Now more than ever, we need to ensure that everyone in our community is counted in the 2020 Census. Funding for healthcare that supports centers like ours is one of the largest parts of Census-directed funding. The count also helps researchers predict disease rates during a pandemic like COVID-19. 

The Census is designed for people to respond on their own, which means that you can respond right now in the comfort of your home. 
Follow this link to fill out the form in about 10 minutes. You also call 844-330-2020 to respond by phone.

https://www.michigan.gov/Census2020

Just like you, we are looking forward to a recovery out of this crisis – even as we wonder what that future will look like for businesses, families, healthcare and communities. The future of health has changed and will take even more resources. Our centers will see increased demand for essential primary care services, dental and behavioral health care. We must be ready to meet the needs of patients who have had to delay routine care. We anticipate a surge in mental health needs across the region, and we are already planning about how to help meet these needs. Healthcare will need to be more mobile, more virtual, more flexible and more accessible. This is who we are and what we do. We change lives because we care.

You can help save and change lives now:

Our patients and our centers continue to face challenges. Please consider a new gift, adding to your pledge or making an early gift toward your pledge. We are experiencing a loss in revenue with fewer patients able to come for visits, along with increased expenses at testing sites. Thank you for the meals for staff, protective equipment and funds from new donors, vendors and sustaining donors.

Donate online at  www.greatlakesbayhealthcenters.org/donate or contact Jill Armentrout to find out about other ways to give. Mail checks to Changing Lives, 501 Lapeer, Saginaw MI 48607

Meeting needs now: Our communities are depending on us to provide emergency dental care which very few other dentists are offering at this time; counseling during a time when anxiety, depression, and difficulty with relationships are rampant; providing nutrition assistance and aid when stress and lack of funds often leads to unhealthy diet choices; and medical care and every other service that we provide that is even harder to come by than normal. Our vans are delivering critical medications from our pharmacies. Providers have done more than 5,000 telehealth visits. Patients are so happy that we are here to answer the phone and just listen to them.

COVID sample collection sites: We continue to take a lead in community testing with three drive-through sample collection sites in parking lots at our centers in Saginaw, Bad Axe and Bay City. Telehealth screenings allow us to offer tests to anyone with symptoms. We’ve collected more than 450 samples for testing and results are coming faster. Call our hotline at (989) 293-3492 for more information.

Stay well and stay safe. We are here for our communities and know our donors will be here to help us accomplish our mission together.

Here at Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, we understand that it can be a challenge for patients in our community to find a dentist to treat their emergent dental needs and pain.  Though we have suspended all of our regularly scheduled non-emergent treatment and preventive care, Great Lakes Bay Health Centers dental clinics are open to treat patients experiencing pain, swelling, bleeding, or other emergent dental problems.  In order to maintain a safe environment for all staff and patients, please call to schedule an appointment so we can make the safest arrangements to see you.  Please see the following list of our locations:

GLBHC Dental Sites:

GLBHC Bayside                         3884 Monitor Rd, Bay City, MI 48706                                     989.922.5650

GLBHC Imlay City                     6800 Newark Rd STE 400, Imlay City, MI 48444                810.721.7453

GLBHC Shiawassee                  200 Caledonia, Owosso, MI 48867                                            989.720.4188

GLBHC Thumb Area                876 N Van Dyke Rd., Bad Axe, MI 48413                                  989.331.0555

GLBHC Warren Avenue          321 N Warren Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48607                               989.754.7771

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers is on the front lines of the COVID-19 response, providing outpatient medical, behavioral health and emergency dental care to those in most need. Our centers around the region are open for patients and are helping to reduce stress on area hospitals. To protect the health of our staff and patients, we are adapting daily to changing needs. At the same time, we will be able to carry these lessons forward to build for the future.

Telehealth: We have shifted many visits to virtual visits through Zoom calls to help patients stay home and still receive care. We have dozens of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, social workers and psychiatrists who are consulting with hundreds of patients this way.

Emergency dental services: We are one of the only locations for residents who have immediate dental treatment needs, including pain and infections. Hospitals are sending patients to us to keep these people out of the emergency rooms.

COVID Sample Collection Sites: We are partnering with local health departments to provide drive-through sample
collection sites in parking lots at our centers. Patients must have a lab order from a provider for a test because testing supplies are limited. We started on March 24 in Saginaw and have seen more than 160 patients so far. A collection site started in Bad Axe on April 1. Another is in the works in Bay County.

Support for patients in need: We are available to residents who don’t have a primary care provider and are
experiencing symptoms. New patients wanting to establish care related to COVID Symptoms and/or known exposure should call (989) 753-6000 for assistance. We also are temporarily waiving the nominal fee charged to patients who are uninsured. Staff are even decorating our doors with signs of hope. We are in this together.

How You can help change lives:

We are so thankful for our partners and community supporters! You have provided in-kind donations of food to staff, supplies for our collection sites and much more. We continue to face challenges. We are experiencing a loss in revenue with fewer patients able to come for visits. At the same time, our centers are facing increased expenses – with the demand for personal protection equipment and with the collection sites where we receive no reimbursement. We are in need of protective gowns, face shields and hand sanitizer, as well as financial support.

Please consider making a donation at  www.greatlakesbayhealthcenters.org/donate

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers are offering drive through sampling collection site for COVID-19 testing. All are welcome. No doctor order is needed.

• David R. Gamez parking lot, 501 Lapeer Ave., Saginaw, MI 48607/ Hotline (989) 293-3492

       Hours: Monday-Friday 9 am-3 pm

• Bayside parking lot, 3884 Monitor Rd., Bay City, MI 48706 / Hotline (989) 280-0725

       Hours: Monday-Friday Noon—4pm

• Thumb Area parking lot, 876 N. Van Dyke Rd. Bad Axe, MI 48413 / New Hotline 989-284-0076

       Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am – 12pm

Please note: New patients or people with no primary care provider wanting to establish care related to COVID Symptoms and/or known exposure, please call (989) 753-6000 for assistance.