Bringing Comprehensive, Affordable Care to Dearborn

Amy Barczy

| 3 min read

Amy Barczy is a brand journalist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and writes for AHealthierMichigan.org and MIBluesPerspectives.com. Prior to joining Blue Cross, she was a statewide news reporter for MLive.com. She has a decade of storytelling experience in local news media markets including Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Ann Arbor and Port Huron.

Front desk staff at a health clinic
The doors at Western Wayne Family Health Centers are open to everyone. Regardless of insurance status, patients can see a provider for their physical and mental health needs. The organization is now celebrating the opening of its fourth location – in Dearborn at 4700 Schaefer Highway – and hopes to extend affordable, accessible health care to more people in Wayne County. The new center in downtown Dearborn offers primary care and pediatric care – but it’s not just about a patient’s physical health. The center offers extra services like health education, care managers and behavioral health services. After seeing a doctor, a patient can easily be referred to another professional within the organization to help take care of all their needs. It’s comprehensive, wholistic care, which makes the biggest difference. “Everyone taking care of you should be aware of what’s going on with your health and wellness,” Lisa Rutledge, special projects manager for Western Wayne Family Health Centers. Western Wayne Family Health Centers opened the doors to their first location in Inkster in 2006, and quickly expanded to Lincoln Park and Taylor. These locations also offer dental services. The new clinic location in Dearborn was chosen as the area was identified by the federal government as having a lack of health care providers that were serving uninsured individuals. The Dearborn site also offers medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan recently contributed $75,000 to the organization to help establish the new health center and support the hiring of staff fluent in English and Arabic at the new site. The center is positioned to help the community in Dearborn but is open to help anyone in need of health care services. “We’re working to attract everyone to the clinic,” Rutledge said. The best way to do that, Rutledge says, is mostly word-of-mouth: about 60% of their new patients hear about the clinic from family and friends. “For those in the Middle Eastern community with chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, as well as those who are working to quit smoking, communicating with someone in their first language makes all the difference in the world,” Rutledge said. Western Wayne Family Health Center’s Dearborn clinic opened during the pandemic and helped 1,000 patients in its first year. Services are provided to any individual, regardless of their ability to pay, and accepts all Medicaid and Medicare plans. Help is also available if someone needs to enroll in a health insurance plan. The organization hopes to expand its reach throughout the community and serve as many people as possible. More from MIBluesPerspectives:
Photo credit: Western Wayne Family Health Center

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