The Detroit Wayne County Health Authority has received a one-year, $100,000 grant to establish a Population Health Council. The regional coalition will combine efforts to improve the health status of the region by reducing chronic disease, improving access to prevention and wellness services, and promoting health equity.

The Detroit Wayne County Health Authority has received a one-year, $100,000 grant to establish a Population Health Council. The regional coalition will combine efforts to improve the health status of the region by reducing chronic disease, improving access to prevention and wellness services, and promoting health equity.

“The implementation of health reform has created a tremendous opportunity to impact the health of our communities,” explained Chris Allen, Executive Director and CEO of the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority. “The Population Health Council links public health agencies, environmental advocates, and community health proponents with other structural aspects of sustainable, healthy communities such as housing, safety, and fresh food distribution. We’re pleased with the enthusiastic response by the many stakeholders in this area who have stepped up and committed to this process, which is essential to raise the overall health status of our region.”

The Population Health Council is chaired by Loretta Davis, Director of the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, and john powell, Director of the Haas Diversity Research Center and the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion, Berkeley School of Law. Other members of the Council include public health officers from Wayne and Oakland County, City of Detroit, Henry Ford Health System, division of Community Health & Equity; Michigan Minority Health Coalition; Michigan Roundtable for Diversity & Inclusion; Southeast Michigan Health Authority, Center for Population Health; Data Driven Detroit; Voices of Detroit Initiative; Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; MOSES; Michigan Universal Health Care Access Network; Greater Detroit Area Health Council; University of Michigan School of Public Health; Michigan Health and Hospital Association; Metro Solutions, Michigan State University; Sacred Conversations on Justice; Mercy Primary Care Center; Michigan Consumers for Healthcare; and Michigan Department of Community Health, Health Disparities Reduction/Minority Health Section.

The Council’s objectives include:

• Create a regional consortium among health and human service professionals, universities, community and environmental health advocates, housing, community development corporations, and other stakeholders in the area of population health.
• Consolidate health system and county health assessment data and convert into a regional action plan for specific improvements in population health.
• Develop a regional strategy for impacting chronic disease management and wellness programs among vulnerable populations – minimizing inappropriate hospitalizations and developing alternate treatment, education/support, and prevention programs.
• Advocate for establishing health equity and reducing health disparities in the region.

Population health is generally defined as the health outcomes of groups of people, from ethic and minority populations to communities. The health outcomes of such groups are of relevance to public health officials. Population health is often influenced by health determinants, such as the availability of health care, individual behavior, the social environment, and the physical environment. Currently, no public entity has responsibility for population health, but many public and private agencies are involved with aspects of the field. The Health Authority has assembled the Population Health Council to better coordinate and prioritize response to population health issues.

“With the decline in public health funding, and multiple organizations. addressing issues pertaining to sustainable communities – ranging from community health to fresh food distribution, safe neighborhoods, environmental health, among others – there is need to consolidate and leverage available resources for maximum synergy,” Allen said. “We need to make the best use of our energy and resources with the efforts we have under way.”

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

The Detroit Wayne County Health Authority is a public body corporate, established in 2004 by the State of Michigan, City of Detroit and Wayne County. Its mission is to coordinate efforts to meet the health needs of the uninsured and underinsured residents in the City of Detroit and Wayne County by assuring access and improving the health status of all people. For more information, visit www.dwcha.org.