Healthy People Healthy Bay
Partnering for a Healthy Bay County
What is Healthy People Healthy Bay
Healthy People Healthy Bay is a coalition of local community organizations dedicated to improving the health of Bay County residents.
Within Healthy People Healthy Bay are four work groups dedicated to creating an action plan to address the four priority categories identified through the Community Health Assessment (CHA).
Why Was Healthy People Healthy Bay Formed?
Bay County Health Department had not conducted a community health assessment or improvement plan since 2002.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires hospitals to conduct a community health needs assessment and improvement plan.
McLaren Bay Region and the Bay County Health Department, a long with Bay Health Plan and Bay Arenac Behavioral Health Association, decided to pool resources to conduct the health assessment.
As a result of the health assessment, Healthy People Healthy Bay was formed to create a plan to address the health issues in Bay County.
Bay County Priority Categories
The Bay County Priority areas were derived from the Community Health Assessment that was completed in 2012. Each priority area consists of sub focus areas. Work groups were formed around each priority area.
- Access to Care: This work group is focusing on assisting residents in establishing a medical home, obtain health insurance and establish a system of common intake and referral
- Behavioral Health: The focus is on creating a work plan dedicated to improving mental health among adults and youth and increasing resiliency in youth.
- Children's Health: The focus of this work group is on creating a work plan dedicated to reducing obesity, chronic disease in and abuse and neglect in children.
- Chronic Diseases: This work groups focus is on preventing and managing chronic disease in older adults.
Community Partners
- Mclaren Bay Region
- Bay Health Plan
- Bay Area Human Services Collaborative Council
- McLaren Bay Special Care
- Pinconning Area Schools
- Essexville Public Schools
- Great Start Collaborative
- Neighborhood Resource Center
- Bay County Prevention Network
- Sacred Heart Rehabilitation
- Bay County Public School Academy
- Child Abuse and Neglect Council- Great Lakes Bay region
- Division on Aging
- Bay Area Community Foundation
- Dow Bay Area Family Y
- Girls on The Run
The Community Health Assessment and Improvement plan was possible with support from the Bay Area Community Foundation, Bay Health Plan and a grant provided by The University of Michigan Public Health Training Center.
