RELEASE
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation Awards More Than $760,000 in Grants to Improve Health Care in Michigan
by Meghan O'Brien
| 2 min read
DETROIT, Oct. 25, 2016— The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation recently awarded more than $760,000 to support research and community programs that identify and address critical issues affecting the health of Michigan residents. “Our 36-year history of grant funding has resulted in enhancements to the quality of care and improved patient safety and access to care for the people of Michigan,” said Audrey Harvey, vice president at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and executive director and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. “We are proud to support researchers, doctors and organizations across the state as they work to find solutions for health needs in their communities.” The grants offered by the Blue Cross Foundation are categorized to allow for a wide range of applicants and ideas:
- Community Health Matching Program: Three community-based nonprofit organizations in Michigan will use these grants to develop, test or validate new techniques and programs to address the needs of its community members and produce a tangible effect in their lives.
- Integrated Care Program: Six grants were awarded to Michigan-based safety net providers that serve the uninsured and underinsured and will use these grants to integrate behavioral health services like mental health and substance abuse services, into a primary care setting.
- Investigator Initiated Programs: Four Michigan researchers will use these grants to turn theory into data, and data into knowledge. These grantees often go on to be published in scholarly journals, academic circles and community platforms that inform and shape future thought and improvement.
- Physician Investigator Research Award Program: Four Michigan physicians will use these grants to support their studies to address unmet health needs and unsatisfactory medical practices to improve the delivery and quality of patient care.
- Student Award Program: Forty-two Michigan students will receive these grants in recognition of their work to create effective and efficient solutions to the many health issues that people contend with every day.
The Blue Cross Foundation gives nearly $2 million each year in grants to research quality, cost and access to health care. The funding spans the state, from the metro-Detroit area to the communities of the Upper Peninsula. An overview of the recipients of the BCBSM Foundation grants is below:
Photo credit: SOMBILON PHOTOGRAPY
