YOUNG WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER RECEIVES $10,000 FROM IOWA TOTAL CARE

DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Young Women's Resource Center (YWRC) has been awarded a $10,000 sponsorship from Iowa Total Care to support general operations and programming to benefit local girls and young women ages 10 – 24.

"Iowa Total Care recognizes the important work YWRC does in advocating and supporting girls and young women in the Des Moines area," said Mitch Wasden, Plan President & CEO, Iowa Total Care.

The YWRC provides three core programs: Counseling, Empowerment, and Young Moms. Through these programs, participants are able to grow in self-confidence, build self-esteem, learn about healthy relationships, gain reproductive health knowledge, receive individual support, develop resiliency, and strengthen coping skills.

Counseling offers participants a safe, inclusive, empowering space to process traumas and navigate everyday challenges. The Empowerment Team provides in-school and on-site groups year-round that increase youths' sense of self and create a strong, positive social network of peers. In addition to group programming, Young Moms participants receive support through individualized services, including assistance to secure safe housing, partner with inclusive healthcare providers, complete high school, pursue higher education, and work with doulas during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

In addition to counseling, programming, and individual support, the YWRC also provides personal hygiene items, snacks and meals, take-home food supplies, diapers, baby formula, school supplies, menstrual products, winter coats and boots, and more. Larger youth events such as Back to School Bash and Empowerment Workshop expand the YWRC's reach so that more local youth can benefit from services.

Kari Zimmerman, Executive Director of the YWRC shared how important this sponsorship is: "With this generous sponsorship from Iowa Total Care, the YWRC will be able to continue to respond to the everchanging needs of girls and young women right here in our community, providing them with the support, resources, peer-to-peer connections, and trusted adults they need."

ABOUT IOWA TOTAL CARE
Iowa Total Care provides Medicaid healthcare coverage to eligible individuals in Iowa. Established in 2019, Iowa Total Care exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate, and coordinated care. Iowa Total Care is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information about Iowa Total Care, visit www.iowatotalcare.com.  

ABOUT YOUNG WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER
The Young Women's Resource Center is a non-profit organization that supports, educates, and advocates for girls and young women* ages 10-24. The YWRC offers small groups and individual support focused on building self-esteem and healthy relationships, as well as understanding reproductive health. Approximately 1,000 girls and young women are served each year. Young Moms participants receive additional support focused on healthy pregnancy/childbirth and parenting/life skills. The YWRC meets participants where they are and assists them with discovering their abilities and pursuing their goals. Learn more at www.ywrc.org. *We define 'girls and young women' as any persons who have been socialized and/or identify as female; trans and nonbinary individuals included.

SOURCE Iowa Total Care