$1.2 million provided to safety net health clinics by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation

Blue Cross grant funding will help increase access to care for uninsured Michiganders

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Oct 26, 2015, 10:44 ET

DETROIT, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifty-two safety net health care organizations across Michigan received grants totaling more than $1.2 million combined from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. The grant funding is dedicated to expanding access to health care, including critical specialty care, for Michigan's underinsured and uninsured residents.

"Safety net providers offer crucial health care services to thousands of Michigan residents who would otherwise go without treatment," said Lynda Rossi, executive vice president of Strategy and Public Affairs at Blue Cross. "The nonprofit clinics receiving these grants provide people with a trusted health care resource they can turn to when they're most in need. These clinics help people without health insurance live longer, healthier lives."

The Foundation and Blue Cross awarded $400,000 of the total funding to four safety net providers to expand access to critical specialty care treatment. National data indicate the need for medical specialty services doubled between 1999 and 2009, from 4.8 percent to 9.3 percent. Estimates further project a shortage of medical specialists of as many as 8,000 physicians for all specialties by 2020.

The following specialty care grants were awarded:

Detroit - $100,000 for the McAuley Health Center to support an innovative nurse-managed specialty program that uses a monthly clinic to address dermatology, endocrinology and podiatry at same time.
Detroit - $100,000 to The Wellness Plan Medical Centers in Detroit to develop a Point of Care Specialty Services program to facilitate communication and bring necessary specialty services to the patient in the primary care clinic rather than sending them to external offices by using telemedicine or onsite specialist appointments.
Mount Pleasant - $100,000 to Isabella Citizens for Health to utilize a nurse case-manager to work with underserved patients to oversee the referral process to local hospitals, ensure compliance with appointments and treatment plans, tracking appointment results and use.
Temperance - $100,000 to the Family Medical Center of Michigan to employ a collaborative effort to engage specialty providers, residency programs and other community programs in an effort to increase access for their patients.

"Awarding critical financial support to resource-strapped clinics helps them provide much-needed services to people in underserved communities who often have little to no access to such specialized services," said Audrey Harvey, executive director and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. "We congratulate the clinics that received these grants and are opening the door to life-changing and even life-saving care for so many people."

In addition to the specialty care grants, Blue Cross also awarded grants to 48 Michigan safety net clinics as part of its "Strengthening the Safety Net" program. Now in its 11^th year, the program provides free or low-cost medical and dental treatment for uninsured, underinsured and newly insured Michigan residents.

Under the "Strengthening the Safety Net" program, eligible clinics received up to $20,000 to support operations or enhance services. Blue Cross has provided more than $11 million in grant funds since the "Strengthening the Safety Net" program was created in 2004.

According to Healthy People 2020, people with a regular source of health care have better health outcomes and fewer disparities in costs. As in the past, all grantees are expected to provide health care and enrollment services and clinical quality assurance.

Strengthening the Safety Net 2015 Grantees
	Clinic Name	City	County	Dental or Medical	Amount
1	ACC Community Health Center	Dearborn	Wayne	Medical match	$20,000
2	AuSable Free Clinic	Grayling	Crawford	Medical match	$20,000
3	Barry Community Free Clinic	Hastings	Barry	Dental	$15,000
4	Baxter Community Center	Grand Rapids	Kent	Dental	$15,000
5	Boyne Area Free Clinic	Boyne City	Charlevoix	Medical	$10,000
6	Cabrini Clinic	Detroit	Wayne	Medical match	$20,000
7	Care Free Dental of Dickinson & Florence	Iron Mountain	Dickinson	Dental	$15,000
8	Caring Heart Health Clinic	Marlette	Sanilac	Medical	$10,000
9	Catherine's Health Center	Grand Rapids	Kent	Medical match	$20,000
10	Centro Multicultural La Familia	Pontiac	Oakland	Medical match	$20,000
11	City on a Hill Health Clinic	Zeeland	Ottawa	Medical match	$20,000
12	Community HealthCare Connections	Battle Creek	Calhoun	Medical	$10,000
13	Cristo Rey Community Center	Lansing	Ingham	Medical match	$20,000
14	Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic	Pontiac	Oakland	Dental	$15,000
15	FernCare Free Clinic	Ferndale	Oakland	Dental	$9,700
16	Fountain Clinic	Marshall	Calhoun	Dental	$15,000
17	Genesee County Free Medical Clinic	Flint	Genesee	Medical match	$20,000
18	Health Intervention Services	Grand Rapids	Kent	Dental	$15,000
19	Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic	Essexville	Bay	Medical	$10,000
20	His Healing Hands	Lansing	Ingham	Medical match	$20,000
21	Holland Free Health Clinic	Holland	Ottawa	Medical match	$20,000
22	Hope House Free Medical Clinic	Big Rapids	Mecosta	Medical	$10,000
23	Hope Medical Clinic	Westland	Wayne	Medical	$10,000
24	Hope Medical Clinic	Ypsilanti	Washtenaw	Dental	$15,000
25	HUDA Clinic	Detroit	Wayne	Dental	$15,000
26	Jewish Vocational Services	Southfield	Oakland	Dental	$15,000
27	Love in the Name of Christ Free Clinic	Grand Haven	Ottawa	Dental	$15,000
28	Loving Hands Clinic	Lapeer	Lapeer	Dental	$15,000
29	Medical Outreach Clinic	Clinton Twp.	Macomb	Medical match	$20,000
30	Mercy Place	Pontiac	Oakland	Medical match	$20,000
31	Northern Care Center	Cheboygan	Cheboygan	Medical	$10,000
32	Oasis of Hope Center	Grand Rapids	Kent	Medical	$10,000
33	Order of Malta Clinic	Detroit	Wayne	Dental	$15,000
34	People's Clinic For Better Health	Port Huron	St. Clair	Medical	$10,000
35	Presbyterian Health Clinic of Branch County	Coldwater	Branch	Medical	$10,000
36	Renewed Hope Health Clinic	Allegan	Allegan	Medical match	$20,000
37	Robert R. Frank Student Run Health Center	Detroit	Wayne	Medical	$6,500
38	Saginaw Area Foundation for Eye Care	Saginaw	Saginaw	Medical	$10,000
39	Shelter Association of Washtenaw County	Ann Arbor	Washtenaw	Medical	$10,000
40	Shiawassee Free Medical Clinic	Owosso	Shiawassee	Medical	$10,000
41	St. Luke's Clinic	Jackson	Jackson	Medical	$10,000
42	St. Mary's of Michigan Center of HOPE Free Clinics	Saginaw	Saginaw	Medical match	$20,000
43	St. Peter's Free Clinic of Hillsdale County, Inc.	Hillsdale	Hillsdale	Medical	$10,000
44	St. Vincent DePaul Dental Clinic	Detroit	Wayne	Dental	$15,000
45	Stehouwer Free Clinic	Cadillac	Wexford	Medical match	$20,000
46	University of Michigan Student Run Health Center	Pinckney	Livingston	Medical	$7,800
47	VINA Community Dental Center	Brighton	Livingston	Dental	$15,000
48	Wyandotte Clinic for the Working Uninsured, Downriver Community Clinic	Wyandotte	Wayne	Medical match	$20,000

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.5 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MIBluesPerspectives.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan