In addition to CHRT’s cornerstone programs–the health policy fellowship, the Washtenaw Health Initiative, and the physician and consumer surveys–CHRT regularly manages mission-relevant research, demonstration, and educational projects with funding from public sector partners, as well as paid consulting projects for public and private sector clients.
Featured Projects
Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage implementation
Client(s): Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Need: Community partners in public safety seek to reduce the number of low-risk, low-level offenders with moderate to severe mental illness or substance use in jail and to redirect them to a supported and well-resourced path to community-based recovery.…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is working with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health to implement the recommendations of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Advisory Council. These recommendations for mental health millage investments include expanding crisis services, increasing prevention work, enhancing youth services, addressing…
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Providing backbone support to the Washtenaw Health Initiative Opioid Project
Client(s): Washtenaw Health Initiative
Need: In our own community and across the country, opioid overdose deaths have reached epidemic levels. The Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) Opioid Project intends to change that. Opioid addiction is a chronic disease, like heart disease or diabetes,…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is coordinating a range of activities, including goal setting, analysis, and planning while managing the Washtenaw Health Initiative Opioid Project’s active subcommittees to ensure that the work being done has a positive impact in the community. CHRT is also identifying and working with Opioid Project members to…
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Improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes among people aging with disability
Client(s): National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation
Need: People with disabilities are one of the largest and most underserved subpopulations in the United States. This group experiences higher prevalence, incidence, and burden of disease as well as shorter survival and differences in access to, quality…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is working with UM's Center for Disability Health and Wellness to establish a national training center on healthy aging for people with physical disabilities. Over the five-year grant period, the center will develop and promote evidence-based interventions and will act as a national resource center for stakeholders,…
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Expansion of Home Nutrition+ integrated network infrastructure
Client(s): Vital Seniors Initiative Grantees, Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
Need: Several national studies have demonstrated a return on investment for nutrition programs. Specifically, a Commonwealth Fund review identified multiple papers that provide strong evidence that medically tailored meals (MTM) improve outcomes and…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will provide backbone support to the community integrated network, helping network members develop strategic objectives with existing partners, develop the governance structure to support expansion, set up the appropriate legal agreements, engage with community-based organizations beyond Washtenaw County, and develop…
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Providing backbone support to the Washtenaw Health Initiative
Client(s): Washtenaw Health Initiative
Need: The Patient and Protection Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010. The most sweeping health care reform the U.S. had seen in decades, the ACA was meant to dramatically increase access to health insurance for those…
CHRT's Role: CHRT provides backbone support to the WHI and serves as the initiative’s fiduciary agent. In this role CHRT is responsible for:
• Serving as a neutral convener to facilitate the WHI Steering Committee’s activities (including the WHI’s overall strategic agenda).
• Housing the WHI’s Project…
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Strategic planning for long-term care and MI Health Link’s transition to an integrated D-SNP
Client(s): Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Need: In 2019, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) engaged CHRT in preliminary preparation for strategic planning activities around long-term services and supports (LTSS). MDHHS asked CHRT to facilitate a comprehensive process…
CHRT's Role: For this project, CHRT will conduct and analyze interviews with 16 advocacy groups, service providers, and other stakeholders to inform MDHHS’s LTSS strategic plan. CHRT will organize a meeting with MDHHS’ Behavioral and Physical Health and Aging Services Administration (BPHASA) leadership and LTSS program leads to…
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Promoting social, behavioral, and economic research on COVID-19
Client(s): Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Need: The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), a consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, has been selected by the National Institutes of Health to coordinate social, behavioral,…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will support ICPSR and the consortium grantees by developing research briefs, infographics, blogs, and other publications to share research findings, activities, and resources.
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Evaluation of Michigan’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
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Need: The 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) authorized a new demonstration program intended to improve community mental health services. In 2020, following a request from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan…
CHRT's Role: The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan will partner with MDHHS on this project to provide health research, analyses, surveys, demonstration projects, backbone support, and consulting. CHRT has existing experience evaluating Medicaid programs in the state, as well as advanced…
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Evaluating and communicating about Washtenaw County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program
Client(s): Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health
Need: In October of 2021, Washtenaw County launched an evidence-based Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program in response to data that revealed stark disparities between the general incarcerated population and the incarcerated…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is evaluating Washtenaw County’s LEADD Initiative to assess its effects on individual client outcomes as well as on the criminal justice and legal systems. CHRT will use a combination of evaluation methods including surveys, interviews, and analysis of existing data sources.
Concurrently, CHRT’s communications…
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United Auto Workers Pilot Peer Support Program
Client(s): United Auto Workers (UAW)
Need: United Auto Workers is working to provide support for union members who are personally struggling with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), or who have a loved-one with SUD. CHRT is partnering with the United Auto Workers (UAW) to develop, implement,…
CHRT's Role: Based on a rigorous literature review, stakeholder interviews and experience in the field of SUD outreach, engagement, and treatment,
CHRT will:
Develop, pilot, and evaluate a workplace Peer Support Program, where UAW members with lived experience in substance use disorder recovery are trained…
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