Milliman Giving Fund grant strengthens Navajo communities

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, announced today that the Milliman Giving Fund awarded a grant to Partners in Health (PIH) and their nonprofit partner Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE), who works across Navajo Nation.

The three-year $750,000 award will increase access to the COPE Navajo Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (Navajo FVRx), which provides vouchers for healthy foods to targeted recipients and expands access to healthy food to the greater Navajo community. It also enables COPE to build local capacity around data analysis and to share data-driven lessons that inform food access policy and nutrition security in Indigenous communities and beyond.

“Access to healthy foods is critical for any community,” said Milliman Giving Fund Co-Chair John Meerschaert. “We’re proud to support the expansion of the COPE FVRx program, and we hope it will positively impact the health and well-being of the Navajo community. It’s also exciting that Milliman professionals will have the opportunity to volunteer their expertise to help COPE develop community-based data analytics capabilities and demonstrate the value of this program to the world.”

This work builds on a prior $750,000 Milliman Giving Fund grant from 2021 to 2023 that focused on strengthening the Navajo health system and improving the lives of those living with chronic diseases.

“We greatly appreciate the grant awarded from the Milliman Giving Fund,” said President of COPE’s Board of Directors Sharon Fenn. “This creates an opportunity for COPE to continue focused efforts on improving access to healthy foods on the Navajo Nation and for COPE and local partners to leverage data to tell an important story.”

The employee- and retiree-funded Milliman Giving Fund amplifies Milliman’s mission by supporting transformative programs to improve communities’ health, education, and economic development worldwide. Since 2019, the Giving Fund has donated more than $5 million to partners worldwide.

About Milliman

Milliman is among the world’s largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. For further information, visit milliman.com.

About Partners in Health and COPE

PIH is a non-profit, social justice organization founded in 1987 that strives to make health care a human right for all people. They collaborate globally with local governments to provide care and strengthen public health systems.

COPE is an Indigenous led 501c3 sister organization to PIH that aims to promote health equity by collaborating with communities and health system partners on Navajo Nation.

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