Muskegon Community Health Project


There are many ways to help people. You can do things for them. You can do things to them. But the only way to achieve lasting change is to do things with them. Without a voice or a stake in the process, there is no shared vision. Without shared vision, change cannot flourish. This simple philosophy is the driving force behind the Health Project. Using a combination of local health status data, ongoing health risk assessment, studies, surveys and public forums, we continually pulse the community to identify the most pressing needs; this information becomes the basis for action.
*Community Collaboratives*	*Service Programs*	*Initiatives*
The Health Project’s work typically begins with a Community Collaborative—where healthcare providers, educators, businesses, and other community members convene to discuss and prioritize local healthcare issues, and work together to identify solutions. The result of many Community Collaboratives is the creation of a Service Program or Initiative—many which have become models for other communities across the nation. Current Health Project Community Collaboratives include: Muskegon County Diabetes Network African-American Leadership Team Muskegon Care Task Force Stay Active Muskegon Muskegon Community Dental Health Coalition Hispanic Community Services Muskegon Coalition for Appropriate Antibiotic Therapy Muskegon End of Life Coalition Lakeshore Lung Society (Download the Muskegon County Smoke-Free Restaurant Guide! ) Imagine Muskegon Healthy! Substance Abuse Treatment Committee Muskegon County Tobacco Reduction Coalition	The Health Project’s Service Programs bring together people who have a variety of health care needs with professionals who can help. These programs are the result of community members seeing a problem, and creating a method for solving it. When citizens of Muskegon County contact MCHP with a healthcare need, they learn about these free or low-cost programs, and are referred to participating local resources that can help. Current Health Project Service Programs include: MIChild/Healthy Kids Outreach and Enrollment Outreach for Food Assistance Program Healthy Communities Access Program (HCAP) Diabetes Study for African Americans Maternity Outpatient Medical Services (MOMS) Diabetes Retinopathy Program Renew Student Vision Program (RSVP) Miles of Smiles/Dental School and Community Tobacco Education Pulmonary Screening Diabetes Screening Annual African American Prostate Screening Program	The Health Project has been the impetus for numerous innovative and successful initiatives like i-Net, a new, integrated, web-based, medical claims payment program that links medical clinics with the safety-net services providers who provide food, shelter, clothing and counseling services to the indigent. The benefits of these programs reach far beyond Muskegon County as communities nationwide adopt these tools. And the virtuous circle continues as software sales revenue generated through our for-profit subsidiary, Community Health Ventures, is reinvested in new Health Project initiatives. Initiatives that were inspired by the Health Project include: Access Health in Muskegon Access Health Consulting i-Net SHOnet Cover the Uninsured Week Muskegon Mississippi Delta Men and Women of Character Developing New Resources for Substance Abuse (The Healing Place in Muskegon) Partnership for Health Annual Conference Substance Abuse Provider Collaborative Health Project on TV

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