The Directors of the Young Academic Athletic Assiciation (YAAA) in 2008 became concerned that 40 million people were without health insurance. They asked if Keith J. Pierce MD, a local doctor in the city of Livonia, Michigan, would integrate his office into a First Patient Program. The Directors felt that the integration of an established office would decrease the cost involved in starting an office from scratch. In 2010 it became apparent that this was a cause needing our attention. The uninsured children of the metro Detroit area were a cause of concern and it was a crisis that needed to be addressed. The directors felt that rather than creating healthcare within the governmental sector, we could develop the program with public funds. In 2009, Keith J. Pierce, MD became the CEO/ Director of the Young Academic Athletic Association, a non-profit organization, and has been practicing internal medicine for 22 years. The organization’s vision is to serve the underserved and uninsured youth of the Detroit Metropolitan area and give them access to quality healthcare. The YAAA is committed to preventative measures which will lead to the reduction of emergency room visits, as well as the onset of untreated illness associated with limited access to quality treatment. Due to the economic devastation in America more than 40 million Americans are living without health insurance. In the last decade more than 8 million children remain uninsured. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan had an estimated 1.15 million uninsured residential families in 2008. This is 11.7% of United States total uninsured families; which is an increase of 15.3% since 2007. One out of every 5 uninsured Americans is either a child or young adult. Unless families with children are offered quality healthcare, children will endure a poor quality of life and suffer the long term negative effects of inadequate growth and development. It is a necessity that these children get the care they deserve in order to become productive adults.The statistics show that over 200,000 children in Michigan lack access to medical services including doctors visits and prescription drugs. The primary objective of YAAA is to provide 3000 underserved children a year and young adults ranging from the age of 10-21 with a healthcare scholarship. Transportation will be arranged to assist families in need for a medical facility. The YAAA via First Patient will provide all the needs necessary for outpatient treatment. It will take $300 per child for a healthcare scholarship that will cover a year of treatment. This will make sure the child’s medical needs are covered for a year. The organization will continue to accept individual and corporate donations through our website at www.YAAAFundraiser.org. In addition funds will be created through grants and event fundraisers. The goal will be to see 3000 children in our facility per year.
