Brent Mikkola, MBA, PMP, manager of Community Health, MyMichigan Health
Health is shaped by more than what’s in a medicine cabinet. In fact, wellness is often a result of everyday lifestyle choices and the conditions in which we live, work, learn and grow.
While establishing healthy habits may sound simple, it isn’t always easy. As an exercise physiologist by trade, I spent many years working in cardiac rehabs doing imaging, stress testing and strength conditioning. I had countless encounters with patients who desperately wanted to improve their health, but didn’t know where or how to start — or didn’t have the resources to do so.
Access to nutritious food, exercise, transportation, education can vary widely from one community to the next. That’s why I’m proud to oversee some of the efforts underway at MyMichigan Health that are focused on removing barriers so that it’s easier for people at all walks of life to prioritize their well-being.
A Quick Snapshot
One of the initiatives I’m most proud of at MyMichigan is our quarterly Pivio: Lifestyle Medicine Program. It takes an evidence-based approach to prevent, treat and potentially reverse lifestyle-related chronic conditions by helping participants establish healthy habits around nutrition, activity, sleep, social connection, risky substances and stress management.
Alongside this is our MyKitchen Teaching Series, a free nutrition education series designed for improving heart health. The hybrid, 90-minute classes include both learning sessions and cooking demonstrations that help participants establish lifelong skills and habits.
When it comes to programs like these (among many others), the challenge is very rarely lack of demand, interest or engagement from the community. In fact, we see most openings for our programs fill within a matter of days, if not hours. This has made one thing very clear: when given access to the right resources and support, people are eager to invest in their health and well-being.
A Team Effort
We’re fortunate to have leadership at MyMichigan who understand the importance of investing in prevention — and more importantly, investing in our communities’ desire to live healthier. Because of this, we’re able to offer our lifestyle programs and food/nutrition resources at low or no cost to participants.
We’ve also fostered a number of partnerships across the state, from schools and national associations to local businesses. Meijer has been a key player when it comes to offering fresh produce vouchers and incentivized nutrition education, alongside other local grocers including SpartanNash, Save A Lot, and community farmers markets.
We’re also fortunate to be active members of the MHA Community Benefit Collaboratives, where we can work alongside other hospitals to leverage our programming and maximize improvements across the state.
And of course, none of this work would be possible without our dedicated team. Our programs are facilitated by board-certified physicians, nurses, dietitians, exercise physiologists, diabetes educators and many other clinical and non-clinical staff who are committed to carrying out our mission of creating healthier communities together.
Meaningful Results
Investing in prevention and wellness programs isn’t just helping our communities live heathier — it’s bringing down the cost of care. When risk factors are identified and addressed early on, we see less disease progression, less hospitalization and less costly treatment necessary. Our lifestyle medicine program alone has led to significant improvements to baseline blood pressure, A1C levels and self-reported wellness scores (86-87%) among participants.
To keep up the positive momentum, we continue to prioritize community health needs assessments and community health improvement plans to inform and guide what’s next. At the end of the day, we know that building stronger communities goes far beyond treating people during a hospital stay. When we show up and offer support in people’s everyday lives, our communities meet us there.
Questions regarding any of the offerings at MyMichigan Health can be directed to the Community Health Team. MHA members interested in learning more or getting involved in the community benefit collaboratives may contact Nadia Syed at the MHA.
Phone: (517) 703-8601
Fax: (517) 703-0628
