2023 Ludwig Nominee: Bronson Task Force Addressing Racial Bias in Maternal and Infant Care

Since 1990, the MHA has honored member healthcare organizations working to enrich the overall welfare of their local communities through the Ludwig Community Benefit Award. This year, the MHA is excited to showcase all award nominees, highlighting the exceptional and creative work being accomplished by Michigan’s hospitals.

African American women patient at bronson, smiling with newborn twins.
“As I look back on my time at Bronson, I am so thankful for everyone and all they did to make sure my babies were good and healthy.” Simone, a patient at Bronson, delivered twins at 22 weeks.

Bronson Healthcare Group, a 2023 nominee, is advancing the health of communities through a taskforce focused on addressing racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant care.

Through an in-depth analysis, Bronson teams found significant gaps existed for pain management among black laboring patients in comparison to other ethnic and racial groups. In response to this, the multidisciplinary Racial Bias in Pain Management Task Force began its efforts by analyzing provider practices, system policies and patient satisfaction to identify the appropriate interventions needed for delivering equitable pain management to all laboring patients.

There are a variety of reasons women of color, including Black women, are at an increased risk of poor maternal health – often due to social determinants. Since its inception, the Bronson task force has been intentional about addressing these inequities by collaborating with community partners, engaging stakeholders and developing educational tools for both patients and clinicians.

As their work continues, the goal is to deliver more equitable care while ensuring every patient feels empowered to advocate for themselves with resources and support for pain management in both the prenatal and postnatal care setting.

Members with questions about the program or the Ludwig Community Benefit Award should contact Erica Leyko at the MHA.

Registration Open for the 2023 Healthcare Leadership Academy

The MHA is offering its popular Healthcare Leadership Academy program on March 13-15 and May 15-16. With 10 years of history helping healthcare professionals lead more effectively, the program focuses on developing a new generation of healthcare leaders. Delivered in partnership with Executive Core and Grand Valley State University, two power-packed modules will help develop healthcare professionals’ ability to lead. This year’s program will be presented on the Grand Valley State University campus in Grand Rapids and features insightful sessions with executive leaders from Corewell Health, Bronson Healthcare and Sparrow Health System in addition to the renown faculty form GVSU.

The healthcare-focused business content develops understanding in finance, process improvement principles, technology and innovation while the professional leadership track builds essential skills to empower teams and stakeholders. Leadership 360º development with personal executive coaching ensures each delegate gets the most from the MHA program. Members are encouraged to register rising leaders to help build a stronger, more resilient organization. Attendees will develop valuable skills and insights that enable them to think strategically and improve outcomes, all while earning up to 42.5 CMEs or CEUs.

Physicians, clinicians and others who are engaged in healthcare and wish to strengthen their leadership skills are encouraged to register for the Healthcare Leadership Academy. Registration includes both the March and May module dates.

To further explore this offering, please contact Paul Velasco at Executive Core.

MHA Service Corporation Board Celebrates Partnerships and Successes

At its June 29 meeting, the MHA Service Corporation (MHASC) board focused on supporting MHA Strategic Action Plan priorities to address workforce challenges, behavioral health improvements, redesigning care, insurance market solutions and more. The board considered strategies to leverage partnerships and meet the pressing needs of MHA members with short- and long-term solutions.

The board was joined by Alex Herbison, vice president, AMN Leadership Solutions, for an overview of services offered through B.E. Smith and AMN Language Services, which include executive recruitment, interpretation services and more. These companies are among those being considered as new Endorsed Business Partners in the coming weeks.

The board celebrated the “2022 Outstanding Performance” award given to the MHA Unemployment Compensation Program (MHA-UCP) by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. This award recognizes the MHA-UCP’s timeliness and thoroughness in responses to new unemployment claims. More importantly, the award reflects the MHA-UCP’s commitment to reducing its clients’ unemployment liability exposure and its efforts to prevent unemployment fraud.

The MHASC board recognized Gwen MacKenzie, senior advisor, McKinsey and Company, for her leadership as the inaugural chair and expressed appreciation for her strategic and thoughtful guidance through the pandemic. The board also recognized incoming chair Kent Riddle, CEO, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Grand Rapids, and appointed incoming vice-chair, Bill Manns, CEO, Bronson Healthcare Group, Kalamazoo, and wished them well in their leadership roles. Mackenzie was reappointed to a three-year term on the MHASC board.

The MHASC provides critical support to the MHA in the form of nondues revenue through its Data Services, Unemployment Compensation Program and Endorsed Business Partner program to address workforce, financial and other business needs. Visit the MHA Business Services webpage to learn more about resources available. Questions regarding the MHASC Board should be directed to Peter Schonfeld at the MHA.

Nominations Being Accepted for 2022 Advancing Safe Care Award

mha advancing safe care award

mha advancing safe care awardIn hospitals across the state, healthcare personnel work together to ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care.

To recognize Michigan hospitals that are tackling issues daily to make care safer and more dependable, the MHA presents its annual Advancing Safe Care Award. Eligible nominees include teams from hospitals across the state that are dedicated to transparency regarding the quality of care provided to their patients and providing unmatched care to different patient populations. Nominations for the 2022 award will be accepted through March 25.

The award honors teams within MHA-member hospitals who are committed to providing quality care to diverse socioeconomic populations, promoting transparency within organizations, leading the charge for quality improvement and achieving better outcomes due to a strong culture of safety. The award does not limit the number of team members who can be included in the nomination.

Judging for this award is based on four criteria:

  • Reducing health disparities among specific patient populations.
  • Supporting a learning culture committed to trust, feedback and higher problem-solving.
  • Evidence of transparency among care teams, with patients and families, and with community stakeholders.
  • Improving safety by creating high degrees of psychological and physical safety.

In 2021, the award honored the healthcare team at Bronson Healthcare for creating and supporting Bronson’s Community Partnered Vaccine Clinics and Health Equity Project, designed to ensure people are quickly and effectively vaccinated against COVID-19 and to address social determinants of health during the vaccination process.

For more information on nominating a team for the Advancing Safe Care Award, contact Erica Leyko at the MHA.