MHA Community Benefit Collaboratives

Michigan hospitals and health systems are dedicated to improving health outcomes through programs that go beyond the hospital setting and into the community. These initiatives, often referred to as community benefit programs, are locally coordinated interventions designed to advance the health of communities and improve access to care for all. These collaboratives are designed to scale local success into making a statewide impact.

The MHA will lead participating hospitals in implementing multi-year, scalable projects focused on enhancing group prenatal care, improving perinatal mood disorder screening and support, preventing postpartum depression, and expanding food access and nutrition education. Each collaborative has various components that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of a hospital, depending on size, available resources and patient populations.

The implementation of the collaboratives is supported by funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Public Policy Associates will facilitate program evaluations.

The collaborative topics were selected based on a review of all Community Health Needs Assessments completed by Michigan hospitals designed to address healthcare barriers and improve health outcomes.

These include:

• Maternal Health Collaborative: Focused on enhancing group prenatal care, modeled after Henry Ford Health’s Women-Inspired Neighborhood (WIN) Network.
• Behavioral Health Collaborative:
  • Focused on enhancing perinatal mood disorder screening and support, based on the program by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
  • Preventing postpartum depression using the Reach Out, Stay Strong, Essentials (ROSE) program developed by Michigan State University.
• Chronic Disease Collaborative: Focused on enhancing food access through the Food Is Medicine program model and advancing nutrition education based on Cooking Matters practices.