News and Events
Health Care Policy Agenda
Health Care for Impoverished Women in Michigan in an Era of Health Care Reform
A Collaboration of the University of Michigan School of Social Work and the Nokomis Foundation
April 15-16, 2010
In collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the Nokomis Foundation convened policy experts and practitioners in Ann Arbor to create recommendations for health care policy in Michigan. The final event of the two-day session was attended by audiences in Ann Arbor and in Grand Rapids where concerned citizens gathered to view a live web stream. Input from these groups will be incorporated into final policy recommendations to be published on the Nokomis Foundation website in the near future.
Under the leadership of Dr. Laura Lein, Dean of the School of Social Work, expert teams explored four health issues of specific consequence to low-income women living in the State of Michigan. The issues: chronic health issues, cross-generational dependent health issues, mental health, and reproductive health were examined within the context of national health care reform and opportunities and challenges for the state of Michigan.
The conference produced a preliminary platform of policy alternatives and recommendations, which will be fleshed out in the next six weeks and published on the Nokomis website and disseminated widely. The resultant documents and web-based publications will provide a tool-kit for public will- building, knowledge marketing and civic engagement for advocates committed to creating health care policy that works for Michigan�s low-wage working women.
Nokomis Foundation Founder Twink Frey challenged participants to generate alternatives that would serve as the strong foundation for on-going work of �creating inclusive health care policy that takes into account the too-often overlooked circumstances of Michigan women and their families.� In thanking everyone who worked so diligently she acknowledged that the hard work remained to be done and pledged Nokomis� on-going collaboration for implementation.
Convening Participants included:
Chronic Disease Management
Carol
Callaghan, Michigan Department of Community Health
Jean Chabut, Michigan Department of
Community Health
Noreen Clark, University of Michigan
School of Public Health
Ricardo Guzman, Community Health and
Social Services Center
Paula Lantz, University of Michigan
School of Public Health
Michael Spencer, University of Michigan
School of Social Work
Health of Dependents (care of
child and elderly dependents)
Ronald
Angel, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Sociology
Tom
Buchmueller, University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business
Sandra
Danziger, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Gary
Freed, University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Laura
Lein, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Joseph
Schwarz, Medical Practitioner, Battlecreek
Luke
Shaefer, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Mental Health
Natasha
Coulouris, Saginaw County Department of Public Health
Daniel
Eisenberg, University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Kyle
Grazier, University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Michael
Head, Michigan Department of Community Health
Brian
Perron, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Marianne
Udow-Phillips, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation
Reproductive Health
Violanda
Grigorescu, Michigan Department of Community Health
Edith
Kieffer, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Phyllis
Meadows, University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Susan
Wood, George Washington, University Medical Center
Amy
Zaagman, Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
Other presenters included:
Ora Pescovitz, University of MI
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs,
Sheldon Danziger of the National
Poverty Center,
Thomas Zimmer, Blue Cross Blue
Shield,
Stephen Fitton of the MI Dept of
Community Health
Jacqueline Angel, U of Texas-Austin, LBJ School of Public
Affairs.
Dr.Margaret F. Schulte, of Grand Valley State University�s School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration, presented context-setting remarks at the Grand Rapids Plenary session.
Posted April 20, 2010