LANSING, Mich. — Friday Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and partners announced they $650,000 in funding will be allocated to nine Michigan organizations committed to suicide prevention programming in their communities.
BCBSM partnered with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Children’s Foundation, and the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation to establish the Suicide Prevention Support for Health Care Clinics Working with Michigan’s Health-Disparate Populations initiative. The program provides funding through grants to develop evidence-based and viable programming that aims to decrease the rate of suicide attempts and deaths by identifying children or adults who may be at risk; while addressing their needs for appropriate medical, social, and behavioral services.
“Suicide is a complex problem that requires innovative, evidence-based solutions,” said Lynda Rossi, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan executive vice president of Government, Strategy, and Public Affairs. “The organizations receiving funding are well-positioned to take on this important work in their respective communities. We’re confident these efforts will help save lives throughout the state of Michigan and will create sustainable changes to support improved behavioral health care for some of our most vulnerable populations.”
From 2014 to 2018, over 7,000 Michiganders died due to suicide. Evidence-based preventative programs are needed to stop individuals from committing suicide and anyone who may have suicidal ideations.
Organizations receiving grant funding include:
- Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), Dearborn
- Black Family Development, Inc., Detroit
- Child and Family Charities, Lansing
- Corktown, Detroit
- Institute for Population Health, Detroit
- Integrated Services of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo
- Mid-Michigan Health Foundation, Gladwin, Clare, Ogemaw, and Gratiot counties
- Southwest Counseling Solutions, Detroit
- Upper Great Lakes (UGL) Family Health Center, Calumet
Organizations that focused on populations that experience health disparities due to income, age, gender identity, and ethnic/racial characteristics were urged to apply for funding.
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