Our work in health

Good health is critical for children to grow and develop and for adults to live full and productive lives. We take a comprehensive approach to health. It encompasses access to physical, oral and behavioral health care to addressing the needs of special populations, such as older adults, to promoting healthy lifestyles, the single most important determinant of good health.

Here’s just some ways in which we are achieving these outcomes:

Funding programs that improve health

40 programs at United Way Impact Partner agencies that help individuals, families and older adults to access quality health services, support healthy lifestyles and increase access to the healthcare system, including preventive health screenings and caregiver support.

Championing healthcare

After seven years of advocacy by United Way and many state partners, the legislature eliminated the five-year ban for lawfully residing immigrant children to enroll in the Florida KidCare program, bringing access to healthcare to as many as 17,000 uninsured children statewide.

Partnering to reduce prescription costs

Through our partnership with SingleCare (formerly FamilyWize), we’ve helped people save millions of dollars in prescription drug costs. More than 200,000 people and counting have used the SingleCare Prescription Savings Card to better manage their health.

Envisioning an age-friendly community

In collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor, the Health Foundation of South Florida, and the Alliance for Aging, we authored the Age- Friendly Action Plan for Miami-Dade County, facilitated the adoption of age-friendly county policies, and encouraged municipalities to join the age-friendly movement.

Raising public awareness

With more than a half million of Miami-Dade residents over the age of 60 and that population expected to grow by 23 percent by 2025, we hosted our first Stand Up for Older Adults event to raise awareness about the state of aging and solutions for addressing waiting lists and other older adult issues.

Healthy Eating, Active Living (H.E.A.L.) Initiative

The Healthy Eating, Active Living (H.E.A.L.) initiative supports the health pillar’s Healthy Lifestyles focus area of United Way Miami, which aims to promote healthy childhood weight by addressing physical activity and healthy eating in home, school, or community settings for children and youth (up to age 18).

In addition to the grants offered through the Impact Partner Fund, we also support other programs across Miami-Dade County that focus on promoting healthy lifestyles.