Sunshine State Health Plan® gains 10 additional counties by the State of Florida, Department of Elder Affairs to expand its Nursing Home Diversion Program

Sunshine State Health Plan® gains 10 additional counties by the State of Florida, Department of Elder Affairs to expand its Nursing Home Diversion Program

Submitted by Vikki Ho-Shing

     SUNRISE, FL – Sunshine State Health Plan® (Sunshine Health) recently announced that its Nursing Home Diversion program has expanded its footprint into 10 additional counties throughout the State of Florida. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs (FDEA) has approved Sunshine Health’s extended presence in Monroe, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Highland, Hardee, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. Sunshine Health, which will now operate in 30 counties, is the third largest Nursing Home Diversion (NHD) program in the state.

    “Sunshine Health is excited about extending our reach in the NHD program. This expansion will allow our most vulnerable seniors more choices when selecting a NHD plan and will give Sunshine Health an even stronger presence in our State,” said David Wagner, vice president of Long Term Care and Product Development.

    “I am especially pleased to make this announcement because growth in the aged population has increased the demand for Nursing Home Diversion services,” said Chris Paterson, president of Sunshine State Health Plan. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ expansion approval supports our partnership to provide solutions to meet these demands.”

    Sunshine Health is positioned as an effective partner and is committed to ensuring that members are involved in their care planning and offers services to support long-term care. Through a comprehensive approach, Sunshine Health encourages community involvement, care management and integrated systems that facilitate partnerships with providers, caregivers, participants and social services.

    Sunshine Health operates Medicaid and NHD managed care plans with membership of over 208,500. Sunshine Health’s local approach provides accessible, high quality and culturally sensitive healthcare services to its members.

 About Sunshine State Health Plan

    Sunshine State Health Plan (Sunshine Health) is a Florida Medicaid and Nursing Home Diversion health plan. Sunshine Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services. Centene Corporation earned a ranking of #453 in the 2012 Fortune 500 list, up from #493 last year, placing it in the Fortune 500 for the third year in a row. Information regarding Sunshine Health is available via the Internet at www.sunshinestatehealth.com.