DBusiness Daily Update: Detroit Mayor Duggan to Deliver State of the City from New Jeep Plant, Total Health Care Foundation Announces $1.8M in Grants, and More

Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
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graph of daily coronavirus cases
Courtesy of Bridge

Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.

Detroit Mayor to Deliver State of the City Address from New Jeep Plant Tonight
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will deliver his eighth State of the City address in front of the assembly line inside the new, $1.6-billion Stellantis assembly plant at Mack and St. Jean.

Home to the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the plant will employ thousands of Detroit residents hired through the Detroit at Work process.

Detroit is the first northern city in more than a decade to land a new assembly plant, which also is the first to be built within city limits in three decades. In exchange for providing Stellantis with the 200 acres of land it needed, Duggan negotiated a commitment from the automaker to prioritize Detroiters in the hiring process, which applies for the life of the plant.

The address will begin at 7 p.m. and the live stream for the event will start at 6:45 p.m.

On television, the speech can be seen on Comcast Ch 10 and 21 in Detroit, AT&T Channel 99 in Detroit, and local network stations.

Livestream options include:

Total Health Care Foundation Announces $1.8M in Grants
Total Health Care USA and Priority Health announced that the first round of Total Health Care Foundation grant recipients will receive more than $1.8 million.

Created as part of the merger agreement between Priority Health and Total Health Care, the Total Health Care Foundation’s inaugural grants are going to southeast Michigan organizations that are committed to improving the health and well-being of the individuals they serve.

“After a detailed review process, we are pleased to announce the first round of grant recipients from the Total Health Care Foundation,” says Shannon Wilson, vice president of state markets, east for Priority Health. “Each of these organizations is committed to serving their communities in a variety of ways which aligns with what both Total Health Care and Priority Health stand for in terms of addressing the needs of their communities. We look forward to seeing what each of these organizations achieves in the near future.”

Earlier this year, the Total Health Care Foundation engaged The Children’s Foundation to provide operational support, enabling the organization to operate more efficiently and effectively. The Children’s Foundation also will provide insight on which organizations would be a good fit as a grant recipient.

The first round of grant recipients are:

Alternatives for Girls ($100,000) — Alternative for Girls helps homeless and high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy, and exploitation.

Brilliant Detroit ($148,000) — Brilliant Detroit educates families with young children (0-8) in the inner city.

CATCH ($165,000) – CATCH is dedicated to improving the quality of life for pediatric patients and their families at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital.

Cass Community Social Services ($100,000) — This grant will be used to support the construction of two tiny homes as part of CCSS’ Tiny Homes Initiative for low-income Detroit residents.

Hope Clinic ($100,000) — Hope Clinic provides health care services for those without insurance or who are ineligible for government assistance.

Kids Health Connections ($99,000) — Kids Health Connections is expanding its existing KHC Pilot: connecting children to primary care physicians to receive necessary health services and address food insecurities in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

Make Your Date Detroit ($150,000) — This Wayne State University program launched in 2014 to ensure all women in Detroit have easy access to prenatal care and coverage.

National Kidney Foundation of Michigan ($193,000) — The NKFM was founded in 1955 with the mission of preventing kidney disease and improving the quality of life for those living with it.

Neighborhood Service Organization ($202,000) — NSO has been providing care management and support to a broad range of people in need throughout Detroit for the past 65 years.

Oakland University ($4,000) — This grant is being used to provide critical flu shots to students.

Salvation Army — SUD ($164,000) — Only 20 percent of people with substance abuse disorder receive treatment and the Salvation Army’s SUD Program links up with health care systems and transitions SUD discharges from the systems into their facility. The program provides housing in their facility while they rehabilitate and assist in finding proper housing as they wrap up their program.

SHAR ($105,000) — SHAR will fund transitional housing components and rapid COVID-19 testing.

St. Vincent de Paul Society COVID Relief ($100,000) — St. Vincent de Paul assists the unemployed with food, clothing, household items like a bed or crib, rent assistance, utility bill assistance, and a free one-week camp for at-risk children.

Vista Maria ($220,000) — The grant will fund expenses related to Vista Maria’s emergency intake wing such as medical room equipment, furnishings, specialty audio equipment and security system equipment.

Additional grant applications are currently being evaluated by the Total Health Care Foundation and The Children’s Foundation.

TNC Events Certified as Woman-owned Business
Detroit’s TNC Events, an event management, corporate logistics and meeting planning provider, has been officially recognized for national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

“The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is proud to have TNC Events as one of our newly certified women-owned businesses,” says Michelle Richards, executive director of the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council. “We see the tremendous talent and promise exhibited by TNC Events and they are well deserving of this national certification.”

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council certification implemented by the Great Lakes Business Council is a process including an in-depth review and site inspection of the businesses seeking certification. The process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51 percent woman owned, operated, and controlled. By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations, and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.

“We’re delighted to have gone through this process and to have received the certification as it’s one more indicator of what sets us apart in our industry,” says Tina Wassman, principal of TNC Events. “And receiving this recognition at the start of Women’s History Month makes it even more special for me and everyone on our team.”

JVS Human Services Offers Lecture on Laughter for Seniors March 17
“Gray Matters: Laughter and Brain Health” is the title of a free virtual lecture for Michigan seniors on Wednesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. aimed at helping them find the brighter side of life by exploring the benefits of laughter on the brain, particularly during current stressful times.

Brain health expert Linda Keilman from Michigan State University’s College of Nursing will be talking about some of the changes that happen in the brain as people age and how laughter can make a difference to memory, mood, and even physical health.

The event is part of a monthly “Gray Matters” lecture series offered from Mind University, a joint initiative of JVS Human Services and Jewish Family Service, which provides seniors with activities and programs to keep their brains healthy and vital especially at a time when so many seniors are isolated from friends and family. To register for the free Zoom lecture, email MindU@jfsdetroit.org or call (248)788-MIND.