We’re pleased to announce more than $13 million in grant awards to benefit the health of Michigan’s children and seniors. 33 separate programs will receive grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
The grants are spread out over two programs: our Healthy Aging initiative, and Special Projects & Emerging Ideas. This is the inaugural round for both programs, both of which will take place annually. Read on to learn more about each initiative and the grants in each category.
Healthy Aging
Healthy Aging is one of our proactive grantmaking areas, which means it is open to all eligible organizations. Our Healthy Aging program focuses on comprehensive, integrated, person-centered care for older Michigan residents. The projects funded this round are:
Care Coordination for Working Caregivers | Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation | $404,250
A pilot program in partnership with UAW Ford Local 600 aims to assist working caregivers and the people they care for, including an online system. The project will seek out caregivers supporting people with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease because of their higher risk for emotional, physical and financial stresses.
Community Care – Palliative Services to Support Aging in the U.P. | Lake Superior Hospice | $441,987
This project seeks to expand and enhance existing hospice services, while acting as a catalyst for teaching, learning, and collaborating regarding palliative care and hospice throughout the Upper Peninsula.
Creating a Dental Home for Low-Income Kent County Seniors | Michigan Oral Health Coalition | $203,171
Building on the State of Michigan’s PA- 161 Program, a dental hygienist and a dental assistant will provide oral health education, preventive oral health care services, and a dental home referral to approximately 300 seniors living within six affordable senior housing communities in Belmont, Caledonia, Sparta, Kentwood, and Grand Rapids.
Home-based Transitional Telecare for Older Veterans | The Regents of the University of Michigan | $499,381
This project will assist older veterans who have been discharged from the hospital and have declined in physical function. The proposed Link Team will assist caregivers and health providers with the complex medical and social challenges of the veteran, beyond the usual care provided, leveraging state of the art telehealth and wearable sensor technology.
Improving Care to LGBT Older Adults | ACLU Fund of Michigan | $399,400
This project seeks to reduce social isolation and improve care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults by implementing systemic changes involving policies, procedures, and training within Area Agencies on Aging in Michigan and Michigan 2-1-1.
Integrated Care Readiness Project | Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency | $415,895
The new Quality Aging Matrix (QAM) measurement tool will provide data on service outcomes for older adults; strengthen the readiness of senior-serving community-based agencies to participate in integrated care initiatives; and establish partnerships with one or more health care agencies leading toward an integrated care model.
Knock & Check: Reduce Social Isolation and Improve Healthcare for Frail Seniors | Henry Ford Health System | $197,768
The “Knock & Check” program is modeled after a UK-based program (“Call & Check”) that has letter carriers visit homes of frail seniors to check on their well-being. Knock & Check plans to reduce isolation, connect frail seniors to resources, and improve health outcomes by utilizing existing workforce capacity (like letter carriers) to conduct short in-person visits 2-3 times a week.
Positive Approach Training: Enriching the Lives of those with Dementia and Caregivers | United Methodist Retirement Communities | $495,050
This pilot training program will use the Positive Approach initiative for residents with dementia living at Towsley Village Memory Care Center at the Chelsea Retirement Community. The goal is to improve the quality of life for residents living with dementia and empower caregivers and families with a focus on intervention, preemptive care, and caregiver education.
SameAddress | Area Agency on Aging 1-B | $499,913
A scalable social enterprise designed to help seniors get connected to the home-based services they need, while generating revenue to help reduce waiting lists for low income seniors who require assistance staying at home.
Southwest Michigan Aging Mastery Program® (AMP) | Region 3B Area Agency on Aging | $476,655.00
A collaborative, self-sustaining community health initiative for older adults that combines education with goal-setting, daily practices, and peer support to help participants make meaningful changes in the areas of health, finances, life enrichment, and advance planning.
The Center for Financial Safety and Health | Wayne State University | $333,923
This initiative will create a new Center for Financial Safety and Health, develop the first Michigan evidence-based program to assist older adult victims of scams and identity theft, and produce a prevention effort through outreach and education.
Whatever It Takes: A 24/7 Triage and Treatment Service | Trinity Home Health Services | $495,000
The goal of this proposed model is to significantly decrease the need for ER visits and reduce the number of preventable admissions and readmissions to the hospital. Through a 24/7 collaborative effort this pilot will enable a rapid triage approach that will leverage medical, mental health, and social service providers, as well as the 9-1-1 system, to improve the well-being of older adults in Washtenaw County.
Special Projects & Emerging Initiatives
Special Projects & Emerging Initiatives is an invitation-only program that focuses on projects with the potential to influence practice or policy at a high level. We work closely with the State and other stakeholders to identify shared priorities and determine promising ideas that match up with the Health Fund’s goals. The projects funded in this round are:
An Integrated Model for Personal Assistant Research and Training (Impart) | Michigan State University | $500,000
This initiative will increase the number of competent, stable Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) able to promote the health of seniors in Michigan. Developing the PCA workforce can improve access to and quality of home-care, allowing older adults to remain in independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
Assessment of Michigan Medicaid’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program | Michigan League for Public Policy | $480,000
This project includes an assessment as well as the development of an implementation plan to improve access, availability and timeliness of medical transportation for individuals on Medicaid, which covers more than two million lives.
Building a MediCaring Community in the Huron Valley PACE Program | Altarum Institute | $492,574
This project aims to develop and test new strategies for providing comprehensive services to frail older adults, building on the clinical expertise of an established PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program.
Correctional Care Integration Project | Washtenaw County Community Mental Health | $393,087
By implementing an electronic Health Information Exchange (HIE) between electronic health records used by the main agencies caring for the vulnerable correctional population, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health aims to increase quality and coordination of care in order to improve behavioral, physical, and detention outcomes. In addition to addressing unmet needs within the Washtenaw County correctional system, this project will also evaluate the potential for HIE systems to be utilized in correctional environments across Michigan.
Creating Healing Communities: A Statewide Initiative to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences in Michigan | Michigan Association of Health Plans Foundation | $451,144
This grant will help MAHPF (1) continue and expand efforts toward a statewide awareness of the impact related to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that are taking place and which have taken place in Michigan; (2) to utilize a broad-based Statewide coalition/steering committee to recommend the development of appropriate interventions and related state policy; and (3) provide for the adoption and implementation of Medicaid policy for ACE.
Enhancing Michigan Workforce Capacity for Behavioral Dementia Care Using the DICE Approach (MiDICE) | The Regents of the University of Michigan | $405,850
The goal of this project is to train formal and informal caregivers of people with dementia in DICE (Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate), an innovative, evidence-based approach to assessing and managing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Over the course of a one-year period, they will train 200 caregivers and then, incorporating their input, create an online training program likely to achieve long-term impact on caregiver knowledge and confidence in behavioral management of dementia.
Flint Child Health & Development Fund | Community Foundation of Greater Flint | $500,000
The Flint Child Health & Development Fund (also known as the Flint Kids Fund) was established in January 2016 to address the long-term needs of children impacted by the Flint water crisis. This is considered a “safety net” fund intended to provide resources for services that Flint children will need 5, 10, 15 or 20 years from now. The Flint Kids Fund is a pool of collective resources from private donors, foundation support and individual contributions that will be used to support positive outcomes for the children in Flint.
Flint Seniors Matter | Valley Area Agency on Aging | $500,000
The goal of this project is to create a single access point for information, assistance and service delivery for senior citizens who reside in Flint, Michigan. As a result of this initiative, seniors will have information and/or assistance on programs and services available to them, particularly related to blood and water screenings; access to a Registered Dietician to provide counseling on nutrition; and transportation available to go to the grocery store and pharmacy in order to purchase groceries and other necessities.
Partners in Aging Strategies and Training (PAST) | Michigan State University | $376,593
Geriatric Workforce Resource Center | Michigan Health Council | $424,954
Together as the Aging Education Collaborative, the Geriatric Education Center at Michigan State University and the Michigan Health Council will address a number of needs for healthcare professionals in the field of geriatrics. They will conduct a learning needs assessment, develop an online tool to track participation, create a certification, and plan for future education and training needs.
Infant Mental Health Home Visiting Project | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | $500,000
This project aims to improve the mental health and resilience of Michigan’s infants, toddlers, and their families through: 1) more rigorous infant mental health workforce training; 2) program quality assurance through careful fidelity monitoring; 3) evaluation of program impact on Michigan’s families; and 4) planning for broader dissemination and sustainability.
Integrated Service Delivery Portal | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | $500,000
MDHHS has embarked on a three-year journey to transform today’s program-focused, segmented approach to solving problems into a holistic, outcome-focused Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) system. For the first time, supports and services provided directly by MDHHS in addition to those offered by other state agencies and community organizations will be brought together in one virtual location for residents to connect with a variety of supports matched to their needs.
Medigap Subsidy Counseling and Outreach | Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) | $100,000
Understanding health insurance options can be extremely confusing, especially when there are significant rate increases. MMAP will work with individuals 65 or older, and anyone under 65 who has a disability, to walk them through their options and help determine if they qualify for a Medigap subsidy.
Michigan Crisis Intervention System (MI-CIS) | Western Michigan University School of Medicine | $500,000
The MI-CIS project will develop a systematic approach to preparing emergency and public safety personnel to deal with a variety of behavioral health conditions. The curriculum will go beyond traditional police patrol officers by expanding to include the entire continuum of the emergency response system; ranging from 911 to police (and corrections) to EMS to potentially to the hospital emergency department.
Michigan Infant Safe Sleep Program: A Systems Approach | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | $500,000
In an effort to significantly decrease the number of infants that die in Michigan as the result of unsafe sleep environments, this project will more effectively utilize existing system resources as a method of integrating education and support for infant safe sleep practices, through the consistent use and evaluation of healthcare and community resource partners.
Pregnancy Surveillance in Michigan to Reduce Infant and Maternal Mortality | Michigan State University | $500,000
This project will systematically assess key risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in Michigan women. It will include a survey of pregnant women twice in pregnancy, learning about major risk factors for infant and maternal mortality and severe morbidity, such as anemia and pre-eclampsia and their management; diet, social and psychological stresses; substance use; and uptake of MDHHS pregnancy support programs.
Revision of the Medical Examiner System in Michigan | Michigan Public Health Institute | $285,923
This grant will support standardized trainings and requirements for Medical Examiners in Michigan. Michigan is one of a few states whose current ME system lacks mandated trainings and standards, and has few qualification requirements for MEs, Medical Examiner Investigators, and forensic pathologists.
Secondary Trauma Assessment & Training | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | $400,000
The goal of this project is to provide secondary trauma assessment and training, including focus on effective leadership, within child welfare, to increase wellbeing and positive outcomes for children and families within Michigan’s child welfare system.
Strong Beginnings | Spectrum Health Foundation | $500,000
Strong Beginnings is a partnership of eight agencies and an 85-member community consortium in Kent County that works to improve the overall system of care and eliminate disparities in birth outcomes. The program will offer enhanced prenatal and inter- conception services to high-risk pregnant women and infants up to 24 months of age. Community health workers will serve as peer mentors, conduct outreach to recruit high-risk women, and serve on case management teams with nurses and social workers.
Sustainable Financing For School Health Services | School Community Health Alliance of Michigan | $496,170
The goal of this project is to explore and determine if long-term sustainable funding for school health services, specifically school nursing and mental health services, can be obtained and affirmed. This would allow school nurses and mental health services/school social workers to be hired to deliver services to children and youth in schools and to develop a school health integrated model of care for schools.
UP Wide Health Needs Assessment | District Health Department of Dickinson-Iron, Marquette, Delta and Menominee Counties | $100,000
The purpose of the project is to conduct a U.P. wide, multi-county data driven community health needs assessment with local hospitals, community mental health and substance abuse agencies as partners.
