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A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER MICHIGAN HEALTH ENDOWMENT FUND'S 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

Through adversity, you've inspired us.

It's been a difficult year in innumerable ways. COVID-19 has upended lives in every corner of the planet, and our state was no exception. Nearly half a million Michigan residents have contracted the virus, and over 12,000 have died from it. We all have seen loved ones less and worried about them more.

But in a year in which "unprecedented" and "uncertain" have been said to the point of exhaustion, a year in which the extent of the world's loss is nearly too great to fathom—we at the Health Fund have also found surprising joys. We've watched as our grant partners have shown resilience and adaptability beyond anything we could have imagined. You've built strong partnerships, you've pivoted to virtual work, you've been there for your communities when they needed you most.

In a year that will be remembered as one of the worst, you've helped us stay positive.

"The pandemic has amplified long standing health challenges and disparities. But our 2020 partners are tackling issues—health access and integration, food insecurity, chronic illness prevention, social isolation and other behavioral health crises—that will be with us after COVID-19 and must be addressed over the longer term." -Paul Hillegonds, CEO

203 SEEDS PLANTED

Our mission of improving the health of Michigan residents had particular gravity this year, but we're confident our partners across the state and your ability to support and protect Michiganders.

We have never awarded as many grants as we did in 2020—203 in total—nor have we ever awarded so much funding, with over $36 million this year. That included over $2 million in fast-tracked, rapid response telehealth grants that we announced in early April—a commitment both to support the immediate need for virtual services and to build a lasting infrastructure for telehealth.

Here's an overview of our 2020 grant awards:

  1. Rapid Response Telehealth—$2.4 million given to 50 projects, alongside other funders: the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, the Metro Health Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, who added $500,000 through 11 awards.
  2. Community Health Impact—$5.65 million given to 74 projects, supporting the health of communities, collaborating around improved access to services, and building organizational capacities.
  3. Behavioral Health—$6.95 million given to 21 projects, focused on organizations that streamline, knit together, and integrate care delivery systems.
  4. Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles—$7.9 million given to 19 projects, combatting food insecurity and building cultures of health.
  5. Healthy Aging—$8.7 million given to 27 projects, supporting caregiving, care coordination, and improving systems of healthcare..
  6. Special Projects & Emerging Ideas—$4.37 million given to 12 projects, featuring models that have the potential to lead to breakthroughs or expansion.
"2020 has been a tough year for nonprofits, but they've taken extraordinary steps to continue their work. We were able to partner with one organization to support business planning and new financial systems—steps that mitigated cuts and losses and helped keep their doors open." -Megan Murphy, Senior Program Officer, Community Health Impact

Where you're moving the needle.

We always encourage our applicants to think big and show us your innovative solutions to complex health problems. In our blog this year, we dug into a few of the many areas that our grant partners are making a profound impact—shifting conversations and advancing the health of Michigan residents.

Read on for some of the highlights:

TELEHEALTH TURNS A CORNER

2020 was a turning point for virtual healthcare services, with rates of visits skyrocketing as the pandemic forced many Michigan residents to stay home. In June, we covered some of the long-term benefits of health technology, noting the way it can expand access for older adults, people in rural areas, and those seeking behavioral health treatment.

Even as Michigan's healthcare system returns to normal functioning in the coming years, telemedicine can and should remain an important option for residents across the state, with ensuring high-quality, equitable access a top priority.

VIEW THE POST
“It’s been incredible to see practices of all kinds rapidly adapt to telehealth this year. Its impact is already apparent—with transportation and childcare barriers removed, many organizations are seeing reduced no-show rates and even increased visits." -Becky Cienki, Director of Behavioral Health

TREATING FOOD AS MEDICINE

Another health issue in the spotlight this year: food access. The Michigan Food Environment Scan keyed in on some of the geographic gaps in access in Michigan, while many of our grant partners continue to implement community-targeted food programs throughout the state. The "food as medicine" model is one of the most exciting examples—fusing hunger and health through creative, evidence-based initiatives.

In our post, we highlighted some of the organizations that share common visions with their food pharmacy work, describing the challenges they are facing as well as the potential statewide implications of their success.

VIEW THE POST
"Food access initiatives have been so crucial this year, and our grant partners have risen to the occasion. Their creativity and flexibility has fostered rapid access to necessary food supports in this critical time—especially for children." -Laurie Solotorow, Director of Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles

UNDERSTANDING MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT

As the pandemic rages on, other health crises have fallen out of the spotlight—including opioid use disorder. But organizations like the Michigan Opioid Partnership, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Greater Flint Health Coalition have continued their efforts to reduce overdoses and increase treatment throughout Michigan.

For organizations considering creating or expanding support for people with opioid use disorder, we put together an overview of medication assisted treatment, including important definitions, common myths, and barriers to implementation in Michigan. It's by no means a comprehensive resource, but we hope it can build basic knowledge and reduce misunderstandings about the treatment.

VIEW THE POST
"Grantees have amazed me with their tenacity and program adjustment acrobatics during COVID. They have worked so fast and so hard to maximize telehealth, supportive phone lines, creative ways of outreach, and so much more. The grassroots community work, where grantees are embracing the full community (beyond healthcare) is inspiring and teaching us all so much." -Lynda Zeller, Senior Program Officer, Behavioral Health

Looking back—and forward.

From improving healthcare services for older veterans to identifying key lessons from our first rounds of grants, the seven reports we published in 2020 were all about learning and improving. Every year, we share what we're working on, what we're thinking about, and what our goals are as an invitation for you to learn and grow alongside us.

"Taking a moment to reflect on this unprecedented and difficult year, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for our partners who clearly demonstrated their unwavering commitment to those we serve. We are all fortunate to have so many caring and brilliant professionals working tirelessly under all circumstances to better the lives of older adults—today and in the future. Thank you for all that you do." -Phil Lewis, Program Officer, Healthy Aging

2020 REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS

  • Health-Related Transportation—Our first report of 2020, examining one of our eight focus areas and its pivotal (and surprisingly complex) role in maintaining access to healthcare in Michigan.
  • 2019 Annual Report—Our annual overview of all the grants we funded, as well as notable work outside of the grant cycles, like our capacity building efforts.
  • Michigan Food Environment Scan—A deep dive into the hundreds of food interventions in Michigan in order to find the communities who aren't getting reached.
  • Ready to Serve?—A Veteran's Day release, emphasizing Michigan providers' need for more training in order to serve older veterans.
  • 2016 and 2017 Health Fund Cohort Reports—Three reports that take a wide angle view of our very first Behavioral Health, Healthy Aging, and Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles grant rounds, sharing valuable lessons from their long-term successes and challenges.
"The grantees that I've worked with have really impressed me by being able to shift programming to be fully virtual under dire circumstances. These organizations initially had most of their programming done in-person, and in a matter of weeks, they were quickly and efficiently able to shift everything they had planned to a virtual presence. This is truly amazing, and should be applauded." -Dr. Tayo Moss, Program Manager, Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles

Media Spotlight

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HEALTH FUND AND OUR PARTNERS

When local and statewide media organizations cover our grant partners' work, we document it in our website's media room. This year, the headlines tell a story of crisis, response, collaboration, and adaptation:

“It has been both impressive and inspirational to see the hard work and dedication of our grant partners to address the needs of older adults in communities across Michigan. Our partners have been creative and nimble to address the various—and changing—needs of older adults in the throes of a pandemic. I could not be more proud of our grant partners during this challenging year.” -Kari Sederburg, Director of Healthy Aging

SUPPORTING HEALTH JOURNALISM

We've always been strong proponents of the power of health journalism, but the importance of clear, comprehensive health coverage reached an all-time high in 2020. Bridge's Michigan Health Watch and Second Wave Media's State of Health provided timely, quality reporting on pandemic's constantly evolving effects. And, new this year, Michigan Radio launched a podcast called Kids These Days, which shared teen perspectives on mental and emotional health.

Some examples of the critical, groundbreaking coverage from Michigan Health Watch:

Second Wave Media's State of Health provided personal, promising stories of organizations' innovative responses to health challenges:

"I’ve always been amazed by the creative ways our partners address new challenges over the course of their grants, but this year demonstrated how incredibly resilient, committed, and innovative they are. We are so fortunate to work with and learn from all of you." -Sharon Karaboyas, Grants Manager

Thank you.

Looking back at this year, it's impossible not to feel the terrible weight that this virus has brought to our communities. But seeing the work that you all have accomplished, it's also impossible not to feel proud. Proud of the strength of the hundreds of Michigan organizations that provide life-changing services to anyone who walks through their doors or dials their number. Proud of the partnerships that make us stronger than the sum of our parts. Proud of our state's ability to fight.

Grant partners, applicants, collaborators—thank you. Your work inspires us every day, and it's making a difference. We're honored to walk alongside you and support you in any way we can. 2020 was beyond difficult, but it has also provided us with some lessons that will make a Michigan better, safer, healthier place for us all.

And thank you to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, for the funding that makes our work possible. We're appreciative of our abiding partnership.

The fight continues. See you in 2021.

- The Health Fund

Appreciate

Credits:

Cover image courtesy of Flint Kids Cook. Photo of person with corn courtesy of South Michigan Food Bank, featuring the Grace Health's Food Pharmacy Prescription project.

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