SAGINAW, MI — If you wish to get involved with the state-funded Saginaw County Health Equity Council, be prepared to be specific.
Members not only are setting priority goals, they are mapping plans for each of them.
- Combat obesity with strategies to lose weight, for both adults and children.
- Reduce infant mortality rates.
- Improve awareness and access to mental health services.
- Continue the never-ending fight against substance abuse.
Specific? For example, the battle plan against obesity promotes Silver Sneakers, a Medicare fitness program for ages 65 and older, calls for more testimonials from people who have fulfilled their dietary plans, and sets a goal to create a “men’s health tool kit.”
And that’s not all. Did you know the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services operates a Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Unit?
It’s because of state government in Lansing that Saginaw is among 10 counties to receive COVID-19 relief funds for health councils, based on evidence that the pandemic harmed ethnic minorities in more severe ways than the populus in general.
First-year funding was $130,000, a modest sum to cover office supplies and a dozen mini-grants in the $10,000 range.
Some of the Health Equity Council’s plans include standard social outreach jargon, such as: “Engage a group of diverse community stakeholders and organizations to identify and address factors that affect residents’ health, such as transportation, food insecurity, housing, and access to high quality medical care.”
Others are more straightforward, such as a need to address “limited and/or lack of post trauma counseling and support after an infant death.”
The next meeting is at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at New Life Baptist Ministries, 1401 Janes. There are no dues or membership fees; your time is the only donation that is asked. For information, visit bwellsaginaw.org/health-equity-council or contact Joyce Seals, coordinator, (989) 758-3801.
