MHA CEO Brian Peters, Amy Brown, chief nursing officer, MHA and Gary Roth, chief medical officer, MHA pictured with members of Corewell Health’s Suicide Care and Prevention Team.
The MHA announced the winner of its 2025 Advancing Safe Care Award April 28, honoring Corewell Health’s suicide care and prevention team. The award was announced during the MHA Keystone Center Safety & Quality Symposium.
The MHA Advancing Safe Care Award honors healthcare teams within MHA-member hospitals that demonstrate an unwavering commitment to providing quality care, show evidence of an improved safety culture and demonstrate transparency in their efforts to improve healthcare.
Corewell Health’s behavioral health department launched the Suicide Care & Prevention Team (SPCT) to reduce patient deaths by suicide through increased screening, risk assessment and connectivity with appropriate interventions and services.
The team’s efforts have led to a reduction in suicide deaths – lower than state and national averages. While deaths by suicide were down by 0.89% in Michigan and by 2.53% nationally between 2017 and 2020, Corewell Health in West Michigan saw a 21.64% decrease. When suicide rates increased post-pandemic, deaths in Michigan and nationally were up 5.01% and 4.63% respectively from 2017 to 2023. However, Corewell Health in West Michigan maintained a slight decrease of 0.75%.
“We are so grateful for this recognition for our efforts to decrease suicide deaths,” said Natalia Szczygiel, vice president of behavioral health operations, Corewell Health. “Corewell Health in West Michigan currently administers over 1.2 million suicide screenings, 12,500 safety plans and 10,800 lethal means reduction conversations annually. We are here to care for our patients mind and body.”
The group integrated suicide prevention measures into all aspects of care throughout the system with a focus on accessible training and resources for staff interacting with patients. The SPCT spearheaded the integration of suicide risk assessments into the organization’s electronic health records system and facilitated efforts for improved suicide care workflows within the inpatient, emergency room, primary care and pediatric care settings.
Leaders across the system monitor the organization’s prevention efforts via the SPCT’s suicide prevention dashboard, which tracks screenings, assessments and support services offered.
Members may access further details about the Corewell Health Suicide Care and Prevention Team online.
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The MHA announced the winner of its 2024 Advancing Safe Care Award June 27, honoring the dedicated team at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit. The award was announced during the association’s Annual Membership Meeting.
The MHA Advancing Safe Care Award honors healthcare teams within MHA-member hospitals that demonstrate a fierce commitment to providing care to different patient populations, show evidence of an improved safety culture, lead the charge for quality improvement, and demonstrate transparency in their efforts to improve healthcare.
Ascension St. John Hospital implemented a sickle cell comprehensive care bundle to improve patient outcomes and the quality of life of individuals experiencing sickle cell disease. The hospital provided enhanced education and training for nursing staff to help develop comprehensive knowledge of sickle cell disease, crisis management techniques and cultural competency skills. In addition, collaboration between nursing staff, the pain nurse practitioner and physicians led to a more patient-centered approach to pain management and care. These tactics, along with standardized care protocols and streamlined treatment processes, led to consistency across healthcare settings and optimized patient outcomes. As a result of these nursing care bundles, patients experienced improved health outcomes, experiences of care and overall quality of life.
The bundles also sought to address healthcare disparities among different populations affected by sickle cell disease. Ascension St. John Hospital provided culturally tailored education programs, implemented community outreach initiatives and advocated for access to healthcare services to address the historical challenges experienced among racial and ethnic groups suffering from sickle cell disease.
The bundles continue to be evaluated and updated based on direct feedback from patients and their families, as well as quality improvement initiatives and data analysis of patient outcomes, satisfaction levels and adherence to best practices.
For more information on the Ascension St. John Hospital sickle cell comprehensive care bundle, contact Navneet Strickland, pain nurse practitioner, Ascension St. John Hospital, at (313) 818-9831.
The MHA announced the winners of its 2024 Healthcare Leadership Award June 27 during its Annual Membership Meeting. Each year, the MHA recognizes outstanding individuals who have provided exceptional leadership to healthcare organizations and to the health and well-being of the community. The 2024 recipients are Jawad Shah, MD, founder, president and CEO, Insight, Flint; and Harmony Gould, vice president of hospital & residential services, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids. The MHA will donate $1,000 on behalf of each award winner to the charity of their choice. These funds were provided to the MHA by the family of former MHA President H. Allen Barth.
Jawad Shah, MD, founder, president and CEO, Insight
Insight Health System has seen remarkable growth and innovation under Dr. Shah’s leadership since its inception in 2008. Starting with a humble team of four in Flint, Michigan, the organization now boasts more than 1,500 employees and extends its services across multiple states, profoundly impacting healthcare delivery and patient care.
Insight Health System manages a vast network, including the flagship Flint Medical Campus, which provides more than 216,000 patient services each year across a range of specialties such as neurosurgery, orthopedics and behavioral health. Following its acquisition and revitalization of the former Michigan Surgical Hospital, Dr. Shah spearheaded the transformation of the facility into the thriving Insight Surgical Hospital in Warren, achieving financial solvency within a year and increasing patient accounts by 520% in 2023.
The network expanded further in 2022 with the opening of Insight Dearborn, offering advanced outpatient services in orthopedics and mental health, among others. The organization’s reach also spans to Illinois and Iowa, reinforcing its mission to deliver exceptional, patient-centered healthcare.
Dr. Shah’s commitment extends beyond healthcare delivery to significant community involvement. He has been instrumental in establishing Insight Research Institute and Insight Behavioral Health Foundation. These entities recently pioneered the creation of Genesee County’s first medical-psychiatric hospital, slated to open in fall 2024, addressing urgent community needs in behavioral health.
In addition to his executive responsibilities, Dr. Shah contributes to the medical field as a Clinical Associate Professor at Michigan State University. Demonstrating his dedication to community service, he has generously directed the $1,000 monetary award to support Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village, further enriching the lives of those in the Flint area.
Harmony Gould, vice president of hospital & residential services, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
Gould’s commitment to patients is unwavering and is evident from the many programs and initiatives she has led at Pine Rest, including expansion and improvement projects. She developed and led the only behavioral health unit in West Michigan accepting individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis, which was recognized as the 2022 recipient of the MHA Advancing Safe Care Award. Gould also led the opening of the Beachwood and Lotus programs, which are two residential units built as a response to an unmet need and at the request of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to alleviate the need for residential care settings for adults and adolescents throughout the state. The Beechwood Unit is a 12-bed crisis residential program offered as an alternative to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for adults. And the Lotus unit is a 25-bed intensive residential program designed to treat adolescents with complex care needs.
Additionally, Gould oversaw an expansion of Pine Rest’s Adult Partial Hospitalization Program in response to community needs and is leading the team developing a crisis stabilization unit, which is a new license in Michigan resulting from her participation in the MHA’s Behavioral Health Integration Council. She is also a key member of the Pediatric Center Oversight team at Pine Rest, which is opening the Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health in 2026. Her efforts have also put patient experience at the forefront, spearheading several initiatives that bolster patient and family input into organizational processes and practices.
Not only is she committed to patients, but she has also been highly committed to employee satisfaction and organizational stability by her involvement in launching Pine Rest’s Great Place to Work Initiative, which asks employees at any level of the organization to submit ideas for improvements and then collaborate with peers and leaders to develop plans for implementation. She is also active with Network180 to collaborate with other stakeholders to enhance crisis response protocol. And as mentioned earlier she has been a catalyst by offering invaluable insights in the strategic work of the MHA’s Behavioral Health Integration Council. At Gould’s request, the $1,000 monetary portion of the award will go to the Pine Rest Foundation, specifically for the Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health campaign.
The MHA congratulates the winners of the 2024 MHA Healthcare Leadership Award.
The MHA is accepting nominations for its annual Advancing Safe Care Award to recognize Michigan hospitals that are tackling issues daily to make care safer and more dependable. Eligible nominees include teams from hospitals across the state dedicated to transparency regarding the quality of care provided to their patients and providing unmatched care to different patient populations. Nominations for the 2024 award will be accepted through April 26.
The award honors teams within MHA-member hospitals who are committed to providing quality care to 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:
Improved health outcomes 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.
Members seeking more information on nominating a team for the Advancing Safe Care Award may contact Erica Leyko at the MHA.
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