“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.” — Henry Ford
In the healthcare community, we know that a person’s health is shaped outside the four walls of a hospital and our support must expand beyond acute care. The MHA recently launched community benefit collaboratives with this in mind and to improve outcomes in three critical areas: maternal health, behavioral health and chronic disease.
More than 50 of our member hospitals across Michigan are participating, with a focus on enhancing group prenatal care, improving perinatal mood disorder screening and support, preventing postpartum depression, and increasing food access and nutrition education.
The primary goal of the collaboratives is to create cross-sector and -system networks that advance the health and well-being of all Michiganders. These focus areas were carefully chosen after reviewing Community Health Needs Assessments and modeled after programs that are already making an impact in Michigan communities.
By scaling these proven efforts, we can help reduce barriers to care and improve health outcomes statewide.
Michigan hospitals serve rural, suburban and urban communities alike — and each system tailors care to the unique needs of its patients. The collaboratives were designed with flexibility in mind, offering components that can be adapted based on a hospital’s size, resources and populations served.
We’re excited to launch these collaboratives because they represent what our hospitals do best: caring for Michiganders — not just when they are in a hospital bed, but every day. By working in tandem with each other and with community partners, we can turn local success stories into a statewide movement for better health.
As always, I welcome your thoughts.