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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation Awards Grant to LifeCircles of Muskegon to Provide Access to Care for 2,000 Area Seniors
New center to provide medical care and services for seniors living at home
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MUSKEGON, June 19, 2008 - LifeCircles of Muskegon received a start-up challenge grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation to help open a day health center that will provide access to health care for approximately 2,000 area seniors. The new center offers a way to provide health care to seniors who live at home but need skilled nursing help. The grant challenges LifeCircles to obtain additional necessary funding commitments.
LifeCircles, a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly or PACE, is a nonprofit partnership by Porter Hills Retirement Communities and Services, Mercy General Health Partners and Senior Resources Inc. The program offers eligible seniors in need of skilled nursing care the ability to live in their own homes and receive medical and care services at a day center.
"The foundation supports LifeCircles because they bring medical access to seniors in the Muskegon community. They provide a solution to help seniors stay healthy and keep their independence," said Ira Strumwasser, executive director and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation.
Scheduled to open this summer at 560 Seminole Road in Muskegon, the LifeCircles center will provide area seniors with primary and specialty medical care, therapy services, nutrition counseling and social activities. LifeCircles also will provide transportation to and from the center.
The $50,000 start-up grant from the BCBSM Foundation will help the center hire clinical staff during its two-year start-up period. LifeCircles estimates at the end of the second year, it will be self-sustaining. Within five years, LifeCircles intends to open a second center in Ottawa County.
The LifeCircles PACE program operates under Medicare and Medicaid and is based on individual need. PACE programs provide access to care and offer a payment arrangement that allows patients to avoid costly and preventable institutionalization. PACE programs first started in the 1970s and have proved to be cost-effective.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is dedicated to improving the health of Michigan residents by supporting health care research and innovative health programs. The foundation’s grant programs are conducted in Michigan by Michigan-based researchers and nonprofit community health care organizations.
Over the past 25 years, the BCBSM Foundation has contributed approximately $20 million in grants for research and $5 million for community health programs. This funding has resulted in enhancements to quality, patient safety and access to care for the people of Michigan. The foundation also supports efforts to control the rising costs of health care through research, demonstration and evaluation projects.
The BCBSM Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit bcbsm.com/foundation.
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