Developing Health Program Aims to Improve Local Access to Primary Care
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GE Foundation -- the philanthropic organization of GE -- and the GE Corporate Diversity Council today announced the award of $1.25 million in total to five Chicago land community healthcare centers toward the goal of increasing access to primary care for uninsured and underserved populations across the city.
The donations expand the reach of the GE Developing Health program, a 3-year, $50 million commitment that provides grant funding and GE employee engagement to selected healthcare centers across the United States.
The five Chicago land medical centers are:
- Alivio Medical Center;
- Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center -- Carpentersville Community Health Center;
- Heartland International Health Center;
- Howard Brown Health Center; and
- Near North Health Service Corporation.
Each of the five health centers will receive $250,000, in two installments over two years.
"With public and not-for-profit sectors working together, we can help provide basic, preventative care to thousands more people throughout the Chicago area who desperately need healthcare," said Secretary of State Jesse White, who spoke at Monday's event.
According to Jamal Edwards, President and CEO of Howard Brown Health Center, "This opportunity allows us to really engage in health imagination - imagining HBHC to be who we believe we can be, and to develop new programs, and create new interventions to work with the community that we serve. Getting this kind of support really makes a significant impact and we are grateful GE is allowing us to do this."
"Chicago is the third largest metropolitan area in the country. This program and the volunteers supporting it are a living example of GE's healthymagination strategy, to help change the world's approach to healthcare by touching more lives and improving quality of care," said Mike Barber, GE VP, healthymagination.
"Today's commitment by GE will help us make Chicago a safer and healthier city by promoting health, preventing disease, and ensuring more people in this city get access to health care," added Senate President John Cullerton.
In addition to the grants themselves, the program announced today includes volunteering from area GE employees drawing on their business management skills. Complementing the financial donation, this unique approach ensures that the health centers also benefit from GE's core competencies including process improvement and business management based on the needs of clinic.
Developing Health is modeled after GE's successful philanthropic program Developing Health Globally (DHG). It is a partnership between GE Corporate Citizenship and GE Corporate Diversity Council teams that designed and launched the program in October 2009.
Under the program guidelines, the GE Foundation will provide grants to the selected health centers. Grant recipients were selected based on criteria that include, but are not limited to, need, community impact, leadership, and willingness to partner with GE volunteers, transparency and accountability. The GE Foundation will not accept unsolicited requests for support.
For more information on Developing Health Globally, visit: http://www.ge.com/citizenship/performance_areas/communities_philanthropy_health.jsp.
For more information on Developing Health visit: http://www.ge.com/foundation/developing_health.jsp.
About Alivio Medical Center
Alivio Medical Center is a bilingual, bicultural organization committed to providing access to quality cost-effective health care to the Latino community, the uninsured and underinsured, and not to the exclusion of other cultures and races. This mission is expressed through the provision of services, advocacy, education and research and evaluation provided in an environment of caring and respect.
http://www.aliviomedicalcenter.org/
About Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center -- Carpentersville Community Health Center
Aunt Martha's responds to the needs of families and communities throughout Illinois by providing a continuum of integrated services to children and adults. Aunt Martha's is dually-accredited by the Joint Commission for its ambulatory and behavioral health services. The agency's 17 community health centers provide primary care, dental care, behavioral health and women's health care (OB/GYN) services and are directly linked with the agency's residential group homes, shelters, transitional living programs, foster care programs, early childhood and adult education programs, outreach, crisis intervention and other community-based programs with the goal of keeping individuals healthy and teaching them the skills necessary to thrive.
About Heartland International Health Center
The mission of Heartland International Health Center (HIHC) is to improve the well-being of the communities we serve by providing accessible, high-quality healthcare. Last year, our five locations on the North Side of Chicago provided over 13,000 patients with a medical home where they could receive comprehensive services including primary care, prenatal care, pediatric care, immunizations, women's health care, chronic disease management, medication discounts, oral health, mental health, and psychiatric services.
http://www.heartlandalliance.org/hhc/
About Howard Brown Health Center
Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) is one of the nation's largest health care and research organizations, primarily serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and its allies. With an annual budget of approximately $18 million, it is the largest such organization in the Midwest and serves more than 36,000 adults and youth each year throughout the region. As an innovative and growing patient-centered health home, HBHC provides primary medical care, behavioral health services, and specialty chronic and infectious disease services, and conducts nationally-renowned clinical and behavioral research. Its nearly 200 staff deliver culturally competent and compassionate care in a supportive environment that also includes comprehensive health, wellness and social service programs that enable and expand access to care for all LGBT men, women, youth and seniors, and their friends and families. HBHC also operates the Brown Elephant Resale Shops, which include three resale shops in Chicago's Wrigleyville/Boystown and Andersonville neighborhoods, and in Oak Park. The proceeds from the Brown Elephant help HBHC provide services to those who are un/underinsured.
About Near North Health Service Corporation
Near North Health Service Corporation exists to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities it services. It is one of the largest providers of community-based primary care in Chicago. The center provides health care, social services and nutrition education to the medically indigent and uninsured residents in communities on the North, South and West sides of Chicago.
http://www.nearnorthhealth.org/
About the GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world's most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, developing health globally, the environment, public policy, human rights and disaster relief. In addition, the GE Foundation supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2010, the entire GE family --- including businesses, employees, retirees and GE Foundation --- contributed more than an estimated $250 million in cash, products, and services to charitable organizations around the world. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world's toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Healthymagination is a $6 billion commitment that was launched in May 2009.
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Frank Mantero