Michigan Health Endowment Fund Awards $15.2 million to support the health and wellness of seniors and children
Food Bank Council of MI, Area Agencies on Aging,
Michigan Recreation and Parks, Easter Seals funded

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Health Endowment Fund announced $15.2 million in funding to four organizations providing health and wellness services to older adults and children in the first step of its 2014 pilot funding program. The Food Bank Council of Michigan, the Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan, Michigan Recreation and Parks Association and Easter Seals – Michigan, Inc. were recently awarded funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

“The Michigan Health Endowment Fund is focused on what we can do to help improve the health of Michigan children and seniors,” said Rob Fowler, Chairman of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. “The board has chosen to fund these important projects as they support an array of crucial health areas including wellness, mental health services and chronic disease management that will have a positive impact on the health of the people of Michigan.”

• The Food Bank Council of Michigan was awarded $5 million for a new program called Michigan Food Bank Access to Nutrition that will support mobile distribution sites that will deliver fruits and vegetables to those in need across the state. The program will coordinate various forms of mobile distribution including direct service to schools, senior centers and other areas where the need is high. The pilot will also include a statewide campaign to teach participants in the program the importance of nutrition and how to prepare nutritious meals. The Food Bank Council of Michigan is a statewide association made up of seven member food banks that serve all 83 counties in the state.
• The Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan was awarded $5 million to support the expansion of a fall prevention program and a diabetes management program for
  senior adults. In Michigan, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths for older adults and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma for older adults. 4,000 high risk seniors will be trained in the Matter of Balance program. Additionally, more than 4,000 high risk seniors with Type 2 diabetes will be trained in the Diabetes Self-Management program. These seniors are not insulin dependent but need to better manage their conditions. The Area Agencies of Aging Association of Michigan represents all 16 Area Agencies on Aging that serve all 83 counties in the state.
• The Michigan Recreation and Park Association was awarded $1.1 million for the development of a fitness-based program with emphasis on youth, families and seniors for communities with health needs. The program will include a youth physical fitness curriculum, a family fitness program, a health and wellness curriculum for seniors and the development of a series of virtual, interactive fitness classes for homebound seniors.

• Easter Seals-Michigan, Inc., was awarded $4.1 million to design and launch a trauma screening and assessment program for Michigan children in eight sites across the state including Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Genesee, Wayne, Kalamazoo and Isabella counties and the Upper Peninsula. The program will include a web-based screening service, complex trauma assessment and comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment to better identify, assess and treat children experiencing trauma.

While the Michigan Health Endowment Fund continues to organize its operation, including the hiring of a permanent Chief Executive Officer and developing a comprehensive grantmaking strategy, the Board felt it important to make funding available to organizations working in health that have the ability to distribute funding to local affiliates throughout the state in 2014.

In an effort to distribute these funds the Board invited 12 statewide organizations to participate in its 2014 Pilot Grant Program and received grant applications from 11 of the invited organizations. The Michigan Health Endowment Fund continues to review the remaining seven applications from the pilot program and may move forward with funding requests at future board meetings.

The mission of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund is to improve the health of Michigan residents and reduce the cost of health care with special emphasis on the health and wellness of children and seniors.

The Fund was created through the passage of Public Act 4 of 2013, which authorized certain changes to how Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) operates in the state. The law requires BCBSM to contribute up to $1.56 billion over 18 years to the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

Members of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund are Lynn Alexander, Tim Damschroder, Cindy Estrada, Rob Fowler, Sue Jandernoa, Jim Murray, Keith Pretty, Marge Robinson, and Michael Williams.

Visit www.healthendowmentfund.org for more information about the Fund.
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