MILWAUKEE – The GE Foundation and the GE Corporate Diversity Council have awarded $1 million to four Milwaukee community healthcare centers to increase access to primary care for uninsured and underserved populations.
The MLK Heritage Health Center, Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, Chavez Health Center and Parkway Health Center will each receive $250,000, in two installments over two years
Milwaukee is the second city to receive grants through the GE Foundation’s Developing Health initiative. The program will eventually extend to 10 cities across the United States.
“By partnering with these clinics to increase access to primary care we can help more people get the care they need when they need it,” said Mike Barber, vice president of GE’s Healthymagination initiative.
“In Wisconsin, we now have the second-highest percentage of our people with health insurance, we rank first in the nation in healthcare quality, and every child in the state has access to health insurance,” said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. “The commitment by GE will help ensure that we can provide basic, preventative care to thousands more people in Milwaukee who so badly need healthcare.”
In addition to the grants, GE employees in the area will draw on their business management skills as volunteers at the clinics.
“All of us are honored to be recognized by GE for this funding and the supporting volunteers, which will allow us to increase access and improve our services for the more 30,000 patients and almost 115,000 visits we have annually,” said C.C. Henderson, president and CEO of Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. “The MLK Heritage Health Center and the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center offer a comprehensive range of services aimed at removing barriers, reducing disparities and improving health and the quality of life in the community.”
The donations expand the reach of the GE Developing Health program, a three-year, $25-million commitment that provides grant funding and GE employee engagement to selected healthcare centers across the United States. It is modeled after GE’s philanthropic program Developing Health Globally (DHG).
source: healthcarefinancenews