Meridian of Michigan and Centene Foundation Announce $1.1 Million Grant to Wayne Mobile Health Department
Grant Addressing maternal and child health disparities through deployment of mobile vans to maternal and child health equity zones
detroit, February 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Meridian michiganthe state's leading managed care organization. michigan The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC), will develop the Wayne Mobile Health Unit (WMHU) to support a wide range of WMHU's community outreach efforts that improve maternal and child health and provide preventive health services directly to the community. announced a partnership with Both at home and at work.
of $1.1 million Funding from Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, and Meridian will allow WMHU to deploy mobile vans to low-, medium- and high-risk pregnant women living in the metro. detroit These are people who are not engaged in routine preventive services and we work to connect them to DMC's gynecologists for follow-up care. The initiative is expected to reduce maternal health mortality rates, which are disproportionately high among black and Hispanic women. Women can participate regardless of Meridian membership.
“Meridian is pleased to work with the Wayne Mobile Health Unit and other partners to provide targeted services to urban and rural communities in an efficient manner.” michigan” said the doctor. Kay Judge, Chief Medical Officer of Meridian. “By focusing on proactive support for communities that have long suffered from health inequalities, this partnership will directly address disparities and improve not just maternal health, but a wide range of health conditions and outcomes. It will provide concrete solutions that can also be applied.”
in michigan, from 2015 to 2019, Black women were 2.8 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 29.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services found that more than 63% of pregnancy-related maternal deaths between 2015 and 2019 were preventable. To address racism and persistent systemic bias that contribute to poor outcomes for mothers and children, the Maternal and Child Health Pilot Program will use geospatial analysis of: Wayne State University Information exchange on population health outcomes (phoenix) program to identify target areas detroit. Eventually, the pilot will be expanded to rural areas.
“The Wayne Mobile Health Unit is extremely grateful for the generous funding provided by the Centene Foundation,” said Dr. philip levyVice President of Translational Sciences wayne state university Director of the Wayne Mobile Health Unit. “This support will help sustain our existing support efforts and enable us to expand into the much-needed area of maternal health. We look forward to working with Meridian and Detroit Medical Center and know we will work together to proactively impact the communities we serve. ”
In addition to connecting WMHU patients with DMC follow-up care, the program provides regular social determinants of health (SDoH) screening and comprehensive community health worker services to guide women through the process. guide and ensure continuity of care. The first year of the pilot aims to increase attendance at antenatal and postnatal visits by 10-20% to reduce maternal mortality.
This maternal and child health pilot builds on the success of the WMHU program during the pandemic. Funding from Meridian and the Centene Foundation will enable WMHU to hire staff to provide care and continue its partnership to provide free regular health screenings in the community. Additionally, Meridian and WMHU partner to deploy mobile units to reach Meridian customers who are not engaged in routine preventive care, allowing direct and local access to preventive screening and care management. We plan to assist in the creation of a new billing code.
About Meridian
Meridian in Michigan primarily offers Medicaid (Meridian), Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans (Wellcare), Medicare-Medicaid plans (Meridian Complete), and Health Insurance Marketplace (Meridian's Ambetter). Meridian is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives.
About Centene Foundation
The Centene Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a private nonprofit organization focused on investing in economically disadvantaged communities and the philanthropic arm of the Centene Corporation (“Centene”). The Foundation supports projects and initiatives that are strategically aligned with Centene's purpose-driven culture and the work Centene is doing to remove barriers to health faced by underserved and low-income populations. strengthen. The Foundation is committed to addressing the social determinants of health and improving health equity in three distinct focus areas: health care access, social services, and education.
About Wayne Health
Wayne Health is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary, academic group that provides a full range of care for individuals and families from birth to end of life. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wayne Mobile Health Unit (WMHU) was created in partnership with: wayne state university. WMHU's mission is to provide underserved and uninsured populations with access to high-quality, portable, patient-centered, preventive health care. southeast michigan. WMHU provides screening services and linkage to care for individuals at high risk of developing long-term conditions.
Source meridian michigan
