U.S. community health centers receive $500,000 grant to increase access to quality healthcare

Sep 22 2010

The GE Foundation - the philanthropic organization of GE - announced today the award of $500,000 in total to two Baltimore-based community health centers in an effort to help increase access to quality healthcare across the United States. As part of the GE Developing Health^TM program, these grants will support Chase Brexton Health Services and People's Community Health Centers, Inc. in providing increased access to healthcare in their respective communities.

“We are honored to be recognized by the GE Foundation for our efforts, and are excited about the prospect of providing increased access to care with the help of the Developing Health program.”

Developing Health is a three-year, $25 million GE program that aims to improve access to primary care in targeted underserved communities across the United States. The program aligns with GE's healthymagination initiative, a commitment to reduce costs, improve quality and increase access in healthcare.

"We are pleased to partner and engage with Chase Brexton Health Services and People's Community Health Centers to help drive community access to quality healthcare in Baltimore," said Bob Corcoran, president, GE Foundation. "A staggering number of 47 million people in the United States are uninsured or lack access to basic healthcare, and we are committed to providing services to the uninsured and underserved through grants and GE volunteering in the communities. Both Chase Brexton Health Services and People's Community Health Centers are well equipped to provide the necessary services and make a difference in their communities."

"Over the last 30 years at Chase Brexton, we've endeavored to create programs and services that enable us to provide comprehensive, affordable healthcare to our patients. This grant from the GE Foundation will help us expand our existing services and support our efforts to improve health outcomes for the people we serve," said David H. Shippee, CEO of Chase Brexton Health Services.

The grants will expand access to primary care for residents in the area. "We pride ourselves in providing medical care to those who cannot afford it, regardless of their income or their insurance status," said Patricia Cassatt, CEO of People's Community Health Centers, Inc. "We are honored to be recognized by the GE Foundation for our efforts, and are excited about the prospect of providing increased access to care with the help of the Developing Health program."

"Coupled with the GE employee volunteerism that this grant provides, we are confident that our communities will benefit greatly from all the resources that the GE Foundation can offer."

"Today, access to quality healthcare is one of the biggest challenges facing communities across the U.S.," said Mike Barber, vice president, GE healthymagination. "The city of Baltimore fares worse than the rest of the state of Maryland on almost every major health indicator, including heart disease, infant mortality and asthma. Chase Brexton Health Services and People's Community Health Centers exemplify the type of community centers who strive to help those in need of healthcare services, and we want to support those committed to delivering quality care through the Developing Health program. At GE, we aim to change the approach to healthcare by reducing the cost, improving the quality and increasing access to care."

Developing Health is a partnership between GE Corporate Citizenship and the GE Corporate Diversity Council. Modeled after GE's successful philanthropic program Developing Health Globally™, the program was launched in New York City in October 2009, and has since expanded to Milwaukee, Houston, Cincinnati, Louisville and New Orleans.

The Developing Health program builds on the success of GE's existing Developing Health Globally (DHG) program. Launched in Africa in 2004, this philanthropic program now extends to 14 countries across Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. DHG aims to improve healthcare for some of the world's most vulnerable populations. DHG uses GE core competencies including technology, expertise and employee engagement to provide sustainable "enterprise solutions" that address some of the critical gaps that exist in developing-world healthcare facilities.

For more information on Developing Health Globally, visit: http://www.ge.com/citizenship/performance_areas/communities_philanthropy_health.jsp.

For more information on Developing Health visit: http://www.ge.com/foundation/developing_health.jsp.