CHICAGO and TAMPA, Fla., July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony Health Plan, Inc., a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), recently honored four local champions who are dedicated to helping their community members live better, healthier lives.

The 2017 Harmony CommUnity Hero awards were given in four categories, health care, education, advocacy and community support, based on nominations received from throughout Northern Illinois. The winners are:


    --  Health Care - Estibaliz (Lisa) Gonzalez, case manager at VNA Health
        Care, Aurora Illinois. As a case manager, Gonzalez visits patients in
        their homes and hospitals to ensure they have the best quality of care.
        According to her nominator, she "...understands the challenges and
        barriers our patients face. Her positive 'can-do' attitude makes
        patients feel comfortable. They trust and relate to her, and she quickly
        becomes their go-to contact at VNA." In addition, Gonzalez has a 100
        percent contact rate in finding patients who have missed critical
        appointments, helping to ensure they continue to receive vital health
        care resources.


    --  Education - Donovan R. Robinson, dean of students, Chicago Public
        School. "...Robinson takes the time to learn what is going on in a
        student's life which may be affecting his/her behavior and school
        performance. He links students and their families to the necessary
        social supports so education can be a priority and not worrying about
        where the next meal will come from or the domestic violence situation
        they may be witnessing," said Robinson's nomination. A firm believer in
        restorative practices, Robinson helped decrease suspension rates at his
        high school from 858 students a year to 72 students annually, during a
        six-year period.


    --  Advocacy - Nan Anderson, former advisory council chair of AgeOptions,
        Evanston, Illinois. A recipient of the Illinois Department of Aging
        Governor's Unique Achievement Award, Anderson is an active advocate for
        her entire community. Her professional life includes working with Girl
        Scouts of the USA, the YWCA, and establishing a domestic violence
        shelter. Her nominator said, "Nan gets it. She has a private caseload of
        neighbors, friends and community agency clients who look to her for
        guidance.... Nan does her homework and infects others with a sense of
        accomplishment as well as the knowledge that together we can and will
        support each other ...."


    --  Community Support - Elizabeth Galik, executive director of River City
        Community Development Center (R CITY), Chicago, Illinois. R CITY serves
        the West Humboldt Park community. It is committed to supporting children
        from cradle to career with a web of community support and out-of-school
        programs that build strong foundations for children, relationship skills
        for adolescents, and apprenticeships for teens. "From my perspective,
        the key word that comes to mind when I think of Beth is RESPONSE. She
        responds to needs, she shows compassion, she looks for solutions rather
        than only seeing the problems around her," stated her nomination.

"Harmony Health Plan is proud to recognize these outstanding individuals who are working to help ensure our communities have access to vital services and resources," said David Reynolds, Harmony acting president and WellCare north division senior vice president. "We are committed to providing our members and communities with the resources they need to reach their optimal health. This cannot be achieved without the support of men and women like the ones honored as 2017 Harmony CommUnity Heroes."

Honorees received a $500 donation from Harmony Health Plan to the charity of their choice.

As of March 31, 2017, WellCare and Harmony Health Plan serve approximately 205,000 members in Illinois, including 156,000 Medicaid members, 17,000 Medicare Advantage plan members and 32,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
 Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. WellCare serves approximately 4.1 million members nationwide as of March 31, 2017. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.