UnitedHealthcare Awards Nearly $100,000 in Community Builder Grants to Six Community Organizations in Michigan

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Michigan has awarded nearly $100,000 in Community Builder Grants to six community organizations aimed at improving access to health care services and addressing social determinants of health.

“Through the Community Builder Grant program, we are investing in community partnerships designed to break down barriers to health care services and improve quality of life among underserved populations,” said Dennis Mouras, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Michigan. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support these organizations and their community-based efforts.”

The six grant recipients include:

• Muskegon Community Health Project – serving Muskegon; $25,000 to link clients to housing, employment and education opportunities in an effort to build a more just community.
• Kids’ Health Connections – serving Detroit; $25,000 to provide services that prevent childhood diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kids’ Health Connections was formerly known as Wayne Children’s Healthcare Access Program (also Wayne CHAP).
• Community Action Agency – serving Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale counties; $12,500 will support a targeted mentorship component to the agency’s YouthBuild program that provides men and women ages 16 to 24 the opportunity to earn their high school diploma or GED while also being trained in basic construction skills.
• Bronson Health Foundation – serving Kalamazoo County; $10,000 for a collaborative effort by Bronson Healthcare Group with the Kalamazoo County Public Health Commission and Integrated Services of Kalamazoo to work with homeless individuals suffering chronic unmanaged pain who are frequent users of emergency department services and community safety-net systems. The program is patterned after the national, evidence-based Frequent User System Engagement model. It aims to improve the quality of life for participating individuals (as defined by the individual) and lessen reliance on safety-net programs and services.
• Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) – $10,000 for Alpena-based Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency to provide gap funding for emergency needs among community members in 11 northeast Michigan counties.
• Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency – serving Greater Detroit; $10,000 to support the Wayne Metro and UnitedHealthcare Food Distribution Initiative.

“NEMCSA is grateful for the generosity of UnitedHealthcare,” said Lisa Bolen, executive director and CEO, Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency. “This grant arrives at a critical time, and these funds will help individuals in the northeast Michigan community overcome struggles during this time of crisis.”

As part of the community partnerships built through the Community Builder Grant Program, UnitedHealthcare will identify lessons learned and how to collect and measure data to share best practices that are able to help people lead healthier and fulfilling lifestyles.

UnitedHealthcare serves more than 800,000 people in Michigan enrolled in employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare and Medicaid benefit plans, with a network of 149 hospitals, and nearly 45,000 physicians and other care providers statewide. Recently, the United Health Foundation committed $2.5 million to the Michigan Primary Care Association to establish a breast cancer genetic testing and screening pilot program for high-risk women, men and their families at five Michigan community health centers.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

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