State public health advocates offer governor opportunity to strenghten public health integrity in Michigan

By Dennis Archambault
As Gov. Snyder considers the final report of the Michigan Public Health Advisory Commission (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/PHAC_Final_Report_556718_7.pdf) it’s an opportunity for all population health advocates to consider this moment as a potential breakthrough in struggle to improve public health in Michigan. The report submitted to Gov. Snyder includes three basic recommendations:

1. Continuing and Expanding Collaboration:
Collaboration is often talked about but seldom achieved in a world of intense competition for scarce financial resources. The advisory commission’s report recommends that collaboration be enforced to engineer a broader engagement around efficient use of public and private funds. The recommendation to establish forums for regional collaboration makes sense.

2. Collaboration between State Departments:
The essence of this recommendation is establishing a “Health in All Policies” requirement for state departments in implementing policies. It’s a process used in California and one advocated at the county level throughout Michigan. It is a means of ensuring that the health risk to our communities is properly assessed prior to state policy action. The ethical principle that underscores this recommendation is environmental justice. Too often, vulnerable populations fall victim to injustice due to a lack of voice or influence in public policy decisions.

3. Investing in Michigan’s Public Health:
Anyone working in public health, or related community health initiatives, knows that national public health expenditures has decreased steadily in the past decade. This has had a direct impact on our emergency response capability, as well as our ability to address the health impacts of poverty, racism, food insecurity, and adverse childhood experiences, as the advisory commission report confirms. In an era in which government is intent on reducing taxes and overlooking the human service infrastructure (in lieu of the physical infrastructure and military), advocates need to convince elected officials that this is not an issue limited to vulnerable communities and populations – even though pockets of vulnerability are showing up in seemingly affluent communities. Just as roads deteriorate if they aren’t maintained, so does the social infrastructure.
The governor asked representatives from the public health sector for their advice. They have provided a very thoughtful and comprehensive report. Now it’s up to the governor and legislature to determine if they really want ensure good public health in Michigan.

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health.