Woonsocket woman honored by NHPRI

SMITHFIELD — Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island has announced that Tanairi Garcia, Woonsocket resident and community outreach worker with the non-profit health insurance company, has earned national recognition from the Association of Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP).

Garcia earned an Honorable Mention as part of ACAP’s 2017 Making a Difference Award program. She was nominated for the award by Neighborhood’s president and CEO, Peter Marino.

“We are so proud of Tanairi, and so happy to see her dedication recognized,” Marino said. “The compassion that she and her co-workers demonstrate to our members is what sets Neighborhood apart. People can get their health insurance coverage from any number of places. But Tanairi understands that health care is personal, and she works every day to build that personal connection with our members.”

Garcia works with Neighborhood’s Health@Home program, which focuses on the plan’s most at-risk and medically fragile members. These are people with complex, multichronic, disabling conditions for whom routine, clinic-based care is not an option. All of Neighborhood’s Health@Home members have Medicaid benefits; some are so-called “duals” who are covered by both Medicaid and Medicare. Neighborhood meets these members’ needs by sending professionals like Garcia into their homes where they can address even the most pressing concerns. She was the first person hired to launch Health@Home in 2014.

ACAP initiated its Making A Difference Award to showcase the core principles that define the country’s “safety net” health plans: advocacy, care, and access.

“Employees at ACAP’s member plans wake up every morning and work to make a meaningful difference in the lives of their members,” said Margaret A. Murray, ACAP’s Chief Executive Officer. “Tanairi exemplifies the best that ACAP plan staff has to offer. We are excited to recognize the difference she makes.”