For Immediate Release

Contact:
Laura Blodgett
734-712-4536
Laura.Blodgett@stjoeshealth.org

May 3, 2019

From left, Paul Propson, CEO, Covenant Community Care; Dr. Chiquita Berg, St. Joe’s Medical Group – Westside OB/GYN; Dorlester “Dotti” Sharp, Board Chair, Covenant Community Care; Dave Spivey, President and CEO, St. Mary Mercy Livonia and Vice President, Community Health and Well-Being, Trinity Health Michigan Region; Steve Hamade, Developer/Landlord; Bill Wild, Mayor, City of Westland; and Dr. Jeffrey Ghioto, Covenant Community Care

WESTLAND, Mich. – (May 2, 2019) –   Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS), a member of Trinity Health in Livonia, Mich., and Covenant Community Care, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) organization serving metro Detroit, have collaborated to open a new satellite FQHC clinic in Westland, Mich.  This clinic was made possible in part through a $1.4 million community benefit grant from SJMHS, in which $1 million will support the operation of the clinic.

Located in a newly-renovated building at 32932 Warren Road, the clinic will offer medical and behavioral health care to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. While medical services are available to anyone in the community, those who qualify are eligible for a sliding fee scale as part of this federal program.

In addition, the health center will house a new St. Joe's Medical Group- Westside OB/GYN office co-located inside the building. This new location is part of the larger St. Joe's Medical Group-Westside OB/GYN practice with offices in Farmington Hills, Livonia and Canton, expanding the footprint of the existing OB/GYN physician group into the Westland community.

"We are excited to collaborate with Covenant in this innovative way to put together a network of needed health care services under one roof," said Dave Spivey, president and CEO, St. Mary Mercy Livonia and vice president, Community Health and Well-Being, Trinity Health Michigan Region. "As two faith-based organizations, we have come together to serve patients through our mutual goal to be a compassionate, transforming, healing presence in our community."

Covenant Community Care services onsite include a family medicine physician providing primary care and behavioral health services, as well as social work and ancillary staff. St. Joe's Westside OB/GYN practice employs two new physicians providing comprehensive services in that specialty. Though operating separately, much synergy exists between these two organizations for patients who need OB/GYN specialty services.

St. Mary Mercy Livonia, one of SJMHS' five hospitals across southeast Michigan, has identified access to care as one of the primary focus areas during its recent community health needs assessments. Survey respondents identified the city of Westland, located in the southern service area of St. Mary Mercy Livonia, as an area that would benefit from additional health care provider services, especially for those who are the most vulnerable. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, less than six percent of low-income residents in Westland were seen at a community health center in 2017. The center expects to serve more than one thousand patients in its first year.

“As our mission statement reflects, a key focus of our organization is to provide integrated, affordable and quality health care to those who need it most,” said Paul Propson, CEO of Covenant Community Care. “We are excited to be a part of increasing access to health care services for the residents of Westland and look forward to serving the Westland community.”

Both Westside OB/GYN and Covenant Community Care are currently accepting patients. For more information, please contact Westside OB/GYN at 734-743-4500 or contact Covenant Community Care at 734-298-0203 or visit http://www.covenantcommunitycare.org/.

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About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea.  Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 16,200 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians.   SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $1.9 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 97,000 people, has annual operating revenues of about $15.8 billion and assets of about $23.4 billion.

Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.

About Covenant Community Care

Covenant Community Care is a federally qualified health center with six clinical sites serving people in the metro Detroit area. Covenant Community Care provides primary medical care, oral health care, behavioral health care, and substance use recovery services to over 21,000 patients annually regardless of a person's insurance status. Thousands of people of all ages with no insurance, Medicaid and Medicare rely on Covenant Community Care doctors, dentists and therapists for health care every year.