Community Investment
Hyperlocal
For over 25 years, Meridian has been a trusted partner in Michigan providing highquality healthcare to our members, educating our providers, and strengthening our communities through strong alliances with local grassroots organizations. As the largest Medicaid MCO in Michigan, Meridian continues to be a leader in healthcare innovation. We are focused on mitigating the impact of social determinants of health such as the need for food, housing, and more, which affects overall health outcomes. We demonstrate our motto, Care. Above All Else., in everything we do each day. We are a visible presence in the diverse communities we serve. Both our executives and employees volunteer at community and partner events. We are committed to advancing health equity for everyone, regardless of which zip code they live in or how they chose to self-identify. The pandemic revealed cracks in the healthcare system. Many of our youth are still trying to process months of imposed isolation and social distancing. Meanwhile, others also face environmental challenges. Meridian has responded through offering our time and resources to communities and allying with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Michigan, which teaches youth social-emotional awareness and coping skills through its program called Be There.
Health Equity
Engaging a Talented, Diverse Workforce
Meridian values diversity and is committed to equity and inclusion in our workforce, business relationships, and communities that we serve. Our vision of success requires an engaged, high-performing diverse workforce who reflect our communities and bring authentic, cultural perspectives and experiences that better help us understand and address the needs of our members and their communities beyond just medical care – this is one way Meridian is making our communities stronger. To further enhance our inclusive workforce culture, Meridian and our parent Centene Corporation support enterprise-wide employee inclusion groups, because they provide significant value to our mission of transforming our communities, one person at a time.
National Minority Quality Forum
Meridian believes in the power of community partnerships to serve as a catalyst to make our communities stronger and to advance equity. We are continually laser-focused on improving member and community health throughout Michigan. That’s one reason we have partnered with organizations such as the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), a nonprofit advocacy group. In 2023, Meridian and the NMQF teamed up twice to host a free Flint Community Cancer Screening and Health Fair – first on MLK Jr. Day and again in August of 2023. The goal of the events were to spread awareness of detecting cancer early in underserved communities and provide access to preventive services to address rising concerns from residents in Flint. Meridian’s affiliate Envolve provided vision tests and glasses at both events.
Pioneers in Delivery of Care
As Meridian continues to innovate in the Michigan healthcare space and have a whole person approach to our members’ health, beyond simply medical care, we continue to expand our initiatives in the community. As a sixteen-time Michigan Association of Health Plans (MAHP) Pinnacle Award for Best Practices winner, including our 2022 award for Collaborative Community Outreach, we continue to collaborate and innovate to continuously improve health outcomes in our community.
By partnering with local community organizations with staple clothing item donations, Meridian was able to remove known barriers to preventative care in key communities in Southeast and West Michigan.
We continue to integrate value-added services to our Medicaid plan with preventative health incentives through My Health Pays®, maternal health programs including our expansive Start Smart for Your Baby support program and Cribs incentive program, and health coaching programs for chronic conditions like diabetes and COPD, heart health, and lifestyle management. As of December 2023, Meridian had 448 members actively participating in our health coaching programs.
Meridian also works with our members’ chronic disease needs through specific pilot programs, including our sickle cell disease support program that works to connect children with sickle cell disease diagnoses with the proper resources they need, and sponsoring applicable local efforts and organizations.
We also began our partnership with Find Help (formerly Aunt Bertha), an organization dedicated to compiling up-to-date resources and providing analytics to community partners to engage with our members and connect them to the resources they need.