Flint, MI—Congressman Dan Kildee announced federal funding to improve mental health services for Genesee County residents during a June 28, 2022, visit to the Greater Flint Health Coalition.
The $750,000 in federal funding is meant to expand GFHC’s crisis prevention and treatment efforts within its Genesee Community Health Access Program, which is geared predominantly toward children covered by Medicaid insurance.
“No Michigander should have to struggle to get the mental health care they need,” Kildee said. “I am proud to have secured funding to support the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s work to improve mental health crisis prevention and treatment for mid-Michigan residents.”
Kildee was joined by Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, GFHC Interim President & CEO, Janée A. Tyus, Senior Program Director of the Genesee Community Health Access Program, and Dan Russell, CEO of Genesee Health System. GHS has also been working to expand access to mental health services through pilot projects and Community Mental Health Millage program grants.
According to a press release, the new funding will go toward reaching out to patients with unmet behavioral mental health needs and “improve the links between social service and health care organizations, including physicians, hospitals, mental health providers, and health insurers.”
“Expanding local capacity to increase access to care and navigation of community health resources is a critical step to provide opportunities for improved health outcomes and mental health needs of our residents,” Reynolds said. “The Greater Flint Health Coalition is thankful for Congressman Kildee’s leadership and advocacy to build this critical community capacity.”
GFHC’s funding is part of nine Community Project Funding requests that Kildee secured as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bills. Other awarded requests include funding for STEM programming at Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village, build out of the North Flint Food Market, and demolition activities of the Genesee County Land Bank.