Celebrating Every Kid Healthy Week | |
Message from our CEO, Loretta V. Bush... | |
Early detection and clinical management of chronic disease at the primary care level is a key to health and resilience. We saw how African Americans and people of color succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic. That was largely because of the prevalence of chronic disease in minority populations.
Chronic kidney disease is prevalent in our communities. Kidney disease is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. Over 30 million Americans have chronic kidney disease. It is estimated that 33% of adults in the U.S are at risk of kidney disease. We’re pleased to have an opportunity to partner with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) to conduct early screenings of at-risk patients at Popoff Family Health Center. Top two causes of kidney failure are diabetes and high blood pressure. A total of over 182 patients at Popoff Family Health Center have a diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension during the calendar year 2023. We believe that this intervention will improve the lives of many of our patients with the disease. While chronic kidney disease is not curable, patients will be given education and case management that may stop or slow the progression to end stage kidney disease. I enjoyed my conversation with Mary Wozniak, NKFM program manager on Authority Health’s “In Good Health” video program (see the link below). Also you or someone you know can take the test to find out if you may be part of the 33. (To find out if you’re at risk take the quiz, Take a Minute For Your Kidneys.
While we’re on the subject of building resilience among people of color, we’re excited that our “Healthy and Resilient Communities” community nutrition initiative is moving forward with the hiring of Wendy Ringo, MD, MPH, who will manage this initiative as well as our clinical operations. We are confident that through this initiative, we will introduce healthy food to populations in places where there isn’t much of it, and in creative ways that will result in sustainability. Look for updates on this program in the coming months.
This month we turn our attention to Every Kid Healthy Week, April 22-26. Our Hope and Ira Land school-based health center staff will be focused on having healthy activities in the schools to address social and emotional health, nutrition and food access, self-care strategies, connectedness and relationship skills, and physical activity. Please take a moment to view my conversation on child health with our pediatrician, Dr. Ayesha Taj.
Finally, I was touched by the story of one of the scholars at Adlai Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield who has found the welcoming environment at our school-based health center – the Ira Land Family Health Center. Because of the good work of family nurse clinician Christina Kirkwood, Khloe Everson is able to manage her asthma without missing school. This is one important way that school-based health centers add value to our educational system.
In good health,
Loretta V. Bush, MSHA
President and CEO, Authority Health
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'We Believe that Every Kid Should Be Healthy'
The Latest Episode from, 'In Good Health' series
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Above: Loretta V. Bush, President and CEO at Authority Health; Ayesha Taj, DO - Pediatrician at Anne Mare Ice Pediatric Health Center. | |
Asthma Is A Big Reason School-Based Health Centers Exist | |
Above: Christina Kirkwood, APRN, FNP- BC Family Nurse Practitioner at Ira Land Family Health Center (inside Stevenson Elementary); Khloe Edwards, scholar at Adlai Stevenson Elementary School. | |
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What a difference a day makes.
Rondalyn Everson is the primary care giver for her granddaughter, Khloe Edwards, age 9, who suffers from chronic asthma. Everson, a paraprofessional working at Kennedy Learning Center in Southfield, would have to lose a day of work, while Khloe would lose a day of school whenever Kloe had an asthma attack.
Last year that all changed. Khloe’s school, Adlai Stevenson Elementary School, together with Authority Health, opened a school-based health center. Named in honor of the late Ira Land, a pharmacist and inspiration for many in the Southfield community, the Ira Land Family Health Center has assured Kloe, and her grandmother, that whenever she has difficulty breathing a family nurse practitioner in the health center is prepared to see her immediately. The most she would miss would be a class or two. And Everson would be able to stay at work. Studies have reported that the risk of emergency hospitalization for children with asthma has decreased significantly with the development of school-based health centers like the Ira Land health center.
“I was so excited,” Everson said, when she learned about the Ira Land health center. “She has not been to an emergency room since they established the health center.” When Kloe had less acute problems with her breathing, they would go to a local public health clinic – but that would be a day-long affair.
Chronic asthma is a leading cause of chronic disease-related school absenteeism in the United States, associated with 10 million missed school days annually, according to the National Institutes of Health. Nearly 20 percent of student absenteeism is attributed to asthma. Even one day absent from school affects student performance in math and other subjects. Poorly controlled asthma over time can have a negative impact on cognitive function and social connectedness at school.
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Extending Longevity to Disenfranchised Populations Through Resilience | |
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Wellness has been around a long time. For some, it is part of their lifestyle. For others, it’s an aspiration. For others, it’s defined as resilience and measured by the ability to withstand.
Recently, Crain’s Detroit Business published an article about Synergy Longevity Centers, which the news publication said is “filling health care gaps.” Those of us working in community health know many gaps that need to be filled. The discussion about a clinic that promotes “longevity” is an interesting one. Longevity, simply put, means a “long life.” It implies a long healthy life. In our world, we speak about “resilience,” the ability to withstand and recover from health and social assault. There are plenty of gaps in this line of work, and not much talk about “longevity.”
Longevity, in the gap filled by Synergy Longevity Centers, is a concierge model, beginning with a “longevity evaluation” costing $7,449. The consultation includes a battery of tests including a full-body MRI. And then there are lifestyle recommendations and ongoing consultations with specialists. All leading to the promise of a long, healthy life.
In the context of health equity, who is able to live a healthier longer life/ And who is struggling to resist communicable diseases and manage chronic diseases to prevent an early death and misery. Longevity in this space is hard work, often involving policy advocacy, social engineering, and innovative thinking without many angel investors. Take for example the Healthy and Resilient Communities initiative launched by Authority Health this year, thanks to a $5 million appropriation by the State of Michigan.
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| Financial Security Has a Major Influence on Population Health, Study Notes | |
Financial security is an under-publicized social determinant of care, and a significant aspect of that is medical debt. The cost of health care, especially for those whose insurance policies have high co-pays and deductibles, is significant. And, as with many of the social determinants, it affects Black and people of color at a higher rate than other populations.
A recent study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that medical debt was associated with more days of poor physical and mental health care, more years of life lost, and higher mortality rates for all causes of death. “Medical debt is increasingly common in the U.S. Little is known regarding its association with population health,” the study notes.
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Annual Children's Health Fair hosted by
PEACH - Pediatricians Educating and Advocating for Community Health
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The children's health fair, organized by PEACH, a resident run community service group of pediatricians, including Dr. Sandeep Bhatti and several other members of Authority Health's medical residency - GME Pediatrics Program, is an annual event designed to offer the community "a day of health, wellness, and fun for families and kids." The fair took place on Saturday, April 27th at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan in the Nardin Park neighborhood of Detroit and offered many clinical services including growth charts, height/weight, vaccines, dental stations as well as many other fun and interactive stations that focused on nutrition and wellness. One of the special exhibits included students from Hope Academy promoting healthy eating and active living through a program developed by Claire Hawthorne, one of our Schweitzer Fellows.
| Above: Aliyah Hunter, scholar at Detroit Academy | Above (L-R): Dr. Sandeep Bhatti, medical resident in Authority Health's Pediatrics Program; Juwariyah Hunter, scholar at Hope Academy: Aliyah Hunter, student Hope Academy; Claire Hawthorne, Schweitzer Fellow and D.O. Candidate, Class of 2026 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. | Above (L-R):Juwariyah Hunter, student Hope Academy talking with Candace Williams, House Manager for the new Russell Woods Brilliant Detroit community center. | Members of the Authority Health Team Attended Gov. Whitmer's '2024 Michigan State of the State' Address | |
THE AUTHORITY HEALTH leadership team took the opportunity of joining other citizen groups to meet with elected officials prior to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address on Jan. 24th. It was a great opportunity meet members of the Detroit delegation in an informal setting.
Click Here to Watch Video
| Above (L-R): Brandi Lagodzinski, Chief of Staff at Authority Health; Senator Stephanie Chang; Loretta Bush, CEO at Authority Health; Janette Davis, CFO at Authority Health | New Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (2024) Cohort Begins |  | |
Authority Health welcomed the 2024-25 cohort of Albert Schweitzer Fellows, who began their year-long Fellowship this month. Amanda Dawnrich, a Detroit Schweitzer Fellow for Life from the 2022-23 cohort, was the guest speaker at the welcoming dinner on April 19, followed by the orientation on April 20. The Fellows and their projects are listed below:
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Adediwura Adegbite, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine; “Food delivery and nutrition consult for refugee families affiliated with Freedom House Detroit.”
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Sara Crisenbery, Eastern Michigan University Health and Human Services Master of Public Health Program; “Provide necessity bags and naloxone information for homeless people.”
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Harmant Grewal, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine; “Improve anxiety, depression, and social isolation among elders through art therapy.”
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Jazmine Noles, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine; “Educate residents at COTS regarding food nutrition and other health topics.”
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Summer Sitler, Wayne State University Master of Public Health Program; “Provide ‘counter-ACES’ for unhoused adolescents through skills-building and mindfulness.”
|  | Above (L-R):Harmant Grewal; Sara Crisenbery; Jazmine Noles; Summer Sitler; Adediwura Adegbite. | |
Taking Charge of Our Kidney Health | |
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We simply cannot stress enough the importance and power of doing all that we can to educate ourselves around the ways in which we can keep our kidneys healthy for as long as possible. We feel that the Take a Minute for Your Kidneys initiative and slogan is so apropos at this time when so many members of our community are being impacted by Chronic Kidney Disease.
So, go ahead take a minute or more for your kidneys. Watch the episode below, Taking Charge of Our Kidney Health (with special guest, Mary Wozniak, Program Manager at the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan) from our 'In Good Health' series and don't forget to take the kidney risk test.
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Above (L-R): Loretta V. Bush, President and CEO at Authority Health; Mary Wozniak, Program Manager at the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. | |
Authority Health's 2022 Community Report | |
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Authority Health is a public body corporate serving the needs of the health care safety net. It sponsors the nation’s second-largest graduate medical education GME teaching health center and community-based wellness centers.
In addition, Authority Health facilitates access to health care services for uninsured and underinsured residents by providing Medicaid outreach and eligibility determination and navigation services.
Authority Health | 313.871.3751 | media@authorityhealth.org | www.authorityhealth.org
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