In recent weeks and months, across the country,
and here in Southwest Michigan, many have
struggled to figure out what can be done to help
eliminate systemic racism and the inequities it
creates. Racial injustice is harming health and
shortening the lives of African Americans in
Berrien County by 5.1 years for women and 9.6
years for men. This translates into more than
61,000 years of life lost for Black women and more
than 110,000 years of life lost among Black men.
As a health care system dedicated to improving
health, inspiring hope, and saving lives, Lakeland
has developed a four-part approach which
commits resources, leadership, transparency
and engagement dedicated to reducing racial
disparities and improving health equity. A $50
million Health Equity Fund was established using
monies set aside and invested from operations
over generations. The interest earned on the
fund will provide the budget for health equity
work locally.
What is health equity? Health equity is the
absence of persistent differences in health
between groups of people that are created by
social conditions such as poverty, hunger, and
homelessness. It means all people—regardless
of racial or ethnic identity, socioeconomic
status, physical or mental ability, residential
location, national origin, or sex or gender—can
achieve an optimal level of health.
“Health equity calls for us to provide resources
and create opportunities needed for good
health, especially in those parts of our community
that are most challenged by poor health,”
said Lynn Todman, PhD, vice president health
equity, Spectrum Health Lakeland. “It calls for
us to create conditions that lead to permanent
changes in health status.”
Some examples of health equity work
at Lakeland include:
- The GROWTH (Guided Real-World Orientation and
Work Training at the Hospital) program which
provides mentorship, professional competency and
training, and health care career exploration to
African American and Latinx students.
- A virtual mental health series, conducted in partnership
with the Healthy Berrien Consortium and Community
Grand Rounds, which explores a range of mental
health topics with a focus on the unique experiences
of communities of color dealing with adversity such
as the COVID-19 pandemic and injustices highlighted
by the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Community influencer communications project
provides local opinion makers with health-related
information which they can circulate through their
own community networks.
- Neighborhood-based health homes provide participants
with access to free blood pressure screenings, personal
health coaching sessions, and discussions about key
medical topics through a partnership with local barber
shops, community centers, and low-income housing
facilities. (On pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Community Grand Rounds is a speaker series with
workshops and other events that work to help
increase understanding of the link between structural
racism and health, as well as other topics related to
health equity and population health.
- The Veggie Van provides free, locally grown fruits
and vegetables to hundreds of people who otherwise
have limited access to fresh produce through a
collaboration between Spectrum Health and the YMCA
of Greater Grand Rapids in partnership with Spectrum
Health Lakeland and the YMCA of Greater Michiana.
- Brave Talks are small gatherings and informal groups
of community members which focus on developing
and deepening our collective understanding of structural
racism and its impact on the health of our community.
Are you interested in learning more about this work, or things you can do to make a difference in your
community? Visit the new population health website at spectrumhealthlakeland.org/populationhealth
or email shlpopulationhealth@spectrumhealth.org to learn more.