WellCare Sponsors Race for St. Lawrence Place's Kids' Fun Run

COLUMBIA, S.C. and TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the important connection between homelessness and health, WellCare of South Carolina, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. WCG, will serve as the title sponsor for the St. Lawrence Place's Race for the Place Kids' Fun Run, on Saturday, Feb. 18.

St. Lawrence Place is a 30-home community that provides transitional housing, support services and life skills training to enable homeless families to achieve independent living.

Approximately 27 percent of South Carolina's homeless are families. Unlike many shelters that only serve women and children or single men, St. Lawrence Place allows families to stay together.

"Families struggling with homelessness are often unable to prioritize their children's health or obtain needed preventive care," said Kathy Warner, WellCare's state president in South Carolina. "Children experiencing homelessness are sick four times more often and are four times more likely to show delayed development than other children. WellCare is committed to finding solutions to help those we serve manage the everyday challenges that make it difficult to achieve and maintain optimal health."

This year, world-renowned basketball player/coach and WellCare of South Carolina spokesperson, Dawn Staley and her organization, INNERSOLE, will provide new athletic shoes for the children staying at St. Lawrence Place.

Since its inception in May 2013, INNERSOLE, whose goal is to provide new athletic shoes to children who are homeless or in need, has given shoes to more than 7,500 homeless and low-income children in South Carolina.

To learn more about St. Lawrence Place and the Race for the Place 5K and Kids' Fun Run visit www.stlawrenceplace.org.

As of Dec. 31, 2016, WellCare serves approximately 87,000 Medicaid members, 11,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members and 4,000 Medicare Advantage members in South Carolina.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. 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 3.9 million members nationwide as of Dec. 31, 2016. 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.