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
By Allie Faulkner, MSW Candidate and CHRT/WHI Intern Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, our need for reliable, high-speed internet has been intensified, becoming a lifeline for how we participate in work and school, seek medical attention, access information, and stay connected. Even though the need is apparent, broadband is limited in many areas of Washtenaw County, … Read more
At the September 2020 stakeholder’s meeting, WHI executives announced that Marianne Udow-Phillips will be retiring from her role as Executive Director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the end of the year. Marianne will continue to serve as a senior advisor on several CHRT projects, will teach at the University of … Read more
The Washtenaw Health Initiative will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2021. The WHI’s 2019 impact report focuses on the activities undertaken by active work groups, comprised of representatives from dozens of Washtenaw County organizations that have much to be proud of. 2019 highlights include: MMOE Work Group members trained college students to distribute more than … Read more
By Cleoniki Kesidis Affordable housing is essential for a thriving community, but in Washtenaw County – the 8th most economically segregated community in the country according to one study by the Martin Prosperity Institute – affordable housing is rare. Each year, five thousand people experience homelessness in Washtenaw County, with even more people in insecure … Read more
Q. Washtenaw County has seen about 1,300 cases to date, with about 40 percent of these in the 48197 and 48198 zip codes. Why were these areas so hard hit? Loveluck. The Health Department has been focusing on health inequities in these communities for several years. In addition to assessing community health, we review the data … Read more
More than 450 Livingston and Washtenaw County residents benefited from the Washtenaw Health Initiative’s community-wide care coordination program, which began in 2016 with federal State Innovation Model (SIM) funding. As the federal funding for the project ended, these care coordination efforts were redesigned under a new name: MI Community Care. The Washtenaw Health Initiative and … Read more
By Matt Hill, Program Manager The Washtenaw County Health Department recently announced the launch of a public education campaign focused on combating the widespread effects the national opioid epidemic has had on our local community. Titled “It is POSSIBLE,” the campaign aims to elevate stories of recovery in our community and to promote safer substance … Read more
The WHI’s May stakeholder’s meeting, which was held over Zoom, was attended by more than five-dozen members. Topics of discussion included the community’s COVID-19 response, observed and anticipated needs and disparities, and ways that the WHI and its members can address them. In discussing what WHI stakeholders have been doing to respond to the pandemic, … Read more
By Allie Faulkner, MSW candidate and CHRT/WHI Intern It has been widely reported that COVID-19 has hit some communities harder than others highlighting racial and economic disparities around the country and how these disparities have been intensified by the pandemic. In Washtenaw County, recent data tells us that residents in the 48197 and 48198 zip … Read more