Health Plus - Backing a Brilliant Future

For Immediate Release

Backing a Brilliant Future
Health Plus Sponsors Black and Puerto Rican Caucus’s 34th Annual Legislative Conference

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Albany - February 21, 2005 — The New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators held its 34th Annual Conference last weekend, from Friday to Sunday, at venues including the Crown Plaza in the state’s capital. The event was attended by many top lawmakers, among them Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Charles Rangel and New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

This year’s theme was “Education is the Jewel Casting Brilliance into Our Future.” In keeping with this theme, the conference hosted numerous educational workshops, as well as inspirational speakers (including keynote speaker Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr), and, as headlining entertainment, the popular singing group, New Edition, and Arturo Farrel & The Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble. Health Plus, the managed care organization, was proud to sponsor the event, which supports New York State’s African-American and Latino communities.

“Health Plus is delighted, each year, to participate in this event, and proud that we can aid the Association in their efforts on behalf of their constituencies,” says Ad Rodriguez, Chief Marketing Officer for Health Plus. “We are always eager to support elected leaders in initiatives that strengthen our communities.”

Eighty-seven students were singled out for scholarships at the conference this year, as part of the Association’s on-going efforts to improve the representation of people of color in higher education. Over the years, the Black and Puerto Rican College Fund has enabled hundreds of disadvantaged New York State students to attend and graduate college.

Guests at Sunday’s luncheon at the 34th Annual Black and Puerto Rican Legislators’ Conference gather before the event. Left to right: State Senators Malcolm A. Smith and Kevin Parker; Ada Rodriguez, Tom Early, and Cleo Dixon, Chief Marketing Officer

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Health Plus, a not-for-profit, multi-cultural organization, is one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City. It was established in 1984 with a commitment to provide coordinated quality health care and improving access to health care for uninsured and underserved families. In its annual review of managed care plans, the New York State Department of Health ranked Health Plus as the top plan for quality in its 2002 and 2003 "Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in New York City." Health Plus is New York City's leading provider of Child Health Plus, a New York State Department of Health program that offers parents FREE or low-cost health insurance for children under the age of 19. "CRAIN'S New York Business" magazine ranked Health Plus fifth among the largest health maintenance organizations in the New York area.