Public Health
Healthcare workforce shortages in Michigan: Recommendations for recruiting and retaining talent
Like the rest of the nation, Michigan is experiencing severe workforce shortages, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One 2023 survey showed that 86 percent of physician practices in the state reported declines in staff since the COVID-19 pandemic and another showed 27,000 hospital job openings in early 2023 – a 13 percent vacancy rate. Nearly all health roles are expected …
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Supporting direct care workers in Michigan: Strategies from other states
Direct care workers (DCWs) provide long-term care services to vulnerable populations—largely older adults and people with disabilities—and often help keep people in their homes. Medicaid is the largest payer for long-term care services, many of which are provided by DCWs. According to the 2024 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index, Michigan’s home health aides, personal care aides and nursing assistants have some …
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Reducing maternal mortality: Addressing health-related social needs during prenatal visits
Work must be done to reverse maternal mortality trends in Michigan and other states. In Michigan, maternal mortality rates surpass the national average and recent estimates suggest that 80 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable. Further, there are stark racial disparities in maternal health, with Black individuals experiencing a 2.6 times higher likelihood of dying from …
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Maximizing Michigan’s opioid settlement funds: A strategic approach for recovery
In response to the opioid epidemic’s devastating impact, the Michigan Opioid Partnership asked the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) to speak with members of the substance use disorder recovery support community to gather suggestions for the investment of Michigan’s state and local opioid settlement funds. As Michigan anticipates receiving over $1.5 billion from opioid settlements, there is an …
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Primary care and public health integration: Innovative strategies from a state-level review
In a recent Journal of Public Health Management & Practice report, Strengthening Public Health Through Primary Care and Public Health Collaboration: Innovative State Approaches, CHRT’s Nancy M. Baum and Samantha Iovan, along with Marianne Udow-Phillips, explore the dynamic initiatives undertaken by four states to forge stronger connections between public health and primary care. Seventeen state leaders from North Carolina, Oregon, …
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Bridge the gaps: Strengthening public health through primary care collaboration and funding innovation
In a January 2024 Milbank Quarterly opinion piece, Connecting Public Health and Primary Care: The Prevention and Public Health Fund Redux, authors Marianne Udow-Phillips, Samantha Iovan and Peter D. Jacobson take a look at the critical role of primary care in bridging the gap between public health and medical care, as emphasized by longstanding funding disparities which were particularly evident …
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CHRT staff in Health Affairs on strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care
In a recent Health Affairs Forefront piece, Strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care: lessons from the states, CHRT’s Nancy Baum and Samantha Iovan share key findings from research across four states: North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. These four states were selected based on the authors’ previous research, which identified these states as innovators in their work …
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Strengthening public health through integration with primary care
State and local leaders across the country are taking innovative steps to strengthen public health through integration with primary care. Public health agencies at the state and local levels have long faced challenges such as chronic underfunding, rigid funding streams, outdated and disconnected data systems, fragmented care delivery structures, and workforce shortages. Partnerships between medical care systems, community-based organizations, and …
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Supporting behavioral health providers in public health emergencies
Support for behavioral health care providers is crucial, especially considering the significant stress and burnout they have experienced prior to and during the pandemic. To understand how to better support behavioral health care providers during public health emergencies, this study explores three topics. Burnout While the literature is limited, studies suggests that burnout can affect physical and mental health for many …
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Physicians screen patients for social needs: what happens next? Survey, analysis, and policy recommendations
Increasingly, physicians are screening patients for social needs then connecting patients to local organizations that can provide the required services. In Michigan, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided funding to policymakers to launch new projects and partnerships to encourage physicians to screen for social needs like food and housing insecurity. The state also supported pilots that connected …
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