AmeriHealth Caritas Florida Distributes Back-to-School Essentials to South Florida Families

The Medicaid managed care health plan distributed school supplies to more than 2,000 families over the course of five community events held throughout July and early August

August 30, 2022 - Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Education plays an integral role in health outcomes, impacting everything from access to health care, social and psychological skills, and healthy behaviors.[i] For AmeriHealth Caritas Florida, supporting good health means helping give children the best head start as they head back to school. The Medicaid managed care plan, which serves seven counties across the state, recently delivered school supplies to more than 2,000 families during five special back-to-school events:

• Caribbean Community Connection of Orlando, Inc.’s 19th Annual Back to School Day Festival (St. Lucie County)
• Community Connexion’s Drive-Thru Back to School Giveaway (Miami-Dade County)
• Pine Ridge Holistic Living Center & West Palm Beach Housing Authority’s Back to School Resource Fair (Palm Beach County)
• Pathways to Prosperity’s Back to School Fair (Boynton Beach, Palm Beach County)
• Branches’ Back to School Bash (Miami-Dade County)

The supplies included pencil cases filled with essentials such as pencils, pens, Post-it Notes, and rulers.

In addition, AmeriHealth Caritas Florida also donated 300 more pencil cases to Bethel Evangelical Church in Miami-Dade County and another 200 to Children’s Outreach Inc. in Palm Beach County.

“Education impacts every part of a person’s life, including their health and the opportunities available to them,” Florida Market President Kathy Warner says. ”By providing children with the tools to succeed, including the basic supplies required in the classroom, we can help them feel more prepared to fully engage and learn.”

While school supplies play a role in students’ success, the costs can be prohibitive for low-income families. The National Retail Federation reports that families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items this year. [ii]

Site Administrator and Assistant Director at Pathways to Prosperity, Inc. Kwankila Corbin (left) joins AmeriHealth Caritas Florida Community Programs & Communications Coordinator Rachel McNair (right) during the Pathways to Prosperity Back to School Fair in Palm Beach County. This event is one of five attended by AmeriHealth Caritas Florida and served approximately 700 families.