Michigan Health Council Begins Work on $424,952 Grant from Michigan Health Endowment Fund to form Geriatric Workforce Resource Center
The Michigan Health Council (MHC) recently announced that it has been awarded $424,954 over a two year period from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Together as an Education Collaborative, MHC and the Geriatric Education Center at Michigan State University will work together to address a number of educational needs for healthcare professionals in the field of geriatrics.
“We are very excited about this project and our new partnership with MSU and are thankful to the Michigan Health Endowment Fund for supporting our work,” said Melanie Brim, President and CEO of the Michigan Health Council.
The funding will support the establishment of a Geriatric Workforce Resource Center, dedicated to developing educational resources to support the integration of geriatrics into health care and social service systems. This will help ensure the workforce is adequately prepared to meet the needs of older adults, which should ultimately lead to improved health outcomes and lower health care costs.
“This work is comprehensive in that it aims to address the medical, behavioral and social needs of aging adults,” said Brandess Wallace, Health Education Training Coordinator at the Michigan Health Council. “The Baby Boomer generation is not only experiencing rapid population growth, they are also living longer.”
Over the past 10 years, the population of persons aged 65 and over increased from 36.6 million in 2005 to 47.8 million in 2015 and is projected to more than double to 98 million in 2060.
The Michigan Health Council will provide resources through the development of an online interactive learning management system utilizing some of the existing framework available through their ACEMAPP software. ACEMAPP was originally developed to help maximize and schedule scarce clinical rotations across Michigan, but has evolved to securely house documents, information, and a comprehensive learning management system as well.
Michigan State University’s Partners in Aging Strategies and Training (PAST) is working on a needs assessment to identify educational priorities and will develop new and provide existing modules for use within the learning management system, and lead program evaluation for the project.
The Michigan Health Endowment Fund works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents and reduce the cost of healthcare, with a special focus on children and seniors. More information about the Health Fund can be found at mhealthfund.com.
The Michigan Health Council is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a culture of health with health professionals at the heart of the delivery system. Their mission is to build health professional capacity by offering innovative products and services across six focus areas. Learn more at www.mhc.org.