and is aimed at addressing some of the areas most serious health issues, including diabetes and related risk factors like obesity, inadequate physical activity and unhealthy dietary behaviors.

The community served by the Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center is disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes and at high risk for complications associated with the disease, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, loss of limbs and death. The funding helps the center to expand its primary care capacity and provide patients with a comprehensive, team-based approach to chronic disease management.

Were helping patients in this high-risk community receive the comprehensive medical care, knowledge and mental health services they need to improve diabetes outcomes and potentially improve quality of life for themselves and their families, said John G. Ryan, Dr.P.H., director of the United Health Foundation-funded program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Thanks to support from United Health Foundation, we can continue to do what is clearly making a difference for patients: improving outcomes, preventing hospitalizations and helping patients to be engaged in self-managing their disease.

Services supported by the funding include: diabetes clinical management; medical nutrition therapy; physical activity; diabetes education; mental health support; depression management; social services and more. These services are delivered in a patient-centered manner that is based on Family Medicine and public health models, and the goal is to build and sustain strong relationships between care providers and patients, and to help patients learn how to self-manage their health.

I applaud United Health Foundation and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for their collaborative efforts to help Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center improve health care for thousands of people in Miamis Overtown neighborhood, said Florida Representative Cynthia A. Stafford (D-Miami). Having access to high-quality, affordable care regardless of income and age makes a critical difference in peoples health and has far-reaching benefits for the livelihood our communities.

United Health Foundation has provided the funding to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine since 2004 to support the universitys efforts at the Jefferson Reaves clinic as part of the Foundations Community Health Centers of Excellence initiative. The Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center is an outpatient, primary care practice managed by Jackson Health Systems that serves more than 6,000 people each year. Over the last decade, the clinic has had a strong impact in the community.

The gift comes at a critical time for community clinics: the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) estimates that the more than 20 million people served by community health centers each year could nearly double by 2015 as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

As millions more enter the health system starting in 2014, community health centers will become an increasingly vital resource nationwide, said Kate Rubin, president of United Health Foundation. We are working to help community clinics deliver high-quality care to the people who need it most and in ways that work. Our goal is to help solve the nations most serious health challenges, one community at a time.

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United Health Foundation Awards $1 Million to Support Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center in Miami