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MVP Makes $200,000 Pledge for Unique Medical Education Program

ALBANY, N.Y., April 24, 2008 – Albany Medical Center has received a $200,000 commitment from MVP Health Care to support a unique program that offers medical students the opportunity to partner with community organizations and physicians in helping to address the un-met health care needs of the underserved.    

Project MedSCOPE (Medical Student Community Outreach for Prevention & Education) serves to improve the health and well-being of residents in the Albany community. The program introduces medical students and physician faculty members to the challenges facing the underserved and gives them the necessary tools to provide health care to those in greatest need at various clinics and shelters in the neighborhoods surrounding Albany Medical Center. Additionally, the program recruits faculty, residents and medical students from Albany Med’s department of family and community medicine to volunteer their time to help educate children in local schools about healthy living through a variety of educational programs.

“MVP Health Care has established itself as a leader in raising awareness and educating our community about health and wellness,” said James J. Barba, president and chief executive officer of Albany Medical Center. “MVP’s resolve to improve the quality of life for area residents is further reinforced by its generous support of Project MedSCOPE which provides vital education and patient care services to residents in the Albany region. We are honored to have MVP as our partner and we are grateful for its philanthropic support.”

To date, more than 1,700 medical students and staff have participated in Project MedSCOPE and visited dozens of schools in the area.

“Albany Medical Center is a vital and unique component in the region’s health care system,” said David W. Oliker, MVP Health Care president and CEO.  “As the region’s only academic health sciences center, our members depend on the high quality care available at the Medical Center while the future of our region’s medical community is strengthened by the physicians trained at the Medical College,” he said.

MVP Health Care, Inc.
MVP Health Care, Inc., is a family of companies offering a range of health benefit plans and options combined with leading-edge wellness programs that help reduce health risks and control health care costs. MVP distinguishes itself by combining the wide range of health benefit plan options offered by large insurers with the attentive service and flexibility normally associated with a smaller company.

Through MVP Health Plan, Inc., the MVP Health Insurance Company, Preferred Care and Preferred Assurance Company, MVP Health Care, Inc. serves more than 650,000 members across Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Albany Medical Center
Albany Medical Center is northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center. It consists of Albany Medical College, Albany Medical Center Hospital and the Albany Medical Center Foundation, Inc. Additional information about Albany Medical Center can be found at www.amc.edu.
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