Current Projects
In addition to CHRT’s cornerstone programs–the health policy fellowship, the Washtenaw Health Initiative, and the physician and consumer surveys–CHRT regularly manages mission-relevant research, demonstration, and educational projects with funding from public sector partners, as well as paid consulting projects for public and private sector clients.
Featured Projects
Promoting health equity by identifying and addressing the social needs of patients in five Michigan counties
Client(s): Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Need: The Promotion of Health Equity Initiative aims to develop a statewide infrastructure for SDOH data collection, analytics, and reporting to better identify and understand disparities and leverage data and community partnerships to help enhance…
CHRT's Role: CHRT provides backbone support to the four participating regions in the Promotion of Health Equity project, mobilizing and coordinating efforts and helping establish shared communications and reporting. CHRT has financial fiduciary responsibilities to Michigan Medicine for the funding of the participating regions. CHRT…
Staff:
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Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage implementation
Client(s): Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Need: Community partners in public safety seek to reduce the number of low-risk, low-level offenders with moderate to severe mental illness or substance use in jail and to redirect them to a supported and well-resourced path to community-based…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is working with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health to implement the recommendations of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Advisory Council. These recommendations for mental health millage investments include expanding crisis services, increasing prevention work, enhancing youth services, addressing…
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Communicating criminal justice initiatives funded by the Public Safety and Mental Health millage
Client(s): Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Need: In 2017, Washtenaw County residents voted in favor of an innovative millage designed to raise funds for expanded mental health programming and criminal justice services and reforms in Washtenaw County. Beginning in 2019, the Washtenaw County…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will work with Washtenaw County criminal justice stakeholders to synthesize what the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office has accomplished with millage funds. Then, CHRT will produce several communications materials that will heighten awareness about millage-funded programs:
materials that increase transparency…
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Evaluation of Michigan’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Client(s):
Need: The 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) authorized a new demonstration program intended to improve community mental health services. In 2020, following a request from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan was…
CHRT's Role: The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan will partner with MDHHS on this project to provide health research, analyses, surveys, demonstration projects, backbone support, and consulting. CHRT has existing experience evaluating Medicaid programs in the state, as well as advanced…
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Providing backbone support to the Washtenaw Health Initiative
Client(s): Washtenaw Health Initiative
Need: The Patient and Protection Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010. The most sweeping health care reform the U.S. had seen in decades, the ACA was meant to dramatically increase access to health insurance for those…
CHRT's Role: CHRT provides backbone support to the WHI and serves as the initiative’s fiduciary agent. In this role CHRT is responsible for:
• Serving as a neutral convener to facilitate the WHI Steering Committee’s activities (including the WHI’s overall strategic agenda).
• Housing the WHI’s Project Manager, who…
Staff:
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Evaluating and communicating about Washtenaw County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program
Client(s): Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health
Need: In October of 2021, Washtenaw County launched an evidence-based Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program in response to data that revealed stark disparities between the general incarcerated population and the incarcerated…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is evaluating Washtenaw County’s LEADD Initiative to assess its effects on individual client outcomes as well as on the criminal justice and legal systems. CHRT will use a combination of evaluation methods including surveys, interviews, and analysis of existing data sources.
Concurrently, CHRT’s communications…
Staff:
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United Auto Workers Pilot Peer Support Program
Client(s): United Auto Workers (UAW)
Need: United Auto Workers is working to provide support for union members who are personally struggling with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), or who have a loved-one with SUD. CHRT is partnering with the United Auto Workers (UAW) to develop, implement,…
CHRT's Role: Based on a rigorous literature review, stakeholder interviews and experience in the field of SUD outreach, engagement, and treatment,
CHRT will:
Develop, pilot, and evaluate a workplace Peer Support Program, where UAW members with lived experience in substance use disorder recovery are trained to provide…
Staff:
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Understanding health disparities through improving EMS data
Client(s):
Need: Emergent Health Partners and CHRT are working to implement EMS clinician training modules across all six EHP EMS agencies in Michigan. These modules will train clinicians to accurately collect sensitive demographic data pertaining to race, ethnicity,…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will be responsible for convening the community advisory board, implementing clinician training, and analyzing EMS data post-implementation.
Convening the community advisory board
CHRT will recruit CAB members through EHP's existing community partners, the Washtenaw Health Initiative…
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Lessons learned from the Pfizer Foundation’s community health innovation grant program for infectious disease control in underserved communities
Client(s): Direct Relief
Need: With funding from the Pfizer Foundation, Direct Relief runs a community health innovation award program for infectious disease control in underserved communities across the U.S. To improve the program and share…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will collaborate with Direct Relief staff members to monitor, track, and analyze the progress of grantees over a two-year period. Throughout the two-year evaluation, CHRT will:
Review grantee…
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Health policy educational opportunities for Michigan legislators and legislative staff members
Client(s):
Need: Due to the substantial turnover and subsequent loss of subject matter expertise in health issues in both the House and Senate each election cycle, there is a need for support of the incoming legislators and their…
CHRT's Role:
Meet with IPPSR and legislators and staff to gain input on topics for primers, discussions, and forums
Develop primers based on input received and…
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