Phanida Phivilay

Phanida Phivilay, resettled to Newport, Rhode Island from Vientiane, Laos with her parents at the age of three (3) after being sponsored by a family from Portsmouth, RI. She became the inaugural part of the United Healthcare Community & State Plan of Rhode Island, as of March 2020 working as a Senior Provider Relations Advocate under the Network Programs & Strategy team. Working with our contracted providers, engaging them with internal resources, providing issue resolution such as claims issues, credentialing, and provider set-ups, to delivering provider training and education as well as provider outreach regarding policies, and processes. In addition, to acting as the Provider Relations contact for the external health plans. 

In Phanida’ s current role as the Senior Community Outreach Representative under the Growth & Policy team, Phanida continues to build and nurture trusted relationships with high-touch and territorial providers, community base organizations, stakeholders, state, and local elected officials, as well as community leaders throughout Rhode Island.  Her focus has been to build strong professional relationships and relationships with key community leaders. Her years of conducting statewide community outreach in Rhode Island, and her skillset has helped play a lead role in the UnitedHealthcare’s team plan for strategic advancement of our ongoing culture work, and the work we are doing in the community to help reduce social determinates of health (SDOH) and health barriers that would prevent positive health outcomes. 

Phanida has had a vast experience addressing some of the health disparities and/or health equity concerns within the different communities (BIPOC) within Rhode Island. Participating and collaborating with some Health Equity Zones (HEZs) and co-chairing the steering committee for the West Elmwood 02907 HEZ for over the past 2 years. Most recently in March 2023, Phanida was appointed to the Rhode Island Commission for Health Advocacy and Equity (CHAE). 

Prior to working at UnitedHealthcare, Phanida was employed by the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services and served as an AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)/Health Insurance Premium (HIP) Program Manager under the Rhode Island Ryan White Part B Program, within the Rhode Island Medicaid Division. She worked in this capacity for over six (6) and a half year and was solely responsible for coordinating and managing activities related to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Program to ensure that Ryan White HIV Care Program/ADAP responsibilities were met. Phanida started her career in the healthcare field twenty-four (24) years ago working at a small community-based health center in Providence (PCHC) that primarily served low-income clients, working as a Reproductive Health Counselor, and then moved on to work at Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island for over seven and a half years as an outreach worker for the Rhode Island Women’s Cancer Screening Program, where she conducted statewide outreach, provided support & education to clients, and served as a liaison and an advocate to the clients. Thereafter, she moved on to work for the State of Rhode Island for 14 years, working for the Rhode Island Department of Health working in various capacities for such programs as The Family Planning Title X Program, The Rhode Island KIDSNET Program, the Vaccine Distribution Program, and then moving on to work at RI Executive Office of Health & Human Services (RI EOHHS). 

In addition to her work at UnitedHealthcare, and her most recent appointment to the Commission, Phanida has been an active in the community and is serving currently on 11 boards, councils, and commissions. She was the first elected Southeast Asian female board president to the board of Socio-Economic Development Center (SEDC) now called Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA).  Phanida was also the very first Laotian to be appointed to the Providence School Board by then Mayor Angel Taveras, and one of two Laotian in the United States to be elected or appointed to the school board.  Phanida has lived in Rhode Island for over forty-four (44) years and currently resides in both Johnston and Cranston with her husband, Alan, her seven (7) year old daughter Olivia, her son Brandon, and her stepson David.