Health Net joins McKinley ES for National No One Eats Alone® Day

Stockton, CA (Feb. 13, 2020) – Today, students in 54 schools throughout the Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) took part in National No One Eats Alone® Day to learn about social isolation and how it can lead to bullying. The national event was created by the non-profit Beyond Differences™.

In honor of National No One Eats Alone® Day, representatives from Health Net hosted an assembly at McKinley Elementary School, where more than 200 students learned about the negative impact social isolation can have on a student’s health and academic performance.

The students then engaged in a simple act of kindness at lunchtime – making sure no one ate alone by sitting with students who they didn’t know. They were given ice breaker topics designed to spur conversations and identify common ground.

Special guests from the community were also in attendance to lend their support to the initiative, including Dr. John E. Deasy, Superintendent of Schools at Stockton Unified School District, and SUSD Board of Trustees Clerk and Area 1 Trustee Cecilia Mendez, and Area 4 Trustee Lange P. Luntao.

“With social-emotional learning (SEL) being a priority in our school district, programs like No One Eats Alone are incredibly important,” said Superintendent Deasy. “Building these soft skills for students helps promote a safe and nurturing environment that extends to the cafeteria. We want our students to have a stress-free and positive experience during lunch time, as they enjoy a healthy school meal that will give them the energy to power them through the school day.”

Beyond Differences talked with more than 10,000 students in dozens of schools and afterschool programs, and have identified social isolation as a precursor to bullying, self-harm and community violence. Students have shown that if they are given the tools, they will stand up for others as empathetic and caring activists, not passive bystanders.

“At Health Net, we’re committed to building and maintaining children’s health and well-being, and that includes providing them with resources to succeed in life,” said Brian Ternan, CEO for Health Net. “We are proud to support No One Eats Alone Day. Our goal has always been to transform the health of our communities – one person at a time, and that includes bringing light to social issues that affect students in California.”

“Social isolation is a preventable public health problem,” says Laura Talmus, co-founder and executive director of Beyond Differences. “We’ve learned through teachers and families that No One Eats Alone Day is a powerful step and positive initiative that can change the culture in schools to be a more welcoming place for all.”

Fast Facts:

• No One Eats Alone Day is sponsored by the Centene Charitable Foundation.
• The initiative reached more than 1 million students across all 50 states.
• The 54 Stockton Unified schools below joined more than 2,500 schools across the country that celebrated National No One Eats Alone Day:

Adams Elementary School

Alexander Hamilton Elementary School

August Elementary School

Cesar Chavez High School

Cleveland Elementary School

Commodore Stockton Skills

Dolores Huerta Elementary School

Dr. Lewis Dolphin Stallworth Sr. Charter

Edison High School

Edward C. Merlo Institute of Environmental Studies

El Dorado Elementary School

Elmwood Elementary School

Fillmore Elementary School

Franklin High School

George W. Bush Elementary School

George Washington Elementary School

Grunsky Elementary School

Harrison Elementary School

Hazelton Elementary School

Health Careers Academy

Hoover Elementary School

Jane Frederick High School

John C. Fremont Elementary School

John Marshall Elementary School

Kennedy Elementary School

King Elementary School

Kohl Open Elementary School

Madison Elementary School

Marshall K-8 Community Day

Maxine Hong Kingston Elementary

McKinley Elementary School

Monroe Elementary School

Montezuma Elementary School

Nightingale Charter

Pacific Law Academy

Pittman Charter

Pulliam Elementary School

Rio Calaveras Elementary School

Roosevelt Elementary School

San Joaquin elementary School

Spanos (Alex G.) Elementary School

Stagg Senior High School

Stockton Collegiate International School

Stockton high School

Taft Elementary School

Taylor Leadership Academy

Tyler Skills Elementary

Valentine Peyton Elementary

Van Buren Elementary

Victory Elementary School

Weber Institute

Wilhelmina Henry Elementary School

Wilson Elementary School

*Regency Park Elementary School

Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County (Multiple Districts)

* Regency Park Elementary School is part of the Twin Rivers Unified School District. All other schools are part of the Stockton Unified School District.

About Health Net

At Health Net, we believe every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of health. Founded 40 years ago, we remain dedicated to transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. Today, Health Net’s 2,800 employees and 85,000 network providers serve more than 3 million members. That’s nearly 1 in 12 Californians. We provide health plans for individuals, families, businesses of every size, people with Medicare and people with Medi-Cal — Coverage for Every Stage of LifeTM. Health Net also offer access to substance abuse programs, behavioral health services, employee assistance programs and managed health care products related to prescription drugs. We offer these health plans and services through Health Net, LLC and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 100 company providing health coverage to more than 20 million Americans. For more information, visit HealthNet.com.