by Susan Cerniglia

THE HEALTH Improvement Plan (HIP) of Washtenaw County is launching its 2015 survey. More than 2,500 residents across Washtenaw County will be invited to participate in confidential phone interviews which will continue through April. Washtenaw County Public Health’s main phone number 734-544-6700 will show as the caller identification.

The HIP survey has been completed every five years since 1995. The University of Missouri Health and Behavioral Risk Research Center is conducting the survey. Survey participation takes about 25 minutes.

“The HIP survey provides critical information about the health of our local residents,” says Ellen Rabinowitz, MUP, health officer with Washtenaw County Public Health. “We use the results to better understand overall health trends, health disparities within the county and where more resources are needed to make Washtenaw County a healthier place to live, work, learn and play – for everyone.”

Multiple organizations provide funding and leadership to the HIP survey:

• The Chelsea Area Wellness Foundation
• The Michigan Institute for Clinical Health Research
• Saint Joseph Mercy Health – Ann Arbor
• Saint Joseph Mercy Health – Chelsea
• The United Way of Washtenaw County
• The University of Michigan Health System
• Washtenaw County Public Health

Understanding the Health of our Communities

The HIP survey identifies where health disparities exist between groups and where more resources are needed to improve health. For example, nearly 80 percent of Washtenaw County adults surveyed in 2010 reported visiting a dentist in the past 12 months. Among adults with household incomes of $35,000 per year or less, however, only half reported visiting a dentist in the past year in 2010. Similarly, only 16 percent of Washtenaw adults overall reported losing between 1 and 5 teeth to decay, whereas 30 percent of African Americans surveyed locally in 2010 reported losing teeth to decay.

Understanding where community need is greatest and how it may change is important to the HIP partnership and its shared health improvement goals.

“Participants’ responses to this survey are critical to move our work forward.  We invest donor dollars based on data and information we receive from our community. Critical and emerging needs change over time and we need to be able to respond appropriately,” shared Pam Smith, president and CEO, United Way of Washtenaw County.

Applying Solutions

HIP data is used to set local priorities for health programs and services – and can provide the evidence needed to develop innovative approaches to support health.

“We used the information about the number of children who walk to school in grant applications that helped three local municipal governments get a total of nearly $1,000,000 in funding for Safe Routes to School programs,” says Amy Heydlauff, executive director of the Chelsea Wellness Foundation.

The HIP Partnership

Washtenaw County is fortunate to have two large health systems committed to working collaboratively to understand and improve local health. Both Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and the University of Michigan Health System are funding partners – in coordination with local public health and others.

“HIP is an important tool to guide innovative programming and partnerships toward the development of services that fill the gap between access and care,” said Rob Casalou, regional president and CEO, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. “A perfect example is the February opening of the new Washtenaw County Dental Clinic, a collaboration between the Washtenaw County Public Health, the Washtenaw Health Plan, Michigan Community Dental Clinics and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System to provide much-needed dental care for low income residents.”

“UMHS has a long-standing commitment to improving the health of our community. Collaborating with our partners at Washtenaw County Public Health, St Joseph Mercy Health System, Washtenaw United Way and others to fund the HIP survey, which helps assess the county’s health, is one of the many ways in which we demonstrate this commitment,” says Tony Denton, acting chief executive officer of the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers.