Centene subsidiary runs "No One Eats Alone" school inclusion event in Federal Way

Centene subsidiary leads school social-connection push in Federal Way

Coordinated Care, a Washington managed-care organization owned by Centene Corporation, is staging a community outreach event in Federal Way to reduce student isolation and promote healthier school climates. On Feb. 12 the unit partners with former Seattle Seahawks star Walter Jones and nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise at Illahee Middle School for No One Eats Alone Day, a program designed to help sixth graders make connections and practise inclusive behaviours during lunch and classroom activities. The effort is part of a wider preventive-health strategy that ties managed-care community engagement to youth well-being.

Scaling an evidence-based prevention model across schools

The event highlights Sandy Hook Promise’s curricula that teach students to respect differences, find common ground and intervene as active bystanders. Coordinated Care and local partners run structured lunch meetings, icebreaker exercises, peer-mentoring introductions and teacher-facilitated discussions that encourage empathy and inclusive seating. Coordinated Care leadership, including President and CEO Beth Johnson, join Sandy Hook Promise executives Nicole Buckley, Ceomhar Frederick and Danielle Towns in overseeing activities while Walter Jones models peer engagement with student leaders and mascots.

Organizers present the initiative as a measurable, scalable intervention that links health plans to school-based prevention. They report participation this year from about 35 schools in Washington and roughly 5,000 schools nationwide, and say local media and social channels amplify outreach to families and community partners. Coordinated Care frames the day as part of its broader community-health mission to identify and reduce social isolation, reinforce respectful peer relationships and support long-term mental and social well-being among adolescents.

Local engagement and community partners

Coordinated Care emphasizes hands-on engagement and community partnerships — sports figures, school staff and nonprofit leaders — to increase program visibility and student buy-in. The presence of a high-profile athlete like Jones is intended to model inclusion and draw wider attention to preventive strategies outside clinical settings.

Evaluation and expansion plans

Coordinated Care says it is tracking participation and intends to evaluate outcomes regionally, with plans to expand school partnerships through 2026. The organization frames these efforts as part of managed care’s role in upstream prevention to improve population health and reduce future demand on clinical services.