Reflecting on the Washtenaw Health Initiative’s 10 year anniversary
A new article in On the Ground Ypsilanti reflects on ten years of Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) accomplishments.
The Washtenaw Health Initiative is a voluntary collaboration to improve the health of low-income, uninsured, under-insured, and underrepresented people in Washtenaw County.
Co-sponsored by Michigan Medicine and the St. Joseph Mercy Health System and supported by the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), the Washtenaw Health Initiative helps 200+ members and stakeholders work together to:
- Improve coordination across providers and integrate health and human services locally;
- Support community-wide efforts to improve care and services for mental health, substance use, and other health issues impacting vulnerable populations;
- Strengthen community-wide efforts to improve health equity by working closely with the Washtenaw County Health Department;
- Increase insurance coverage among uninsured individuals and help those with Medicaid and Marketplace health plans maintain their coverage, use it more effectively, and find access to care;
- Help local and regional health agencies reduce service redundancies and use resources more efficiently and effectively;
- Connect community resources to health care organizations and to each other; and
- Explore opportunities to partner with Livingston County health and human service organizations.
“When information is shared like that in a community, that community can only become better for it,” said Sharon Moore, WHI co-chair.
The article, written by Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder, discusses the WHI’s work to address the opioid epidemic, insure 100% of the population, and support healthy aging.