RELEASE
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation provide Monroe County clinic $100,000 specialty care grant to help uninsured and underinsured patients
Meghan O'Brien
| 4 min read
TEMPERANCE, Nov. 3, 2015 - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation awarded Family Medical Center of Michigan a $100,000 grant today to help uninsured and underinsured people in the Monroe County area obtain critical, specialty health care services and treatment. Family Medical Center of Michigan will use the grant to improve access to specialty care by establishing a network of medical specialists who will provide services to its patients. The grant will also help the center partner with Authority Health and Michigan State University School of Medicine to have their residents in specialty programs provide services at Family Medical Center of Michigan clinics. “Local health centers like Family Medical Center of Michigan play a crucial role in providing health care to some of those most in need in our state,” said Todd Anderson, director of Public Policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “The center does outstanding work in rural Monroe, Lenawee and Wayne counties and this specialty care grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation will enable it to expand those valuable services, helping even more families in the region get the care that they need.” Ed Larkins, executive director and chief executive officer of Family Medical Center of Michigan, said, “Family Medical Center is thrilled to receive this grant, which will go a long way toward further strengthening the care we provide to the many people we serve. Families in rural Michigan are typically underserved when it comes to health care. This generous grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation will play a major role in helping us provide specialized care to people who would have otherwise gone without it.” Family Medical Center of Michigan, with locations in Temperance, Monroe, Adrian and Carleton, serves nearly 18,000 patients annually in Monroe, Lenawee and Wayne counties. The center provides primary care, dentistry, behavioral health, obstetrics and gynecology, pharmacy and other services. It also helps people apply for insurance and get other medical assistance.
From right to left: Pam Yager, social mission manager at BCBSM, Ed Larkins, executive director of Family Medical Center of Michigan and Audrey Harvey, executive director and chief executive officer of BCBSM Foundation “Not unlike the partnership between Blue Cross and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, we’re always looking for ways to best utilize our combined resources and this grant will encourage innovation and information sharing so more health care centers can implement best practices,” said Audrey Harvey, executive director and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. “In doing so, we hope to close the gaps that exist in specialty care throughout Michigan.” State Sen. Dale Zorn said, “On behalf of our community, I want to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the BCBSM Foundation, Family Medical Center of Michigan and all the hardworking men and women who made this happen. Partnerships like this are critical as we bring communities together with the private and public sectors, because at the end of the day, collaborations like this one are how we solve problems.” “The folks at Family Medical Center of Michigan are truly an example of how a dedicated group of health care professionals do so much with limited resources, and this grant will go a long way toward helping even more people,” said State Rep. Jason Sheppard. “Thanks to this generous grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the BCBSM Foundation, we can reach out to even more people who would otherwise go without access to specialized care that can improve and even save lives.” Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM 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.
