The Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) hosted its Health and Social Service Integration (HSSI) Summit on March 18, 2025, bringing together over 100 participants from across key sectors—health care organizations, social service organizations, local and state government, Medicaid Health Plans, and community residents to take on a shared challenge: how can we better integrate systems to improve health, equity, and quality of life in Washtenaw County?
This full-day gathering marked a pivotal moment for our community. With growing interest across Michigan and nationally in building stronger connections between health care and social services, the summit offered space to pause, reflect, learn, and begin designing a more coordinated future.
Understanding the Context
The day opened with a historical overview of health and social service integration, tracing decades of fragmented systems and siloed efforts. Presenters walked through national initiatives like the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) model and the 2019 National Academies report, which laid the groundwork for recognizing social needs as core to health outcomes.
A core message throughout: integration is not new, but making it work sustainably at scale, especially across systems and funding streams, remains one of the field’s biggest challenges. Many attendees resonated with this tension, especially those working in under-resourced organizations that are asked to do more with less.
Centering Local Needs
The summit then turned to Washtenaw County’s own landscape. Participants explored recent data from the Washtenaw County Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan and the joint Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) conducted by local hospital systems. Across these sources, several consistent priorities emerged:
- Mental health and substance use
- Access to care and navigation
- Food security and nutrition
- Stable and affordable housing
Attendees reviewed how each of these domains ties into existing efforts and where integration gaps still remain. For example, while many organizations screen for social needs, the ability to make warm referrals, share data, and collaborate across sectors is often limited or inconsistent.
Spotlight on Systems Change
A highlight of the day was discussions featuring state and regional leaders working on structural approaches to integration. Presenters from Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS), Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA), MiCommunityCare, and the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) shared updates on Michigan’s multi-phase Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) strategy, including the emerging Community Care Hub (CCH) model.
These hubs are envisioned as centralized, backbone organizations that help coordinate services across trusted community-based organizations (CBOs), offering shared functions like data management, referral intake, and other shared services and technical assistance. Panelists discussed the promise of these models—as well as the challenges of building sustainable infrastructure, aligning incentives, and ensuring meaningful community governance.
Real Talk: Small Group Discussions
Perhaps the most dynamic part of the summit came during breakout sessions, where attendees worked through structured group discussions. Each group tackled real-world questions such as:
- What health needs could be improved through better integration?
- Would a lead or “hub” organization help address those needs?
- What organizations are already active in this space—and what’s missing?
- What would success look like, and how would we measure it?
In these discussions, many common themes emerged in answering these questions and were summarized into the document linked here.
Looking Ahead
This summit was not a one-off conversation, but the beginning of a longer journey. In the weeks ahead, WHI will be reaching out to stakeholders for smaller follow-up meetings to begin developing actionable next steps exploring the feasibility of a community care hub model for Washtenaw County
We invite anyone who missed the summit—or wants to stay engaged—to visit the HSSI Summit Resource Page for background materials, state policy updates, and the full summit slide deck.
We’re grateful to everyone who contributed their time, knowledge, and passion to this summit. Building a more integrated and equitable system won’t be easy—but we believe it’s possible when we work together.