GE Brings National Healthcare Initiative to Wilmington, N.C.
WILMINGTON, N.C.—May 5, 2011—Seeking to improve access to quality healthcare for underserved communities around the United States, the GE Foundation—the philanthropic organization of GE (NYSE: GE)—today announced it has selected New Hanover Community Health Center in Wilmington to receive a $250,000 grant over the next two years through its national GE Developing Health™ program.
New Hanover County has an uninsured rate of 24 percent (ages 19-64) and 18 percent of county children (under age 18) are in poverty.
Today’s $250,000 grant was presented at a ceremony at New Hanover Community Health Center that was attended by local government and business leaders. In addition to the grant, GE also will provide skill-based volunteer support to New Hanover Community Health Center for the next three years.
“This money is critical in allowing New Hanover Community Health Center to continue addressing the needs of our community,” said Alfred Thomas, CEO, New Hanover Community Health Center. “These dollars will allow us to improve and increase access to primary care services for the more than 5,000 patients we provide services for annually.”
Developing Health is a three-year, $50 million program that aims to improve access to primary care in targeted underserved communities across the United States. The program is modeled after GE’s successful philanthropic program Developing Health Globally™ and is a partnership between GE’s Corporate Citizenship and Diversity Council organizations. The program also aligns with GE’s healthymagination initiative, a commitment to reduce costs, improve quality and increase access in healthcare.
“In addition to employing thousands of people in the region, GE’s Developing Health initiative underscores our commitment to improve the quality of life for New Hanover County residents, including those in underserved populations,” said GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy president and CEO Caroline Reda, who presented the check to New Hanover Community Health Center. “Community by community, GE is doing its part to help improve access to quality, affordable healthcare for the people who need it most.”
Since its launch in October 2009, the program has provided grants to health centers in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Erie (Pa.), Fairfield County (Conn.), Greenville (S.C.), Houston, Louisville (Ky.), Milwaukee, New York City, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Schenectady (N.Y.), and now to New Hanover Community Health Center in Wilmington.
Wilmington is home to several GE businesses that are co-located at GE’s Castle Hayne campus, including the global headquarters of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Global Nuclear Fuel Americas’ fuel fabrication plant and a GE aircraft engine services center.
GE Volunteers to Share Best Practices
GE volunteer teams are a critical component of the Developing Health program. Through the program, GE employees work with the health centers to address specific needs, ranging from marketing communications to process improvements, and offer their business skills and experience to drive improvements that benefit patients and workflows.
Developing Health enables health centers like New Hanover Community Health Center in Wilmington to work directly with GE’s Affinity Networks and employee groups, which include the Asian Pacific American Forum, Women’s Network, Hispanic Forum, African American Forum and Veteran’s Network.
The Affinity Networks and employee groups partner with non-profit health centers and offer volunteer support as well as business best-practices sharing in order to help the clinics with their mission to reach underserved populations and enable access to primary care.
“Through our work with the GE Affinity Networks, we have seen first-hand that access to quality healthcare is an issue that affects all cultures and backgrounds,” said Deborah Elam, vice president and chief diversity officer, GE. “We are proud to use our collaborative resources to champion the Developing Health program to provide access to primary healthcare and other vital personal development opportunities to the underserved populations in Wilmington and across the United States.”
For more information on the Developing Health program in the United States, please visit: https://www.ge.com/sustainability/ourphilanthropy.
For more information on the Developing Health Globally™ program, please visit: https://www.ge.com/sustainability
About the GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, developing health globally, the environment, public policy, human rights and disaster relief. In addition, the GE Foundation supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2010, the entire GE family—including businesses, employees, retirees and the GE Foundation—contributed more than $250 million in cash, products, and services to charitable organizations around the world. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Healthymagination is a $6 billion commitment that was launched in May 2009.
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