OREANDA-NEWS. November 20, 2012.   GE Foundation—the philanthropic organization of GE—today announced an increased investment to five Houston community health centers and to Partners for Community Health, now totaling more than USD 2 million. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured people in the country, with one in three residents uninsured. The funding, part of GE’s Developing Health program, aims to increase access to primary care in targeted underserved communities across the U.S. through direct health center support and system capacity building. Today’s announcement expands the reach of the original commitment that was awarded to these five health centers in 2010.

The grants were announced by Bob Corcoran, president of the GE Foundation. “We are thrilled to build on the success we’ve had in Houston over the past two years. From Project Smiles with the Good Neighbor Health Center, to diabetes and weight management programs at Spring Branch Health Center and the Family Life Program at Legacy—these health centers are hard at work reaching those who need it most with quality care,” he said.

The five Houston medical centers are:

El Centro de Corazon (Eastwood clinic)
Good Neighbor Health Care (Heights Blvd. location)
Spring Branch Community Health Center (Hillendahl location)
Two Legacy Community Health Services (Southwest and Westheimer)

Each of the five health centers will receive USD 175,000 in two installments over two years. The grant funds will be used by each health center to increase access to primary care; specific grant programs will be identified through a collaborative dialogue between the health center leadership and community stakeholders. Partners for Community Health, a health center-controlled network, will receive USD 250,000 in two installments over two years to implement an Immunization Acceleration Partnership program across Houston.

“By partnering with these clinics to increase access to primary care we can help more people get the care they need when they need it,” said Houston-based Anup Sharma, CIO, GE Oil & Gas and leader of the Developing Health Initiative in Houston. “This program and the volunteers supporting it are a living example of GE’s strategy to help change the world’s approach to healthcare by touching more lives and improving quality of care.”

One of the reasons GE Foundation is increasing its support in Houston is because of the large amount of employee volunteerism. In addition to the grants themselves, the program includes volunteering from area GE employees drawing on their business management skills.

"We are thrilled to be receiving this second round of funding from GE. The funds and the supporting volunteers, who have and continue to help us, improve operations that allow us to increase access and improve our services for the patients we serve," said El Centro de Corazon Executive Mary Jo May. "El Centro offers a comprehensive range of services aimed at removing barriers, reducing health disparities and improving health and the quality of life in the community."

GE recently was recognized by The Civic 50 as one of the top 10 civic-minded companies in the S&P 500. The Civic 50 evaluates corporations on how they engage with the communities they serve and how they make their efforts an integral part of corporate culture. Across the country, GE volunteers have committed 1.3 million hours to civic service and worked on 6,200 company-sponsored community initiatives. One of those volunteers is Patricia Gonzalez, who has been instrumental in implementing GE’s Developing Health initiative in the Houston area.