Traverse City Record-Eagle

Life

November 12, 2009

Health clinic gets $25,000 grant

Money will help with mental health services

FROM STAFF REPORTS

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Traverse Health Clinic received $25,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to help with a behavioral health program.

The program currently runs six mornings a month but will be expanded to five days a week. Volunteer counselors are available to talk to patients when they come in for appointments with their primary care providers.

"The great thing about this is, with depression being our No. 1 diagnosis, we can break down any barriers and directly connect the person with a mental health professional," said Sherri L. Fenton, development director for the clinic. "(It's) on the spot, by literally walking the patient down the hall."

The Traverse Health Clinic, at 3155 Logan Valley Road in Logan's Landing on the south side of South Airport Road, is a nonprofit health-care provider for uninsured and underinsured people in Benzie, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.

The money will be used to coordinate schedules and for administrative needs of the counselors, said Meg Lancucki, clinic director.

The grant to Traverse City's clinic was one of several Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan awarded to free clinics around that state. More than $1 million was given in all.

Other area clinics receiving money include the Cadillac Area Community Health Clinic, 521 Cobbs St.; the AuSable Free Clinic, 1250 E. Michigan Ave., Grayling; the Community Free Clinic, 820 Arlington, Suite 6, Petoskey; and the Manistee Area Community Clinic, 385 Third St.

About 2.5 million Michigan residents under 65 went without health insurance at some time between 2007 and 2008, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Free clinics in Michigan provided about 122,000 patient visits in 2008, the insurer said.

For more information on the Traverse Health Clinic, call 935-0668 or go to www.traversehealthclinic.org.

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