Social Responsibility
Together we can help our communities thrive
We're helping to create a healthier world. One insight, one connection, one person at a time.
Our commitment to social responsibility
Everyone deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life
We believe creating opportunities for healthier living is our calling — not our “duty” as a corporation. It’s because we care. Deeply. Genuinely.
To us, social responsibility is about human beings who commit to serving other human beings. Simple. And it's at the very core of all we do.
Key areas of focus in moving toward a healthier world:
- Advance diversity in health care leadership.
- Apply data and expertise toward ending disparities and bias.
- Deliver equitable care, experiences and outcomes.
- Build equity commitments into business goals.
- Foster a culture of changemakers who innovate and collaborate.
Longtime health and social imbalances have surfaced more than ever during the pandemic.
Our goal? To serve communities who face many of the harshest impacts of COVID-19. The underserved communities need better access to high-quality care. At the same time, we're also tackling the centuries-old causes of health inequity in our society.
We’re working with community resources to make sure these populations have the health care, social services, financial support and education to protect against the virus.
Bringing wellness to communities:
- Working with community partners to deliver free, fresh food to vulnerable people.
- Making phone calls to our highest-risk members to support their needs during COVID-19.
- Giving free access to our mental health mobile app and 24/7 emotional support phone line.
- Expanding help for members who are isolated from society. This includes access to medicines, supplies, food, care and support programs.
- Offering a symptom checker to help our highest-risk members decide on next steps for diagnosis or treatment.
- Pinpointing communities with inadequate resources. Offering infection testing, masks and sanitizers to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
We believe every person has the right to be treated with respect, live free of fear and discrimination, and have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential.
With the George Floyd tragedy happening close to home for both UnitedHealth Group and Optum, we immediately focused on what’s happening in our backyard. Those steps include:
- Supporting the Floyd family by setting up an education trust fund for Mr. Floyd’s children and grandchild.
- Mobilizing on-the-ground community organizations to donate $4 million in unrestricted funds. The goal: Rebuild small businesses across the Twin Cities.
- Encouraging employees to volunteer 25,000 company hours to clean up damaged areas and support community inclusion and equality.
- Offering free mental health resources to all residents in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
- Investing $5 million in the YMCA Twin Cities’ Equity Innovation Center to advance equity, inclusivity and systemic change.
It’s also important to address the other, but no less essential, challenges of social responsibility. Here are a few ways we took on those challenges in 2019. The results? Our social responsibility programs have impacted one million lives:
- We removed 2 million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere by reducing OptumRx packaging and diverted more than 30 tons of waste from landfills in partnership with Job One, a nonprofit that works with individuals of all abilities.
- In 2019, Optum technology teams offered STEM education and support programs to ~ 6,800 students in over 100 schools, with a focus on supporting girls and Black and Latino students.
- In addition, technology teams built open-source platforms to support pharmacy deliveries in Sierra Leone and capacity-building projects in care settings across South America and Africa.
- We developed an LGBTQ health task force to enhance high-quality care and support for this population.
Optum is proud to be a founding member of The Trinity Challenge, a global effort that emphasizes the use of data and advanced analytics to protect our world against future health emergencies.
The Trinity Challenge is led by a coalition of respected organizations and influential leaders from across the business, academic and social sectors. It is a call to action for the world’s best and brightest minds to contribute ideas and innovations, with £10M in awards for the best Challenge Teams.
Teams are asked to create solutions that focus on:
- Identification: We need to know where outbreaks are likely to occur and why, and to identify interventions to reduce risk.
- Response: We need to know what actions are effective — and their societal and economic costs — to reduce transmission and spread.
- Recovery: We need to know how to address the disproportionate health and economic impact of outbreaks and pandemics.
In the news
Press Release
Optum, Wider Circle and Helping Hands Community partner to deliver free, fresh food to vulnerable people during COVID-19 pandemic
Collaboration will help more than 60,000 Optum patients in Los Angeles County combat food insecurity.
Press Release
Optum Commits $1 Million in Pro Bono Services to Address Local Health and Wellness Needs in Partnership with John Muir Health
Efforts will support critical community services that improve people's health and wellness