American Heart Association addresses systematic change to transform communities through Michigan Health Endowment Fund grant

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI, August 29, 2024 — As cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in West Michigan, the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, is working with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and several community stakeholders to change that. The Fund has helped the Association work directly with a variety of organizations across West Michigan to make a direct impact in advancing health and hope for everyone everywhere.

Through its community impact work in West Michigan, the Association focuses on policies that create systems and environmental change to transform the health of communities through interventions that achieve population-level stainable changes. The organization annually monitors and reports on community impact that addresses priority issues – improving blood pressure, increasing nutrition security, eliminating tobacco use and vaping, reducing risk for women, and by advancing health equity and readiness.

“This is where we see the important work we do every day really making a difference,” said Jana Siminski, executive director for the American Heart Association, West Michigan. “Thanks to the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, we can make a lifesaving impact on those we serve. We rely on the community organizations who rely on us to help enact these meaningful changes in our neighborhoods and through this grant we are giving them the resources and technical support to make sure that happens.”

Through the American Heart Association, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund has provided funding for the following projects currently underway:

  • Corewell Health in Benton Harbor has launched two self-measured blood pressure monitoring projects and will be starting a multi-week healthy lifestyle educational program for patients and community members incorporating holistic care approaches.
  • Cherry Health has begun patient referrals to the WISEWOMAN program, which targets low-income and uninsured women between the ages of 35-64 with healthy lifestyle interventions.
  • Health Net will train and place a Community Health Worker (CHW) at Streams, which is co-located with Catherine’s Healthcare to connect food-insecure patients from Catherine’s and from Streams with resources such as WIC/SNAP. Streams operates a food pantry, after school programs, and other family support services.
  • The Kalamazoo YWCA Resource Hub will update its list of local food security resources and begin assisting clients in signing up for relevant resources related to nutrition security.
  • Corewell Health and Bronson Healthcare staff who work with food pantries will assist pantries with the development of healthy food policies, creating new nutritional screen and refer programs, and in expanding capacity to carry fresh produce for their clients. Bronson will help fund the opening of a new pantry in Battle Creek.
  • Baxter Community Center will begin assisting clients in signing up for local food security resources including WIC/SNAP and will purchase a larger cooler to increase capacity to carry fresh produce.
  • Exalta Health will plan and launch a self-measured blood pressure monitoring program for patients and will begin implementing evidence-based practices to improve blood pressure control in hypertensive patients.
  • Kent District Libraries this month launched a “Libraries with Heart” blood pressure cuff loaner program to provide patrons with education on proper blood pressure measurement techniques as well as referrals to area healthcare resources for those who do not have a medical home.
  • The Grand Rapids Community Food Club will increase its capacity to carry fresh produce with the purchase of a new, larger, walk in cooler and will pilot a program with Corewell Health to determine the outcomes of a food delivery model versus a food choice model for patients identified as having diabetes.

For 100 years the American Heart Association has saved and improved lives, pioneered scientific discovery and advocated for healthy communities. Heart disease and stroke impact people in very personal life-changing ways. It’s why the American Heart Association has made bold commitment to continue that work into its Second Century.

“I’ve seen the direct impact education, awareness, and research has on all populations,” said Dr. Karen Kennedy, American Heart Association volunteer. “By providing these community organizations with the funding, the knowledge, and resources to enact meaningful change, we are truly saving lives.”

To learn more about the Association’s impact in West Michigan, visit www.heart.org/michigan.