UNITED FOR HEALTH

Background

Whether it is a individual without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Way of Santa Barbara County is working to ensure that every local resident has access to affordable and quality care.

  • More than 33% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s 25 million kids and teenagers.

  • Children with health coverage are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life.1

  • The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million. More than 80% are working families.2

  • 8.7 million children live without health insurance – more than the total number enrolled in the first and second grades in U.S. public schools.3

Our Goal

The United for Health Initiative (UFH) serves Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable residents—seniors and lower-income families. UFH programs focus on helping them deal with the rising costs of healthcare and increasing wellness through:
  • Discounts on Prescriptions and Health Services 
  • Increased Access to Health Screenings and Healthcare Services
  • Education on Nutrition and High-risk Behaviors

Our Strategy

Achieving our goal requires us all to become more aware of health risks and the potential effects they have on ourselves and others, starting from before birth. Working to change policies and practices, such as extending health care coverage, will enable more people to live healthier lives.

Since United for Health’s inception:
  • Over 260,000 individuals received health care services through United Way programs and community partner organizations.
  • Santa Barbara residents received nearly one and a quarter million health visits and services through United for Health Programs.

Our Programs

Health Services Discount Card

Fun in the Sun

Community Grants

Our Partners Include:

American Indian Health & Services - Art From Scrap - Assistance League of Santa Barbara - Cancer Center of Santa Barbara - Carpinteria Unified School District - City of Santa Barbara - City of Santa Maria - Community Action Commission - Cornelia Moore Dental Foundation - Cottage Hospital - Easy Lift - Family Service Agency - Foodbank of Santa Barbara County - Goleta Union School Districts - Guadalupe Dunes Center Collaborative - Montecito Bank & Trust - Santa Barbara Bank & Trust - Santa Barbara City College - Santa Barbara Museum of Art - Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics - Santa Barbara Unified School Districts - UCSB - Wells Fargo Bank - Westmont College - Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara - Plus dozens more!

For more information, contact Melinda Cabrera, Director of Strategic Partnerships, at 805-965-8591 or mcabrera@unitedwaysb.org.

 

1Institute of Medicine. From Neurons to Neighborhood: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2000.)
2Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from the March Current Population Survey, 2007 Supplement.
3Compiled by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), University of Minnesota School of Public Health, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey 2007.