January 16, 2009

8:30-10:30 A.M.

American Red Cross

1401 S. Grand Traverse

AGENDA

Introductions

Genesee Health Plan and Genesee Healthnet Report

• Healthnet activities and outcomes to improve services – (Jim Milanowski- GHP)

• Group discussion about gaps and priority needs of the uninsured in Genesee County

  • Facilitated by Terri Stangl – CCJ

Community Mental Health Update

• Mental health screeners (Brian Swiecicki– CMH)

Updates and Information:

• Medicaid Hearing Rights

  • Issues and developments (Jackie Doig, CCJ)

• Parents or children with disabilities losing Medicaid before they are considered for Medicaid based on disability (Jackie Doig, CCJ)

• Medicaid Co-payment update

  • Update (Jackie Doig, CCJ)

• Effects of Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments (Jackie Doig, CCJ)

• Update on SCHIP and Medicaid issues at the federal level (CCJ and others)

• Other issues identified by participants

WHAT: 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit
More than 4,000 people from across Michigan attended the event, which featured Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm and Martin Luther King III.

Gov. Granholm

Because poverty continues to impact hard-working Michigan families, the
event kicks off a statewide initiative to reduce poverty and to maximize
economic opportunities for all.

Policymakers, residents and service providers from across the state
looked for ways to ensure that as Michigan’s economy recovers, no citizen is
left behind.

For more info and video on the summit, visit: www.youtube.com/DHSPovertySummit

Contact: Edward Woods III, director of communications, (517) 373-7394 or
(517) 927-1884

DHS director invites Grand Rapids residents to take Michigan Food Stamp
Challenge, donate to local food banks
Event highlights the Michigan Harvest Gathering and Voices for Action 2008
Poverty Summit

October 15, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS – Can you enjoy three nutritious meals a day with just $5.87?
That’s exactly what about 300 Michigan residents will do this week to bring
attention to the effects of poverty and increase donations to local food
banks and soup kitchens as part of the Michigan Food Stamp Challenge.

“More than 1.3 million Michigan residents received assistance from the
federal food stamp program,” Michigan Department of Human Services Director
Ismael Ahmed, who is taking the challenge, said at a Grand Rapids event
today. “Hunger is just one of the many devastating effects of poverty.”

The food stamp program – known as the Food Assistance Program in Michigan -
is part of a safety net for Michigan residents, many of whom work, but
still can’t make ends meet. Over a million of them will supplement their
food budgets this year by visiting a local food bank – and the need is
growing. In some parts of the state, emergency food providers are reporting
as much as a 25 percent increase in the number of people seeking help with
food this year.

That’s why Ahmed and about 300 Michigan residents, including Sen. Mark
Jansen; Denise Hubbard, executive director of the Montcalm County United
Way; Dr. Thomas Hass, president of Grand Valley State University; and Gov.
Jennifer M. Granholm took the Food Stamp Challenge. Their pledge calls
attention to the effects of poverty in Michigan and demonstrate the need
for increased donations as part of the Michigan Harvest Gathering, an
annual event to raise food and funds to support the state’s nine regional
food banks that serve agencies helping people in all 83 Michigan counties.

The Michigan Food Stamp Challenge encourages people to spend just $29.35
for food per person in a five-day period, equivalent to the maximum amount
a Michigan resident who has no income might receive in food assistance
benefits. The minimum amount of benefits is $14 a month with the average
benefit being about $100 a month. Michigan’s Food Assistance Program is
designed as a safety net to help ensure people have access to food during
difficult economic times. More than half of all recipients are children and
8 percent are over the age of 60.

Food Stamp Challenge participants also have the option of making a donation
of time or money to a local food bank or local soup kitchen.

“While the Food Stamp Challenge will be an eye-opening experience for many
people,” Ahmed said, “it’s important to focus our attention on reducing
poverty and maximizing economic opportunities for all.”

On Nov. 13, policymakers, low-income residents and service providers from
across the state will gather at Cobo Center in Detroit for the Voices for
Action 2008 Poverty Summit. They will look for ways to ensure that as
Michigan’s economy recovers, our poorest citizens are not left behind. This
first-of-its-kind summit in Michigan is sponsored by the Michigan
Department of Human Services, the Governor’s Commission on Community Action
and Economic Opportunity, and the Michigan Community Action Agency
Association.

The Poverty Summit is not just a one-day event, but kicks off a statewide
initiative to reduce poverty and maximize economic opportunities. After the
event, participants will continue to work on regional teams to implement
practical solutions to address the needs in the regions where they live.

For more information about the Food Stamp Challenge and the Voices for
Action 2008 Poverty Summit, including registration forms, please visit
www.michigan/gov/poverty. To donate to the Harvest Gathering, please visit
www.feedmichigan.org.
]]> http://foodstamps.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/grand-rapids-residents-donate-to-local-food-banks/feed/ 0 omiafoundation http://foodstamps.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/can-i-get-food-stamps/ http://foodstamps.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/can-i-get-food-stamps/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:22:15 +0000 omiafoundation http://foodstamps.wordpress.com/?p=6 ]]> This is often the first question a potential food stamp applicant may ask.  So, how do we find this out?  Foodstamps@omia suggests using a food stamp calculator like those found here and here.

As the OMIA Foundation seeks to locate more calculators like these, and as our tech-nerds seek to develop the Foundation’s own calculator, we encourage you to put some numbers and figures into each of the above food stamp calculators.  One particularly interesting test: do the same numbers produce the same outcome?

We’ll keep you posted…

Contact: Colleen Steinman, MDHS, (517) 241-5678; Heather Throne, MDA, 517-373-1085

Sept. 5, 2008

At farmer’s markets across the state, Michigan food assistance recipients
can use their benefits to obtain farm fresh, nutrient dense fruits and
vegetables. Compared to other Midwest states, Michigan leads with 18 farm
markets accepting Bridge Card electronic benefits.

Michigan’s Food Assistance Program provides federal Food Stamp dollars to
low-income families and individuals to supplement their food purchasing
power and prevent hunger. In comparison to Michigan, Ohio has seven
participating markets; Illinois has five; and Wisconsin has four.

Michigan’s participating markets can be found from the Eastern Market in
Detroit to Sweetwater Local Foods Market in Montague and even into the
Upper Peninsula with farmer’s markets in Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie. A
list of all 18 locations is available on our Web site.

“Farmers markets are a good option for people to spend their food
assistance dollars on healthful fresh fruits and vegetables,” DHS Director
Ismael Ahmed said. “Adults and children benefit from the nutrition of fresh
produce.”

An increasing number of Michigan residents rely on the Food Assistance
Program. In June 2008, a total of 602,323 households received food
assistance. More than 1.2 million individuals receive an average of about
$100 a month. The program brings federal dollars into the local economy.
For every $5 in benefits provided by federal dollars, there is an
additional $9.20 in economic activity in the local community.

”In fact, for every dollar spent locally on fresh fruits and vegetables,
three to seven different local businesses are impacted before that dollar
leaves the local economy,” said Don Koivisto, MDA Director. “If every
Michigan household spends just $10 per week of their current grocery budget
on local foods, we’d keep more than $37 million each week circulating
within our state.”

For more information, please consult the DHS Web site at
www.michigan.gov/foodstamps. For additional information on farmers markets,
please visit http://www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu/