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November 15, 2004
Contact: Marilyn S. LeFeber,
810-238-5651,
info@mott.org
Mott Foundation grant to fund Genesee Health Plan expansion
FLINT, Michigan—A $1.2-million, three-year grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to the Genesee County Health Department will expand the Genesee Health Plan (GHP) to cover uninsured, low-income adults in the county. The locally managed health-care program, established in 2001, provides basic health-care coverage for low-income Flint and Genesee County residents.
GHP currently offers physician and diagnostic services, and a tightly managed prescription drug benefit through a network of local health-care providers to 11,000 individuals enrolled in the program. The plan is financed by local and federal funds. By 2007, the expansion will cover an estimated 36,500 low-income adults.
The grant will provide approximately one-half of the project’s administrative costs and support four core activities: redesign and expansion of GHP’s operational infrastructure; implementation of a marketing and education effort to enroll additional participants; expansion of the disease management component to include disease prevention and wellness initiatives, and a feasibility study to determine long-term funding options.
Maureen H. Smyth, Mott Foundation vice president-programs, says GHP has the potential to be a national model.
“There is no question that delivery of affordable health-care services is a major challenge facing this nation and this community,” she said. “This expansion will make Genesee County one of the first counties in the nation to provide basic health-care services to nearly all uninsured, low-income adults.”
GHP is one of 14 county health plans covering 31 counties in Michigan providing access to health care for low-income, uninsured adults who are not eligible for mainstream medical assistance programs, such as Medicaid. In order to participate in GHP, adults now must have an annual income below 150 percent of the federal poverty level; this translates into $13,965 for an individual and $28,275 for a family of four. Over the three year grant period, adults in Genesee County with an income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($18,620 for an individual and $37,700 for a family of four) will be able to enroll.
“Our focus is to ensure access to a doctor, medicines, lab tests and X-rays, thereby forging a path to better life through better health, which for too long has been blocked for the working poor of Genesee County,” said Robert M. Pestronk, health officer and director of the Genesee County Health Department. “Through these efforts, we will also increase the likelihood of educational success, economic competitiveness and healthy family life."
The mission of the Genesee County Health Department is to improve the quality of life by preventing disease, promoting health and protecting the environment with particular attention to reducing racial health disparities. Since 1929, the department has been protecting and promoting the public’s health, as well as assessing health processes and health outcomes for Genesee County. In addition, it administers more than 40 programs providing clinical and community, substance abuse, and environmental health services.
The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint, by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the United States and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. The Foundation, with year-end assets of $2.3 billion, made 501 grants totaling $100 million in 2003.
The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with 2012 year-end assets of $2.28 billion, made 439 grants totaling $91 million. For more information, visit www.mott.org.
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