Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Athletics, IlliniCare Health Announce Multi-Year Relationship; Establish "Salukis Who Care" Initiative
10/25/2019 | 9:30:00 | General
Carbondale, Ill. (Oct. 25, 2019) – Southern Illinois University and its athletics multimedia rightsholder, Saluki Sports Properties, today introduced IlliniCare Health as the newest member of the Salukis' corporate partner family.
IlliniCare Health is one of the leading managed care organizations in Illinois with a goal of providing accessible healthcare and better quality of life to those on Illinois Medicaid. IlliniCare recently opened their Carbondale-based service center to facilitate company growth while also providing hundreds of job opportunities for the Southern Illinois region.
As IlliniCare Health's mission is to transform communities, one individual at a time, the core component of this partnership revolves around Saluki Athletics and IlliniCare Health collectively placing a significant emphasis on promoting community engagement and volunteerism. Together, they will establish a "Salukis Who Care" initiative, and IlliniCare Health assumes the designation of Saluki Athletics' Official Community Engagement Partner. The two entities will work closely together to identify volunteers for various community projects while working alongside non-profit organizations and communities throughout the region.
"Recognizing the regional impact of Southern Illinois University, IlliniCare Health is proud to launch the Salukis Who Care initiative and serve as the official Community Engagement Partner of the Salukis," said Veronika Mix, vice president of Community Outreach and Advertising. "We are committed to expanding our impact through Southern Illinois and believe this partnership further highlights our commitment to the region while we work to transform the health of the community one individual at a time. We are excited to volunteer alongside the talented student athletes of Southern Illinois University to further this mission."
The "Salukis Who Care" initiative will be promoted extensively through Saluki Athletics and IlliniCare Health, and a new website will be created in order to leverage volunteer opportunities and curate new volunteers altogether. Both SIU and IlliniCare Health recognize the importance of giving back to the community and decided to launch "Salukis Who Care" as one united initiative to further advance the volunteer effort with the Southern Illinois area.
"Our student-athletes performed nearly 6,000 hours of community service activities last year — second in the nation in the NCAA — so finding a partner that shares our commitment to helping southern Illinoisans further enhances our ability to give back. IlliniCare Health's mission to provide a better quality of life aligns perfectly with the values of Saluki Athletics" said Athletic Director Liz Jarnigan when asked about the new partnership with IlliniCare Health.
The new relationship with IlliniCare Health was secured by Saluki Sports Properties, which works in alignment with the athletics administration and is the locally based Learfield IMG College team dedicated to representing the Salukis.
About IlliniCare Health
Committed to treating the whole person, IlliniCare Health is a local health plan that provides a full range of high-quality commercial and government-sponsored healthcare programs to Illinois residents. IlliniCare Health provides services to Medicaid recipients through HealthChoice Illinois. IlliniCare Health also participates in the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative, providing coordinated services for those individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Additionally, IlliniCare Health offers plans for individuals and families who are seeking affordable, quality health coverage on the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace through Ambetter from IlliniCare Health. Moreover, IlliniCare Health has Medicare Advantage plans available through Allwell from IlliniCare Health to those who qualify for Medicare (Parts A and B). Through its health plans, IlliniCare Health aims to remove barriers and make it simple for Illinois residents to get well, stay well, and be well.
