• About Us
• News
• Community
• Careers

Press Releases: 2009

Providing Quality Healthcare Across All Cultural Boundaries

Resources and Tools Available for a Growing Diverse Membership

When Kenya Vasquez-Martinez initially joined First Choice, a Medicaid health plan offered by Select Health of South Carolina, she was an alert and vivacious child. However, she couldn’t walk. Special medical needs hindered her mobility and the development of skills that most children her age had already acquired.

Four years after her enrollment into the First Choice plan, Kenya is nearly a walking miracle. She can take about 30 steps on her own; an accomplishment that is due to her unrelenting spirit and a special-fitting leg brace that the family obtained with the help of First Choice nurse case managers.

The dedicated team of nurse professionals who provided help to the Vasquez-Martinez family is just one of several benefits available to them as part of the First Choice program.  Kenya and her family also have access to a 24-hour nurse help line; a large provider network which allows them to choose the best doctor for them; free personal healthcare items that includes day-to-day medical supplies such as over-the-counter medicines; and free health education that helps them to stay up-to-date with the latest medical services and features, particularly those that are helpful for Kenya.

As part of the Hispanic community, Kenya and her family have also taken advantage of the many resources Select Health has made available to cater to the unique cultural needs of its membership.  Those resources include free telephonic interpretation and bilingual staff members who help address member needs. Select Health also translates all vital documents into Spanish, and convenes a Spanish editorial review committee to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of member materials through the use of back translation.

“Select Health is committed to providing the necessary tools and resources, both medically and culturally, to ensure quality healthcare for all of the people we serve,” said J. Michael Jernigan, chief executive officer of Select Health. “It is imperative that we cater to the needs of our diverse membership. ”

To join First Choice, individuals must meet certain eligibility and citizenship requirements.  Families interested in enrolling must first complete and submit a Medicaid application.  The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) will review and determine approval for the program based on eligibility requirements and income guidelines.  To enroll, families may logon to www.scchoices.com or contact an enrollment counselor at 1.877.552.4642.

About Select Health
Incorporated in 1995, Select Health was licensed as a Health Maintenance Organization by the South Carolina Department of Insurance in 1996.  Later that year, the company contracted with the Department of Health and Human Services to offer First Choice, the state’s first Medicaid health plan.  Select Health is accredited by URAC and is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmeriHealth Mercy.  The AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies touches the lives of more than 6.2 million members nationwide. For more information, visit www.selecthealthofsc.com.

About CLAS Standards
Select Health of South Carolina has adopted the national CLAS standards as issued by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH).  The OMH has established a set of 14 national CLAS standards in health care that constitute mandates, guidelines, and recommendations intended to inform, guide, and facilitate required and recommended practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services. These standards define how health care information is received, how rights and protections are exercised, what is considered a health problem, how symptoms and concerns about the problem are expressed, who should provide treatment for the problem, and what type of treatment should be delivered.