National Council on Aging Taps WellMed VP For Board
Carol Zernial is a recognized expert on aging, senior advocacy issues. She will work with the Washington DC-based non-profit on initiatives impacting disadvantaged, vulnerable older Americans.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, October 09, 2010
Carol Zernial, Vice President of Community Relations for WellMed Medical Management and Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation, has been named to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) Board of Directors.Zernial is one of Texas' leading professionals in the field of aging. She joined WellMed in 2009 after a highly regarded tenure as director of the Bexar Area Agency on Aging, at the time a $5.7 million-a-year human services agency serving more than 15,000 seniors and caregivers annually.
Zernial is a national expert on evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs for seniors. She received the 2008 Outstanding Professional in Aging Award in Texas for contributions to the field of aging on a range of critical issues, from the prevention of falls to diabetes, elder abuse, long-term care and community development.
Zernial's background includes work for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, and the National Center on Elder Abuse. She was Vice President of the Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and a past chair of the National Institute on Community-based Long-Term Care.
As Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation, Zernial was instrumental in bringing the nation's first tele-learning counseling sessions for caregivers, the Alamo Caregiver Teleconnection, to San Antonio.
Zernial joins Cass Wheeler, former CEO of the American Heart Association, as the newest members of the NCOA board. NCOA is a non-profit service and advocacy organization that serves as a national voice for older Americans, particularly the vulnerable and disadvantaged.
WellMed Medical Management is a diversified healthcare company and health plan provider serving more than 100,000 patients and Medicare Advantage health plan members in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico. WellMed is an industry leader in medical risk management, highly effective disease management and chronic care programs, healthcare delivery services, and more.
WellMed is South Texas' largest physician-owned practice management company and medical group, specializing in senior health care since 1990. With more than 30 medical clinics in Texas and Florida, the vision of the healthcare company and insurance provider is to change the face of healthcare delivery for seniors.