The Genesee Health Plan honored four individuals for their outstanding contributions to health care in the community during the second annual 2013 Health Care Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday night.
The Health Care Hall of Fame Visionary Leadership Award was presented to Bob Emerson, a former state representative, senator and state budget director who was one of the leading architects for what is today the Genesee Health Plan. The Health Care Hall of Fame award honors visionary leaders who personally made a lasting impact on the community’s health care landscape. Through dedication, advocacy, leadership and tenacity, the Health Care Hall of Fame inductees have helped to improve the health of the community.
Other honorees were:
• Community Partnership Award: Archie Bailey, Genesee County commissioner
• Physician Leadership Award: Dr. Laura Carravallah, program director for Hurley Medical Center’s Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency, and medical director of HMC’s Pain and Palliative Care Consulting Service
• Visionary Leadership Award: Joe Leonard, pharmacy manager and diabetes specialist at Walgreen’s Pharmacy, and Genesee Health Plan board member
“Sen. Bob Emerson, Commissioner Archie Bailey, Dr. Laura Carravallah and Joe Leonard have gone above and beyond to help our neighbors in this community get the health care and treatment they need at a time when their options were very limited, and for their outstanding efforts, they truly are health care heroes in Genesee County,” said Linda Hamacher, GHP executive director. “Their vision, leadership, compassion and commitment is an inspiration to all of us. They work tirelessly behind the scenes and their efforts are improving – and even saving – the lives tens of thousands of families in Genesee County.”
Emerson said: “I can think of no organization with which I am more proud to have been associated. GHP has accomplished more than we ever imagined when it was created. The community is far better off because of GHP.”
The award ceremony was held at the Flint Golf Club.
The Community Partnership award honors an individual who has joined GHP in an enduring partnership, working hand in hand to improve wellness and health education, and support quality, affordable health care for Genesee Health Plan members. The Physician Leadership award honors a physician leader who provides exemplary quality of care, serves as a patient advocate and demonstrates a commitment to strengthening health care in the community. The Visionary Leadership award honors local people and organizations that have provided leadership for creative solutions to accessible, quality and affordable health care.
Launched in 2001, Genesee Health Plan provides basic health services to about 25,000 adults in Genesee County who don’t have health insurance. Services provided include doctor visits, lab tests, X-rays and basic prescriptions. Genesee Health Plan is the only local health plan in Michigan that is funded directly by the community through a special millage.
BOB EMERSON – Visionary Leadership Award and Health Care Hall of Fame Inductee
A true champion for Flint and Genesee County, Bob Emerson played a direct role in the conception, implementation and success of Genesee Health Plan. As a state senator, Emerson provided the genesis for GHP when, in 2000, he worked with the Michigan Department of Community Health to provide seed funds to the Greater Flint Health Coalition, whose board he chaired. Emerson brought diverse partnerships to the table in those early years, including the C.S. Mott Foundation and Health Management Associates. These collaborative efforts led in 2001 to the formation of Genesee Health Plan as an independent nonprofit corporation committed to providing quality health care to uninsured Genesee County residents.
Emerson served on GHP’s Board of Directors and worked closely to develop its initial and continuing funding structure. He contributed his time, money and priceless experience to the passage of the first millage campaign to fund GHP. He has continued to support GHP by providing guidance and political leadership. Without his visionary leadership, knowledge and compassion, Genesee Health Plan would likely not have existed.
A native of Alpena, Emerson attended Wayne State University and the University of Michigan-Flint. While working at St. Joseph Hospital in Flint, Emerson helped organize a union and became its first president. He was also a political coordinator for AFSCME.
Emerson was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1980 as aDemocrat from Flint. He was elected to the Senate in 1998 and served as the Senate Democratic Leader 2003-2006.
He later served as Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s budget director. Today, Emerson works with consulting firm McAlvey, Merchant & Associates. Emerson lives in Lansing with his wife, Judy Samelson. The couple has four children.
ARCHIE BAILEY – Community Partnership Award
Since becoming Genesee County commissioner in 2002, Archie Bailey has been a tireless supporter of Genesee Health Plan. Through Bailey’s leadership, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved placing the Health Services Millage that renewed GHP on the 2006 ballot. Bailey served on the Steering Committees of the Friends of the GHP for both the 2006 and 2012 renewal campaigns, educating the community about GHP and its value to the entire community by holding forums and town halls, sending mail pieces and distributing informational handouts.
Despite facing a challenge to his seat on the Board of Commissioners, Bailey contributed financially to the GHP millage renewal campaign in 2012, personally sponsoring more than 150 TV spots supporting the millage renewal. Bailey not only was re-elected in 2012 – his support also helped the GHP millage renewal win in a 64-percent victory.
Bailey represents citizens in the 7th District, serving as chair of the board in 2007, and was a three-term mayor of Flushing. A retired public school educator, Bailey had degrees from Wayne State University and a PhD from Michigan State University.
DR. LAURA CARRAVALLAH – Physician Leadership Award
Dr. Laura Carravallah is the program director for Hurley Medical Center’s Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency and medical director of HMC’s Pain and Palliative Care Consulting Service, a post she has held since 1995. She also sits on the Genesee County Board of Health. In addition to teaching compassion and providing compassionate care to underserved individuals in Genesee County, Dr. Carravallah is a powerful advocate for the Genesee Health Plan. As the President of the Genesee County Medical Society, she played a key role in securing physician support for the 2012 Health Services Millage. During the millage campaign, she wrote a letter to the Flint Journal that made a compelling case for passage of the GHP renewal. She also visited the Journal editorial board to make an in-person case for renewing the GHP millage – a visit that resulted in an endorsement from the Journal. Dr. Carravallah is active at the state and national levels for the American College of Physicians. A native of Milford, she received a bachelor’s in psychology and her MD from the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University.
JOE LEONARD – Visionary Leadership Award
Joe Leonard is pharmacy manager and diabetes specialist at Walgreen’s Pharmacy. A member of the Genesee Health Plan board of directors since 2002, Leonard has also served on the Plan’s executive committee since 2009. He also serves on GHP’s Network Quality and Oversight Committee, Pharmacy Committee, Nominating Committee and Grants and Local Funds Committee. In addition to volunteering his time and his leadership, Leonard is dedicated to a “hands-on” approach to helping the underserved. Leonard was instrumental in working with Walgreen’s to supply free flu vaccines to immunization clinics in the county. He also hosted the immunization clinic at GHP’s 2012 Health Expo, personally immunizing 140 people who did not have insurance. Leonard’s compassion and vision have been critical to GHP’s ability to help our members over the past decade.
Leonard also serves on the Universal Kidney Foundation Advisory Committee and is a past chair of the board of directors of the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists, serving on the MSCP board for the past eight years. He is a fellow of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, and Hall of Honor recipient.
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