And the Emmy[R] Award Goes to: The US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family Association.

Joint public service campaign urges support for military family members

WASHINGTON -- A series of public service announcements (PSAs) jointly sponsored by the US Family Health Plan, a DoD-sponsored military healthcare plan and the National Military Family Association, a non-profit organization committing to improving the lives of military families, has been honored with an Emmy([R]) Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The PSA series, "Now is Our Time to Serve," was designed to raise awareness of the need to "support, befriend, remember and appreciate" America's military family members. It won the only Public Service Emmy Award presented nationwide in the category of Local Public Service Announcements, designated for PSAs that have aired in up to 50 percent of the country's TV markets.

The series aired from July 2007 through February 2008, with total viewership topping 7.3 million, including broadcasts in major U.S. television markets and airings in over 200 movie theatres prior to family film screenings. The announcements--just one facet of an ongoing partnership between the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family Association--may be viewed online at www.yearofthemilitaryfamily.org. The PSAs were produced for the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family Association by Marion, Montgomery, Inc.

"US Family Health Plan delivers the TRICARE Prime benefit to many of our beneficiaries and we certainly applaud these kinds of public awareness efforts," said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE Management Activity. "Congratulations go out to everyone involved in raising awareness about the needs of our military families."

Kate Ryan, chair of the US Family Health Plan Alliance, said, "We are honored to share the Emmy Award with the National Military Family Association. Both the NMFA and the US Family Health Plan are passionate about serving uniformed services families and it's gratifying to know that our collaboration has helped spread the word about the need to support these everyday American heroes."

Nancy Alsheimer, chairman of the National Military Family Association Board of Governors, said, "The Emmy Award gives us renewed pride in our mission of protecting and promoting the interests of military families. The Emmy Award for the series will bring additional attention to the important message of support for families--and for that, we are grateful."

The US Family Health Plan, a Department of Defense-sponsored health plan, is made available by nonprofit healthcare providers in six service areas across the country. It serves over 100,000 military beneficiaries, including active-duty family members, activated Guard and Reserve family members, and retirees and their family members. One of its hallmarks is its ability to maintain a consistently high level of patient satisfaction; in fact, in 2008, overall satisfaction with the health plan is 87.9 percent, compared to 61.9 percent for traditional HMOs. The six not-for-profit organizations through which enrollment in the US Family Health Plan is offered include:

* Johns Hopkins Medicine (1-800-801-9322) - serving Maryland, Washington D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia

* Martin's Point Health Care (1-888-241-4556) - serving Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York 

* Brighton Marine Health Center (1-800-818-8589) - serving Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, plus Rhode Island and northern Connecticut

* Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (1-800-241-4848) - serving parts of New York, all of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and southern Connecticut

* CHRISTUS Health (1-800-678-7347) - serving southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana

* Pacific Medical Centers (1-888-958-7347) - serving the Puget Sound area of Washington State.

For more information about the US Family Health Plan, visit www.usfamilyhealthplan.org.

The National Military Family Association, the only nonprofit organization that represents families of all ranks and services, prepares spouses, children and parents to better deal with the unique challenges of military life. The Association protects benefits vital to all families, including those of the deployed, wounded and fallen. For nearly 40 years, its staff and volunteers, comprised mostly of military family members, have built a reputation as the leading experts on military family issues. For more information, visit http://www.nmfa.org.

Marion Montgomery, Inc. is a full-service marketing, public relations and interactive agency based in Houston, Texas. It produced the PSA series for the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family Association. For more information on Marion Montgomery, Inc., visit www.mmihouston.com.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. For more information, please visit www.emmyonline.tv.