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Town halls being hosted to gather feedback on state's Mother Infant Health Improvement Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2018

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Maternal Infant Strategy Group (MISG) are hosting four regional town hall meetings to collect community input on the state’s 2019-2022 Mother Infant Health Improvement Plan.

The meetings are open to anyone invested in improving the health of mothers and infants in Michigan. Agenda items include introducing the plan, collecting feedback from the community to determine priorities and barriers to successful program implementation and bringing community partners together to work to improve health outcomes.

The new plan will continue the work of the 2016-2019 Michigan Infant Mortality Reduction Plan which has provided a roadmap for Michigan to ensure infants thrive through their first year of life. In 2016, 730 infants under the age of one year died, resulting in an infant mortality rate of 6.4 per 1,000 live births, a slight reduction from 2015. Nearly a third of those deaths were due to prematurity and 21 percent were attributed to birth defects. The pregnancy-related mortality rate between 2011 and 2015 was 11.8 per 100,000 live births.

Town halls are scheduled:

  • Wednesday, June 20, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Kirtland Community College, 4800 West 4 Mile Road, Grayling.
  • Grand Rapids.Wednesday, July 25, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Frederik Meijer Gardens, 1000 E Beltline Ave. NE,

  • Thursday, Aug. 16, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Henry Ford Health System, 1 Ford Place, Detroit.

  • Monday, Sept. 10, time TBD, Upper Peninsula Health Plan, 853 W Washington St., Marquette.

Online registration for all town halls is available.

The MISG is comprised of healthcare systems and leaders from across Michigan including health plans, universities, local health departments, associations, tribes, MDHHS and more. The charge for the group is to reduce silos and bring together maternal and infant partners in an effort to improve the health and wellbeing of Michigan families.

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