GHP Awarded Grant to Develop Minority Health Program

May 9, 2017


At Genesee Health plan, we are committed to reducing barriers to healthcare in our community. We are excited to announce that we have received a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to develop a minority health program designed to help reduce barriers to healthcare and develop a system of care for community members who face language and cultural barriers. This six-month planning grant will help us facilitate conversations with community members and our health care partners to determine the overall strategy, goals and objectives for GHP’s expanded Minority Health Program.

“An important part of our role is bringing different groups together to identify healthcare gaps in our community and find solutions that will help close them,” said GHP Director of Outreach E. Yvonne Lewis. “All people deserve access to quality healthcare and this grant is critical to our work in increasing access to healthcare services within our Hispanic/Latino community. Working together and planning with our community partners and listening to county residents will enable us to reduce barriers to much needed, life-saving healthcare services for these populations.”

The MDHHS grant will fund GHP’s new Multi-Sector Partner Team, which will engage community partners to assist in this planning process. The Multi-Sector Partner Team includes the Genesee County Hispanic/Latino Collaborative “La Placita,” the Genesee Intermediate School District, Latinos United for Flint and the Genesee Community Health Center. These groups will work together over the next six months to develop a comprehensive plan outlining a healthcare outreach strategy for minority populations that are underserved in Genesee County.

“We selected the Genesee Health Plan as a grant recipient because of their dedication to reducing barriers to quality healthcare in Genesee County. This planning grant is an important next step in helping GHP develop its Minority Health Program and increasing access to healthcare services in the area,” said Dr. Eden Wells, Chief Medical Executive with MDHHS.

Since 2015, we have been working on developing a process for improving communication and addressing language barriers that exist in the Hispanic/Latino communities in Genesee County through our internal Minority Health Advocacy Work Group. Through our work group, we have identified several barriers preventing Genesee County residents from receiving the healthcare services they need, including cultural and language barriers as well as transportation issues. We will continue to work with residents and community partners to identify solutions to these barriers.

“This grant allows us to engage additional community partners who will help extend our outreach and ensure a more inclusive approach as we develop the program,” said Lewis. “We are looking forward to bringing more residents into this conversation to develop a plan that is truly designed by our community, for our community.”

If you want to participate in these conversations, please contact E. Yvonne Lewis at 810-232-7740, ext. 226 or ylewis@countyhealthplans.org. For more information about addressing minority health disparities, watch our ABC 12 Medical Minute here.

Click the image below to learn about the history of Minority Health.

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