In a day when public interest groups are being defined in percentages, Michigan’s access to care organizations are proud to have carved out their niche as part of CJA’s “2%” – one of three state affiliate groups.

Founded in 2007 by community leaders of health access organizations around the state, the Michigan Communities Joined in Action (MI CJA) has unified its goals around “eight critical activities” for health care services defined by CJA. The 18 member organizations collaborate as well to share best practices and strategies that will lead to their sustainability.

“While others debate, MI CJA is at work preserving the health and well-being of Michigan’s families and communities,” the organization’s bylaws emphasized in 2007. “We are a new and dynamic voice committed to sustaining the strength and integrity of community-led solutions.”

For a state which is far-flung geographically (it’s more than 600 miles from Detroit to the furthest reaches of the Upper Peninsula), that community-led collaboration has been both a challenge and rewarding. Today, MI CJA’s membership represents 37 of the state’s 83 counties where access programs serve the needs of tens of thousands of uninsured residents annually.

Each year, MI CJA members gather to celebrate another year of access service to their communities and to look to the challenges ahead.

“Michigan CJA's annual meeting has been a great venue for our partner programs across the state to share information and network,” said Benjamin Wood, MI CJA chair and executive director of the Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition. “We have the event in Lansing, our state capital, and it gives us a great combined opportunity to visit with our legislators."

MI CJA was pleased to have hosted CJA CEO Christopher Holliday at its annual meeting Oct. 27 for his first foray into the field to meet with the “2%-ers.” (See more event photos on Flickr)

“Having Christopher Holliday was a fantastic addition to this year's MI CJA event,” Wood said.  “Although access to care is a universal issue, many things are state specific and may not be issues in other parts of the country. 

“Our members had a chance to share their thoughts with Christopher and get some great insight and inspiration from him on the direction of CJA at the national level and the importance of the work we are doing here in Michigan. 

“I think what he learned during his visit with us will also help him as he travels to other states and speaks to other CJA members, health care administrators, government officials, legislators and potential funders," he said.

Michigan CJA has used a variety of approaches to keep its membership connected and advised.  Due to the distances between member organizations, it initially hosted conference calls, logging on speakers from state and national health care programs and focusing attention on one member organization at each call.  During the height of the national Cover the Uninsured campaign, a state-wide calendar of CTU events sponsored by access groups was distributed to the media. 

Early face-to-face annual meetings gave member organizations the opportunity to “show-and-tell,” highlighting a wide variety of health-related programs and outstanding local initiatives undertaken to respond to specific needs in their urban and rural settings.  In addition to traditional access programs, these have included clinical, dental, vision and pharmacy service innovations; an urban one-stop housing resource center; patient navigator programs; special community partnerships, and prisoner re-entry outreach.

The annual meeting has evolved into a tool for opening channels into legislative issues and state-national developments in health care policy in addition to keeping the membership connected and informed about their counterparts’ activities.  Legislative receptions and time for members to visit their representatives’ capital offices have been built into the two-day meetings.

MI CJA’s 2012 annual meeting will mark its fifth year of collaboration to foster better health for everyone at less cost, part of CJA’s national effort to achieve 100% access to health care with zero disparities.
For more information about Michigan Communities Joined in Action, contact chair Benjamin Wood at bwood@uphealthaccess.org or call 906.233.0210.

(Contributed by Nancy L. Mathews, Program Director, Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition, nmathews@uphealthaccess.org)