Appropriations Requests for : Great Lakes Bay Health Centers

1. Cosponsoring legislators:

No Cosponsors

Recipient Information

2. Intended legislatively directed spending item recipient:

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers

3. Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:

501 Lapeer, Saginaw MI 48607 Project is GLBHC at Saginaw Medical Diamond, South Washington Ave. near Millard St. in Saginaw, Michigan (zip code 48601).

4. The recipient's employer identification number:

38-1908328

Funding Details

5. Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:

$2,000,000.00

6. What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers (GLBHC) is developing a 45,000-square-foot federally qualified health center (FQHC) to be located on South Washington Ave. near Millard St. in Saginaw, Michigan (zip code 48601). This new health center is part of the larger Saginaw Medical Diamond Project which is bringing together medical education and services in one location in downtown Saginaw. The $2,000,000 requested will support ramp-up expenses, equipment and furnishings needed to open the building. The health center will significantly expand access to integrated primary medical care, behavioral health care, pharmacy, HIV/AIDS services, and comprehensive physical and occupational therapy, while serving as a regional training and workforce pipeline hub for Northern Michigan. The project site is located along South Washington Avenue (M-13), a major state highway corridor, and is served by existing public transportation routes. This location improves visibility and accessibility for patients and community members, particularly those without reliable personal transportation. GLBHC operates a transportation department to assist patients in traveling to and from appointments, further reducing barriers to care for low-income and medically underserved residents. Zip code 48601 represents Saginaw’s east side, which has been historically underserved and subject to decades of disinvestment. Across the City of Saginaw (zip codes 48601, 48602, 48607, and 48724), approximately 62,308 residents live in the community, with 35,494 individuals—nearly 57%—living in poverty. The city lacks a major grocery store and faces significant deficits across social determinants of health, including food access, transportation, housing stability, and employment. Access to behavioral health services—particularly for mild to moderate conditions—is extremely limited. This center at the Saginaw Medical Diamond Project will expand GLBHC’s innovative whole-person care model by co-locating primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, HIV services, and rehabilitation services in a single facility. Behavioral health will be a centerpiece of the project, with a Behavioral Health Center for Excellence featuring adult and child/adolescent services including counseling and treatment with licensed social workers and psychiatric providers, neuropsychology, integrated primary care provider exam rooms, group therapy and art therapy spaces, trans-magnetic stimulation, substance use disorder services, and observational spaces for clinical training. This comprehensive model will significantly increase access to mental health and substance use treatment for underserved populations. The project will also integrate on-site pharmacy services, enabling patients to rapidly access low-cost medications that are critical for managing behavioral health conditions, improving medication adherence, and reducing hospitalization and crisis interventions. A 4,000-square-foot physical and occupational therapy suite will include an apartment model for activities of daily living, supporting functional recovery and reintegration into work, school, and community life. Occupational therapy integration will bridge the gap between diagnosis and real-world functioning by building practical life skills, routines, and independence. The facility will include 31 primary care exam rooms, which are expected to support approximately 57,000 primary care visits annually. Based on an average of 3.5 visits per patient per year, the site is expected to support more than 16,000 unduplicated primary care patients annually. Behavioral health services are conservatively projected to support 18,900 annual therapy visits, with additional psychiatry and integrated care encounters. The center at the Saginaw Medical Diamond Project will function as a clinical training environment in collaboration with Central Michigan University and Saginaw Valley State University, providing hands-on training for students, residents, fellows, and faculty in psychiatry, social work, occupational therapy, and related disciplines. Approximately 120 individuals are expected to work at the site, including providers, learners, faculty, community health workers, and support staff. This model addresses critical provider shortages and strengthens the local healthcare workforce pipeline, increasing retention of trained professionals in Saginaw and Northern Michigan. The project is a catalytic anchor within a broader redevelopment effort along the South Washington Avenue corridor. Infrastructure improvements have already been completed through public investment, and the City of Saginaw has committed $5,000,000 in ARPA funding to support development. The facility is intended to establish a biomedical and healthcare education hub, supporting long-term economic development, job creation, and neighborhood revitalization. Despite strong public support, the project faces significant financing challenges. Great Lakes Bay Health Centers is concurrently undertaking multiple capital-intensive expansions in urban and rural communities, placing the organization near its debt capacity. The project serves a population heavily reliant on Medicaid and uninsured care, limiting conventional financing feasibility. Local philanthropic capacity is constrained due to multiple overlapping capital campaigns tied to the region’s transformation. New Markets Tax Credit financing is essential to close the remaining capital gap and enable the full scope of services planned. By expanding integrated healthcare access, strengthening the behavioral health system, training future providers, and anchoring redevelopment, the Saginaw Medical Diamond Project will advance health equity, improve outcomes for low-income residents, and catalyze long-term community revitalization in Saginaw.

7. Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?

✓ Yes: Federal Funding

Amount received: $5,000,000.00

8. Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:

We will break ground on the project in Fall 2026, with expected completion in Fall 2028.

Additional Information For Nonprofit Corporations

9. Is the recipient a nonprofit corporation?

Yes

4. Officers and active members on the board of directors:

Timothy J. Zlomak, Albert Martenis III, Deborah Mack, Sam Pruitt II, Monica Reyes, Tarshia Lewis, John Martin, Dwayne Parker, Shelly Stolsmark, Pastor Craig Tatum, Lisa Wilson, John Rezayi, and Jacob Christoforo

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator

• "I certify that my immediate family members, legislative staff members, and I have no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the requested legislatively directed spending item."
• "I certify that the intended recipient of this legislatively directed spending item is not a for-profit entity."
• "I certify that the information in this form is true to the best of my knowledge."

Senator Chedrick Greene