Community Impact
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation grants are empowering Michigan residents to make a difference in health care. Read their success stories to see how they've made their mark.
Recent stories
GRAAHI Diversifies Kent County’s Doula Workforce by Training Black, Hispanic Doulas with Help from BCBSM Foundation
The need for more diversity across the health care profession affects all areas of care and extends to the doula workforce. This disparity is one of many that the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) works to eradicate.
Through its multi-year MY PACE Program, the Black Womb Workers Doula Initiative supports adult learners interested in health care careers. GRAAHI’s Pathways to Health Care Careers Department aims to train 15 new doulas in Kent County in the first half of 2025. This program could prove to be a mutually beneficial victory for health equity in Kent County, Michigan by diversifying the area’s health care workforce and simultaneously improving maternal health outcomes for mothers who partner with doulas.
Detroit’s Strategic Community Solutions Combats Caregiver Burnout with Innovative ‘Rest & Recharge + Helping Hands’ Program for Southeast Michigan Caregivers
Caregiving is one of the most selfless and compassionate duties one can take on. But it’s common for caregivers to get so lost in caring for someone else that they burn out and neglect to care for themselves.
In 2024, Strategic Community Solutions, SCS, launched the “Rest & Recharge + Helping Hands” program, a two-part initiative that provides resources, information and respite options for caregivers in metro Detroit, while also connecting them with basic maintenance services so they aren’t inundated with even more work to do at home following work and caregiving.
‘Breaking the Cycle:’ Four Upper Peninsula Organizations Use Grant Funds to Help Their Communities Recover from Substance Use Disorder
Predominantly rural regions – like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) – often see the devastating effects of substance use disorder (SUD) in their communities.
Approximately 638,000 Michigan residents experience an SUD, but only 20% (127,600) receive treatment, according to 2022 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) data. According to the most recent data published by the Michigan Inpatient Hospitalization Files dashboard, in 2019, the 15 Upper Peninsula counties reported 49 hospitalizations specific to opioid-related overdoses. Statistics like these highlight the need to address gaps in service for individuals and families in the UP that experience SUD and opioid-related overdoses.
Foundation reports
We like sharing success stories. The financial health of the Foundation, our grant recipients, and the Michigan communities they serve, is the backbone of these stories.
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