The GE Foundation, the philanthropy branch of the technology and services conglomerate, recently announced it is giving $1 million to four Milwaukee nonprofit health care centers.
The foundation believes the donations will be a benefit to society by helping undeserved populations who are increasingly uninsured but nevertheless need access to health care services. The grants are part of the GE developing health program with a strategy it calls healthymagination, which was created three years ago with a mission of distributing $25 million to nonprofits and extending to 10 cities in the United States.
The $250,000 grants will be disbursed to the nonprofits – the MLK Heritage Health Center, the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, the Chavez Health Center, and the Parkway Health Center – in two installments over two years. Milwaukee is the second city after New York to receive funding from GE’s health program.
The health program also gives GE employees a chance at giving back to the community through volunteer opportunities at health care centers across the country.
Mike Barber, vice president of healthymagination, says that the work done by GE volunteers combined with its donations can truly make a difference in the lives of uninsured patients.
"I’ve lived in Milwaukee all my life and understand well the area’s potential, and its challenges, particularly in the area of healthcare," says Barber. "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. This program and the volunteers supporting it help change the world’s approach to health care by touching more lives and improving quality of care."
Access to health care has been a national problem in recent years. The Census Bureau has estimated that 45.7 million Americans do not have health insurance, but warned that the number would grow with rising unemployment rates.