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32 Free Health Care Clinics in Michigan Receive Financial Support From Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 May 2007, 15:00 CDT

DETROIT, May 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thirty-two free health care clinics that last year provided low- or no-cost health or dental care to more than 78,000 uninsured people will share $1 million in grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, enabling the clinics to continue to provide services and, in some cases serve more.

Today's grant brings the total financial support the Michigan Blues have provided to free clinics to $3 million since 2005. Four new free clinics have opened in the state since 2005, thanks in part to grant dollars. Grant dollars have helped clinics sustain operations and meet urgent needs, from purchasing medications to expanding services, from obtaining software to schedule patient visits to buying basic office supplies. Some dollars have been dedicated to help support clinics providing dental services.

"We are pleased to be working collaboratively with a volunteer organization such as the Free Clinics of Michigan. Both of our organizations share a nonprofit commitment to help promote access to health care in Michigan communities. The free clinics are delivering needed services to Michigan residents who otherwise might not have access to health or dental care," said Kevin Seitz, Blues executive vice president of health care value enhancement.

"The need for free medical care for our uninsured neighbors is greater than ever. Jobs are being eliminated daily across our communities and fewer employers are able to offer health insurance," added Joyce Hardy, president of the Free Clinics of Michigan and manager of the Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic in Essexville. "The increase in minimum wage has put many workers in an income bracket too high for government insurance, but too low to afford a private plan. Without these grants, many free clinics would be forced to discontinue services as costs continue to escalate."

"Because they cannot afford it, the uninsured often have to delay or go without seeing a physician for conditions that can be treated early in a primary care setting by a physician," Seitz said. "When a condition is not addressed early, it can lead to trips to the emergency room, is more costly to treat, and can result in hospital stays that could be avoided. This affects everyone in Michigan."

Some of the clinics also serve residents of neighboring counties and together they operate in areas with an estimated 715,000 Michigan residents without health insurance. An estimated 1.1 million residents are uninsured statewide. As in last year's grants, the Blues also provided support to clinics offering free dental services.

Clinics receiving grants this year are:

Southeast Michigan - Brownstown Twp.: Wyandotte Clinic for the Working Uninsured; Detroit (4): St. Frances Cabrini Clinic, Joy-Southfield Health and Education Center, St. Vincent de Paul Health Center at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and The HUDA Clinic; Highland Park: Thea Bowman Wellness Institute; Pontiac: Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic; Southfield: Tri- County Dental Health Council; Taylor: MAPI Free Medical Clinic; Ypsilanti: Hope Medical Clinic.

Mid-Michigan - Hillsdale: St. Peter's Free Clinic of Hillsdale County; Jackson (2): Dove Health Alliance and St. Luke's Clinic; Lansing and Mason: Care Free Medical (two locations); Lapeer: Loving Hands Health Clinic.

Flint/Tri-Cities - Flint: Genesee County Free Medical Clinic; Essexville: Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic; Saginaw: Healthy Community Partners, in partnership with St. Mary's of Michigan.

West Michigan - Coldwater: First Presbyterian Health Clinic of Branch County; Grand Rapids (3): Catherine's Care Center, Health Intervention Services and Project Access; Holland: Holland Free Health Clinic; Kalamazoo: First Presbyterian Church Health Clinic; Three Rivers: Riverside Health Clinic; Zeeland: City on a Hill Ministries Health Clinic. Northern Michigan - Cadillac: Cadillac Community Health Clinic; Cheboygan: Northern Care Center; Grayling: Au Sable Free Clinic; Petoskey: Community Free Clinic; Traverse City: Community Health Clinic.

Upper Peninsula - Sault Ste. Marie: Community Health Access Coalition.

Additional details about how the grant dollars will be used can be found at bcbsm.com/home/bcbsm/freeclinics.shtml.

In addition to medical and dental care, some free clinics also offer mental health counseling. Free clinics rely on volunteer physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals contributing time, services and medications. Numerous clinics are continually in jeopardy of closing, and in many cases are often forced to turn away new patients.

The company is supporting increased access to health care in a variety of ways, including serving as a member of the Michigan Health Insurance Access Advisory Council, which is committed to realistic strategies so every Michigan resident will have access to insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has a unique mission that is different from other health insurance companies. The company is committed to focusing on reducing health care costs and improving quality, increasing access to health care coverage and services, and improving the health status of Michigan's residents, particularly children.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides or administers health care benefits to just over 4.7 million members through a variety of plans: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield; Blue Preferred, Community Blue and Healthy Blue PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO, and Flexible Blue plans compatible with health savings accounts. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit http://www.bcbsm.com/.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Blue Care Network

CONTACT: Helen Stojic, +1-313-225-8113, or Bill Semion, +1-313-225-7975,mediarelations@bcbsm.com, both of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Web site: http://www.bcbsm.com/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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