The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has released a new report: An Ounce of Prevention: What Public Health Means for Michigan, which examines the current state of public health, the challenges facing our state and recommendations for a better future.
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has released a new report: An Ounce of Prevention: What Public Health Means for Michigan, which examines the current state of public health, the challenges facing our state and recommendations for a better future.
The report states, “Michigan is a tremendously unhealthy state.” The data shows that on average our state exceeds the national average on rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, pneumonia, the flu and much more, compared to national averages.
The report highlights the need for long-term, sustainable investments in public health.
Public health affects our state in many ways including: education (students’ ability to learn), workforce development efforts, our economy, quality of life and the ability to attract and retain talent in Michigan. Public health issues also disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color.
Key takeaways from the report:
When it comes to funding public health, Michigan is in the bottom 10 states in per-capita funding for public health, at $128 million.
Our state is heavily reliant on federal funding to support public health, “yet federal funding for public health appears increasingly scarce.”
The report points to this lack of investment in public health as a contributing factor to harmful environmental toxins facing communities. It also notes that a lack of funding affects resources needed for officials to promote health and address societal factors that contribute to poor health and health inequities.
Additional funding in Michigan would allow the state to develop new policies and programs to address public health issues.
Social determinants of health - not medical care - account for the greatest proportion of disparities in the health of different communities.
Health inequities face our Michigan communities. For instance, a person who lives in one of several zip codes in the Detroit area has a lower life expectancy at birth than the national average. This is due to various factors facing those communities that can worsen their health over time.
Improvement is needed for Michigan’s system of public health service delivery as it’s currently fragmented among several departments in our state.
Recommendations:
The report agrees with the Governor’s Public Health Advisory Commission that our state needs a comprehensive review of public health funding on the state level.
A deeper examination to understand the best way to maximize service efficiency and equity of public health delivery.
Increased cross-sector collaboration among nonprofits, community-based organizations and government.
All state departments and agencies should adopt a “health in all policies” approach as policy decisions in many different areas, including city planning, impact public health.
Leverage programs across departments to promote and improve public health. One example is providing education programs which provide greater health literacy.
CMF’s Health Funders Affinity Group developed a breakout session for the Annual Conference that dives into how funders can help transform the state of health in Michigan. Be sure to check out Mobilizing a Healthy Community, during CMF’s 46th Annual Conference in Grand Rapids October 7 -9.
Want more?
Read CRC’s full report.
