GE Launches National Health Initiative in Upstate to Expand Access to Care in Underserved Communities
· $750,000 in grants awarded through the GE Developing Health™ Program to New Horizon Family Health Services in Greenville, Greer and Travelers Rest
· Thousands more patients to be served across the Upstate · Initiative to include skills-based volunteer support from GE employees(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) GREENVILLE, SC - April 15, 2011 — With the goal of increasing access to primary healthcare for the uninsured and underserved, the GE Foundation - the philanthropic organization of GE – today announced an expansion of its Developing Health program to the Upstate. The Foundation has selected three of New Horizon Family Health Services’ (NHFHS) community health centers to receive a total of $750,000 in grants to help them expand services and broaden care opportunities.
NHFHS centers in Greenville, Greer and Travelers Rest will each receive $250,000 over the next two years as well as local GE Volunteer support through the program. Developing Health is a three-year, $50 million, program funded by the GE Foundation designed 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 lower costs, improve quality and increase access to healthcare.
It is estimated that currently 19% of South Carolinians have no health insurance, and the upstate is not immune to this problem. According to Greenville Forward’s 2008 Health Assessment, the number of medically underserved people in Greenville County would fill the Bi-Lo Center ten times over. “GE has been part of the Upstate for over 40 years and we understand well its potential and its challenges,” said Monte Atwell, GE Energy’s City Champion for Developing Health in Greenville. “By partnering with these health centers to increase access to primary care we can help more people get the care they need when they need it. This program and our volunteers who are supporting it are a living example of GE’s healthymagination vision to help change the approach to healthcare by touching more lives and improving quality care.”
In addition to the grants themselves, the program announced today includes volunteering from area GE employees drawing on their business management skills. Complementing the financial donation, this unique approach ensures that the health centers also benefit from GE’s core competencies including process improvement and business management based on the needs of each health center and the communities it serves.
In 2010, over 600 GE volunteers completed 322 projects in the Upstate, contributing over 13,300 man-hours. Those hours had a $270,000 economic impact to the community. “In our efforts to improve the health of our communities by providing quality, affordable, compassionate, patient-centered healthcare, this partnership with GE will be invaluable,” said Regina Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer for New Horizon Family Health Services. “And just as exciting as the financial contribution, is the opportunity to work with highly talented GE employee volunteers who can help us improve various facets of our operations and care delivery system.”
GE Volunteer Support for the Health Centers
GE volunteer teams are a critical component of the Developing Health program. Through the program, GE employees work with the health centers to address specific needs, ranging from marketing communications to process improvements, and offer their business skills and experience to drive improvements that benefit patients and workflows. Specific initiatives are identified to help these community health centers with their mission to reach underserved populations and enable access to primary care.
About GE’s Developing Health Program
Developing Health is a partnership between GE Corporate Citizenship and the GE Corporate Diversity Council that was designed and launched in NYC in October 2009. With its expansion to the Upstate, the program is now serving 12 locations. The other locations are New York City, Milwaukee, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, New Orleans, Louisville, Cincinnati, Fairfield County, Schenectady, and Erie.
The 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/programs-activities/philanthropy/developing-health-globally.html For more information on Developing Health, visit: http://www.ge.com/foundation/developing_health.jsp.
About New Horizon Family Health Services Inc.
NHFHS began as Greenville Community Health Center (GHCHC) in 1992. In 1999, GHCHC merged with Slater-Marietta Health and Human Services and became NHFHS. Today, NHFHS operates a system of free-standing practices, including seven primary care offices strategically located in high need areas of the county. Additional services include a dental practice, a Health Care for the Homeless Mobile Medical Unit, and a Mobile Dental Unit in collaboration with Bon Secours St. Francis and Greenville Technical College. The center’s Ryan White Part C HIV/AIDS program serves 950 patients in 10 counties. NHFHS has four full-time pharmacies.
Services include comprehensive primary and preventive care; same day/sick care; lab testing; pediatric, adolescent and adult medical care; limited specialty care; family planning, immunizations, management of chronic diseases, dental services, pharmacy, behavioral health, health education, nutrition counseling, Medicaid eligibility, case management and translation. Over 76,000 medical, dental and behavioral health visits are provided to 21,000 patients annually. Over 164,000 prescriptions are filled on site.
NHFHS’ mission is to improve the health of Upstate communities by providing quality, affordable, compassionate, patient-centered health care.
About the GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, developing health globally, the environment, public policy, human rights and disaster relief. In addition, the GE Foundation supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2010, the entire GE family — including businesses, employees, retirees and the GE Foundation — contributed more than $250 million in cash, products, and services to charitable organizations around the world. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
Citizenship at GE is more than a program or a set of good intentions - it is a full-time commitment built upon cultural behaviors and actions. These actions are integrated with business strategy and have defined goals, strategies and metrics that make it actionable and accountable.
GE13169
