The Washtenaw Health Initiative works to enhance community engagement–with a special focus on lived experience–so we can learn from and collaborate with one another to achieve improved health outcomes for our county’s low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and marginalized populations.
The Community Advisory Board, is a diverse group of Washtenaw county residents that provide insight, expertise, and a lived-experience perspective to the WHI, including it’s steering committee, working groups, and other initiatives. Additionally, CAB members serve as trusted community messengers that share information with their community, while also lifting community voice within the WHI.
Community Advisory Board members serve a critical role in the WHI, helping ensure that the WHI is addressing the community’s most important health and social needs. In doing so, CAB members:
- Serve as a link between community and the WHI.
- Identify and voice key concerns around community health and social needs, and partner with the WHI on strategies to address them.
- Provide feedback and guidance to WHI leadership, working groups, and other initiatives.
History
- In 2021, the WHI added its first Community Ambassador to the WHI Steering Committee. Our community ambassadors serve as voting members of the WHI Steering Committee, giving them agency in the strategic direction of the WHI.
- In 2023, the WHI recruited a Community Advisory Board led by the WHI’s Community Ambassadors. The CAB is meant to represent diverse voices and experiences in Washtenaw County. It is composed of residents who are not affiliated with health systems or organizations. Rather, these members are devoid of organizational bias or obligation – each different in background, education, race, and age.
- In 2024, the WHI Community Advisory Board participated in a focus group with UNITE, a group of non-profit hospitals in Washtenaw County, to inform its jointly developed community health improvement plan. The advisory board provided insights on how to address UNITE’s top three identified needs: Housing, accessibility, and mental health. Additionally, the CAB hosted an informational election forum for community members to educate the community on the voting process and provide information on county wide ballot proposals.
Upcoming Meetings
Future directions
Good health is about more than just doctor visits…it’s also about having safe housing, healthy food, reliable transportation, and support during tough times. These social needs are deeply connected to our health, but often, services are scattered and hard to navigate. The Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) wants to bring health care and social services together in a more coordinated system.
As a part of this effort the CAB will be recruiting a group of community residents to join focus groups that will help shape what this initiative should look like. The CAB anticipates having 2-3 focus group sessions beginning in September to learn from our community and co-design an initiative that address the most important community needs in a way that works best for the people who need it.
Contact
For more information, please reach out to [email protected], or call 734-715-7078.