MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) – Four community organizations in the Upper Peninsula will receive $490,000 for growth and development of recovery communities.
Recovery communities offer people in recovery from substance use disorders and their families resources. Certain members of the Michigan Opioid Partnership including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Superior Health Foundation with community partners, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the Upper Peninsula Health Plan partnered on the grantmaking project.
“The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation joins a motivated collective of partners to make this grant program possible to equip Upper Peninsula residents and families with the tools for a successful recovery,” said Audrey Harvey, executive director and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. “Substance use disorder has claimed too many Michiganders’ lives this year alone. Building sustainable, intervention-focused recovery communities is key to helping end this crisis.”
The Michigan Opioid Partnership has awarded grants statewide since 2017. Grants have been awarded to hospitals, jails and community organizations to provide funding for prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.
“The Superior Health Foundation is honored to join a robust group of philanthropic supporters to address substance use disorder in the Upper Peninsula,” said Jim LaJoie, executive director of the Superior Health Foundation. “These issues are real. With this incredible collaborative funding, it is our sincere hope that we can play a defining role in prevented overdose deaths in the region. We, the Superior Health Foundation, are pleased to provide matching funding for this initiative and are incredibly thankful for the support of our partners.”
Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Inc. will receive $150,000 for their Rebuilding LIVES After Addiction program. The program provides connections to professional development like interview skills, resume building, vocational profiling and job readiness reviews and connects participants to a network of recovery-friendly employers.
Eastern Upper Peninsula Opioid Response Consortium will receive $150,000. The funding will go towards the Alger-Luce Road to Recovery program that supports a peer recovery specialist serving inmates, treatment court teams, support behavioral health professionals and enhance community-wide education that reduces stigma and creates trauma-informed communities.
Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is receiving funding towards Facing Addiction through Community Engagement – The FACE Project. They will receive $150,000 for helping reconnect people with substance use disorder with their families and communities by improving understanding of substance use disorder, reducing stigma and developing easy access to treatment by closing gaps in services through family education, women’s specialty services and jail-based services.
Superior Housing Solutions will receive $40,000 for Superior Housing Solutions Recovery Community. The funding will go towards workforce development and recovery community organization project manager and submission of Recovery Community Organization applications.
“Upper Peninsula Health Plan is proud to be a partner in this important project, as this initiative aligns perfectly with our plan’s mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Melissa Holmquist, CEO of the Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP). “Collaboration is key, as we make the biggest difference to our communities when we all work together towards a common goal. Through these shared efforts, this funding will support additional SUD and recovery services that are desperately needed in order to provide healthier futures for all.”
