NORTHERN MICHIGAN HEALTH CONSORTIUM

PROMOTION OF HEALTH EQUITY. THE NORTHERN MICHIGAN HEALTH CONSORTIUM (NMHC) PROVIDES ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE NORTHERN MICHIGAN COMMUNITY HEALTH INNOVATION REGION (CHIR), A 31-COUNTY REGION. AT THE CORE OF NMCHIR'S WORK IS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS (CC), A PATHWAYS COMMUNITY HUB INSTITUTE CERTIFIED MODEL LED BY SIX LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS THAT ACT AS CARE COORDINATION HUBS. COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (CHWS) EMBEDDED IN HOSPITALS, CLINICS, OB/GYN PRACTICES, SCHOOLS, SENIOR CENTERS, AND LOW-INCOME WORKSITES SCREEN RESIDENTS FOR HEALTH-RELATED NEEDS AND NAVIGATE THEM THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED PATHWAYS. IN FY25 ALONE, CC PROCESSED MORE THAN 5,200 REFERRALS, WITH OVER 2,500 FOR MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, CC HAS HANDLED 25,000+ REFERRALS, ENROLLED MORE THAN 8,000 RESIDENTS, AND SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OVER 15,000 SOCIAL CARE PATHWAYS. CHWS USE A CERTIFIED EHR TO DOCUMENT NEEDS, OUTCOMES, AND BARRIERS, ENABLING REPORTING AT COUNTY, REGIONAL, AND SUB-REGIONAL LEVELS. THESE NEAR REAL-TIME DATA ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, SUPPORTING TRANSPARENCY AND GUIDING REGIONAL CHIR ACTION TEAMS. BY STANDARDIZING OUTCOMES ACROSS 21 PATHWAYS (WITH 32 ADDITIONAL TRACKS UNDER SOCIAL SERVICES), NMCHIR HAS CREATED CONSISTENT DEFINITIONS AND METRICS FOR WHEN A NEED IS CONSIDERED "MET." FOR EXAMPLE, A FOOD PATHWAY IS ONLY MARKED CLOSED ONCE A CLIENT HAS ADEQUATE FOOD ACCESS FOR 30 DAYS. THIS FIDELITY TO EVEIDENCE-BASED DEFINITIONS ENSURES RELIABLE, COMPARABLE DATA ACROSS THE 31-COUNTY FOOTPRINT.

INTEGRATING CAPACITY FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE AIMS TO INCREASE CHILD AND FAMILY ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH (MH) SUPPORTS ACROSS THE REGION BY TARGETING THREE KEY PRIORITY NEEDS: EXPAND THE PROFESSIONAL PIPLELINE TO ENURE A SUSTAINABLE AND SUFFICIENT PROVIDER NETWORK, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF THERAPISTS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE TO SERVE CHILDREN WITH MILD TO MODERATE BH CHALLENGES WHO ARE ON MEDICAID OR UNDERINSURED, AND CREATE A COMMUNITY THAT IS MENTAL HEALTH LITERTE, AWARE OF SERVICES, AND THAT NORMALIZES MH AND SEEING CARE AND SUPPORT. EXAMPLES OF YEAR ONE PROGRESS ARE AS FOLLOWS: GROW OUR OWN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS: WE JOINED A NATIONAL BH PIPELINE TASKFORCE THAT INCLUDES REPRESENTATIVES FROM 16 STATES TO LEARN MORE PIPELINE BEST PRACTICES. WE RECRUITED AND TRAINED 22 VOLUNTEER MENTORS AND 28 BH PRESENTERS. WE FORMALIZED PARTNERSHIPS WITH 2 ISDS AND 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OUR NETWORK OF PROFESSIONALS AND BHI STAFF PRESENTED AT 8 DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS TO 382 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SPRING, 2025. TEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS APPLIED TO BECOME BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FELLOWS. EACH WAS PAIRED WITH A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MENTOR WHO MET WITH THEM AT LEAST THREE TIMES IN SPRING, 2025. MOST MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRS CONTINUED TO MEET OVER THE SUMMER. ALL THREE ISDS/SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM YEAR ONE HAVE COMMITTED TO CONTINUE IN YEAR 2; 5 ADDITIONAL ISDS/SCHOOLS HAVE JOINED FOR YEAR 2.NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S CHILD/FAMILY THERAPY SERVICE CORPS: THIS PROJECT AIMS TO MEET THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH MILD TO MODERATE SYMPTOMS, SPECIFICALLY THOSE ON MEDICAID OR THOSE WHO ARE UNDERINSURED. IT IS INFORMED BY THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP AND AN ADVISORY GROUP OF THERAPISTS IN THE REGION. IN THIS FIRST YEAR, WE CONSULTED WITH THE PROGRAM LEADERS IN VIRGINIA (AT THE STATE CITY LEVELS) TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR PROGRAM DESIGN, RECRUITMENT, LIABILITY, CLIENT REFERRAL, MATCH AND FOLLOW-UP PROCESSES. IN JULY/AUGUST, 2025 WE STARTED TO RECRUIT THERAPISTS.