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Commission to Build a Healthier America Public Meeting
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Circles of Care: Enhancing Access to Health Care in the Detroit Area
A plan to enhance access to health care in Detroit and Wayne County through an interfaith coalition
In 2005–2007, the Interfaith Health & Hope Coalition, composed of faith leaders and health care professionals, collaborated with the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority (DWCHA) to improve access to health care for the uninsured and the underinsured in Metropolitan Detroit.
Key Results
Project staff reported the following results to RWJF:
- The coalition established a Circle of Care in Western Wayne County, and laid the groundwork for three more in the Detroit area.
- The coalition sponsored five seminars, called Teach-Ins, to provide faith leaders and health care service providers with information and training on key health topics: asthma, depression, health care disparities and HIV/AIDS (two sessions). More than 375 local faith leaders and health care service providers attended the Teach-Ins, which were taught by health care professionals.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided an unsolicited grant of $50,000. Project staff raised an additional $90,000, including $50,000 from the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority. The coalition also received more than $20,000 in in-kind support from Henry Ford Health System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.