Project Details:
Genesee Health System is constructing a new 60,000 square foot (SF) facility to act as a hub to respond to the behavioral/mental health needs and include a Federally Qualified Health Center in Flint, MI. The Project is expected to serve a mostly minority (68%) client base in a severely distressed, medically underserved, Low-Income Community (“LIC”).
The Project, located in the city of Flint, has a poverty rate three times greater than the national rate and is still enduring the effects of the water crisis that began in 2014. Flint is part of Genesee County, which ranks near the bottom of all Michigan counties on a variety of health outcomes. In order to serve as the community’s primary hub for responding to behavioral/mental health needs facing children and families affected by the Flint lead/water crisis, the Project will offer specialized, state-of-the-art clinical facilities to accommodate the growing need for lead assessment and treatment. The Sponsor reports, the Project will significantly expand Genesee’s capacity to provide these assessments, allowing it to address a waitlist of more than 1,000 children and a pool of nearly 40,000 children in the community who are suspected to have been exposed to lead.
Furthermore, to address a broader set of needs facing the community, the facility will include a new FQHC clinic, featuring six exam rooms for primary care and behavioral health. Services will be targeted to women and children and will address key health issues facing the community.
The Sponsor is Genesee County’s nonprofit Community Mental Health provider, having served the community for over 50 years. Its mission is to support recovery, prevention, health, and wellness of the community. According to the Sponsor, its services are mostly used (94%) by members of the low-income community and only 1% of whom have private insurance. As a part of its children’s program, the Sponsor is the primary agency tasked with responding to the neurological and developmental effects of the Flint Water Crisis.
