In March, WHI Communications Committee Co-Chair Maria Alfonso spoke with Aubrey Patino, executive director of Avalon Housing, to discuss Aubrey’s passion for housing, the health challenges that keep her up at night, and her many sources of inspiration. Q. What originally inspired your passion for housing? Patino. I started out as a homeless outreach worker … Read more
For the past seven Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment periods–times when individuals across the nation can purchase insurance on the ACA exchange–the WHI has helped coordinate community outreach and enrollment efforts with members of its Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment (MMOE) work group. We’re pleased to share results from the eighth … Read more
Q. You’re a retired auto worker. Tell us a bit about your career. Moore. I worked at the Ford Rawsonville plan for 39 years. I started out as a production worker on the assembly line and ultimately became an elected District Committeeperson and Bargaining Representative. I retired in 2005 as an appointed Employee Resource Coordinator … Read more
The effects of COVID-19 have been widespread. Quarantines, job-loss, isolation, and other stressors have led to significant increases in opioid overdoses. It is times like these when local programs like the Recovery Opioid Overdose Team (ROOT) are essential. And despite all of the chaos COVID-19 has brought, Home of New Vision and its partner organizations … Read more
This month, the WHI Steering Committee welcomed Mashod Evans and Angela Moore as new members. Evans and Moore will serve three-year terms. A native of Hillside, New Jersey, Mashod Evans is an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, having served congregations in Boston, Massachusetts; Newark, New Jersey; and Birmingham, Alabama. Since 2017, Evans … Read more
Recent meetings of the WHI Steering Committee have focused on priorities for 2021, filling open Steering Committee seats, communicating about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, discussing plans to increase enrollment in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance plans, and maintaining the MI Community Care program for individuals with complex health, behavioral health, and social needs. … Read more
More years of schooling has long been associated with better health and financial well-being. That’s why the Washtenaw Health Initiative is excited to share information about the Futures for Frontliners scholarship for Michiganders without college degrees who worked in essential industries during the state COVID-19 shutdown in the spring of 2020 (April 1 – June … Read more
By Cleoniki Kesidis According to a new study by Families USA, more than five million Americans became uninsured between February and May of this year after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. That’s more adults losing coverage due to job loss than have ever lost coverage in a single year. And Michigan is … Read more
Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) stakeholders are encouraged to use this short form to nominate Community Ambassadors–individuals who have lived experience accessing community-based health and social services in Washtenaw County–to serve on the WHI Steering Committee. The Washtenaw Health Initiative Steering Committee believes that building relationships with community members from populations that the WHI wishes to … Read more
As with many other conferences and events around the county, the 3rd annual Washtenaw Opioid Summit looked quite a bit different this year. Recognizing that COVID-19 has challenged all aspects of substance use disorder (SUD) and recovery, WHI Opioid Project members felt it was more important than ever to make sure we continued with the … Read more