France-Merrick Foundation, Partner in Primary Care

Through capacity building and program expansion, one of Maryland's largest private foundations has enabled GBMC to bring essential primary care services to the residents and alumni of the nonprofit, Helping Up Mission, as well as the surrounding Jonestown community, filling a void long open and needing to be addressed.

"The France-Merrick Foundation is pleased to support GBMC’s newest clinic based at the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore City," Amy Gross, Executive Director, said. "France-Merrick prioritizes increased access to care for underserved communities as well as investments in population health. We supported this clinic renovation to increase access to quality primary care to residents of the Mission, as well as alumni and eventually the surrounding community. We look forward to seeing the partnership between these two institutions succeed and positively impact those experiencing addiction and homelessness as well as residents of Jonestown where we have made multiple investments."

Harold Tucker, MD, Chief Medical Officer and President of GBMC's physician group, GBMC Health Partners, is confident, even in the sites' early days, that this mission can be accomplished. According to Dr. Tucker, the result of GBMC's presence will be a reduction in severity of illness, a reduction in utilization of local emergency rooms and hospitalizations as well as making vulnerable individuals healthier and able to lead more productive lives, results akin to what GBMC has been achieving at 10 other primary care sites.

Without the leadership and foresight of the France-Merrick Foundation, GBMC would not have been able to bring the vision of treating every patient, every time with the care we would want for our own loved ones back to this community desiring and in need of access to advanced primary care.