Genesee Health Plan Expands Community Health Workers To All Flint Community Schools

Genesee Health Plan staff will connect students from Flint Community Schools and their families to vital healthcare resources

FLINT – Genesee Health Plan (GHP) announced today it will expand its Community Health Workers to all Flint Community Schools by deploying on-the-ground, trained healthcare workers who can identify needs of students and their families, and connect them to available resources. The program is sponsored by the Crim Fitness Foundation and is part of the Community Education Initiative.

“Our work under the Crim Fitness Foundation’s Community Education Initiative is vital when it comes to connecting kids and families with necessary healthcare resources within the community,” said GHP President and CEO Jim Milanowski. “By identifying and addressing healthcare issues facing students in the Flint Community Schools district, we make it more likely that they will be in school receiving a high-quality education, and ensure they have successful futures. We look forward to the expansion of this program to all schools in the district this fall.”

In June, the C.S. Mott Community Foundation awarded the Crim Fitness Foundation with a $2.9 million grant to expand its Community Education Initiative, increasing the number of GHP Community Health Workers across the entire Flint Community School district.

The Community Education Initiative is a collaborative of community partners working together to transform Flint Community Schools into neighborhood hubs, creating healthier, stronger families while improving student academic performance. Last year, the program placed GHP Community Health Workers in four Flint Community Schools: Brownell K-2 STEM Academy, Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary, Eisenhower Elementary School and Potter Elementary School. In addition to these schools, GHP will have Community Health Workers in the following schools this year: Brownell, Doyle/Ryder

Elementary, Freeman Elementary, Flint Southwestern Classical Academy, Nethercut Elementary, Northwestern High School and Pierce Elementary School.

“Our partnership with Genesee Health Plan has been solution-orientated, and it has given us the means to connect directly to the school to educate children about the importance of health and wellness,” said Crim Fitness Foundation CEO Gerry Myers.

Since June 2015, GHP community health workers have served 1,231 families (a total of 2,832 children and 1,674 adults) and connected 2,154 people with doctor visits. While talking with these families, GHP health workers discovered:

• 15% of adults and children assisted do not have access to consistent food sources;
• 11% do not have adequate housing;
• Transportation to work and school is a barrier for 13% of assisted adults and children; and
• 232 adults and children need vision treatment and 213 need dental treatment.

To learn more about Crim’s Community Education Initiative, visit crim.org/community-education-initiative.

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Genesee Health Plan (GHP) is a community-initiated non-profit program designed to provide health care coverage to the uninsured residents of Genesee County. The mission of GHP is to improve the access to the healthcare system for low-income and indigent Genesee County residents by providing them a medical “home” and providing coverage for health care services through a managed health care system.

For more information, assistance with enrollment or to schedule an appointment or call 844.232.7740.