Munson Medical Center Joins the Northern Michigan Health Coalition

 

Munson Medical Center has formally joined the Northern Michigan Health Coalition as a member. The coalition is comprised of ten health care organizations in Northern Michigan providing primary and acute care, behavioral health care, substance use treatment, dental care, elder services, and public health.

 

“It is good for our community to have Munson join our coalition,” says Dr. Richard Nielsen, President of Crystal Lake Health Center, a primary care provider system with nine clinics in Northwest Michigan. “With better communication between providers in our community, it will allow us to improve the care for our patients. Munson Medical Center is an important provider in our community and it’s a good thing to build on our community health care system together.”

 

Munson Medical Center, a non-profit hospital with 391 beds is one of eight hospitals located throughout northern Michigan that make up the Munson Healthcare system. It has 510 physicians working together to ensure that patients receive the right care in the right location, as close to home as possible.

 

“We are encouraged by what the coalition is aspiring to do in our region,” says Al Pilong, President of the Medical Center. “We want to be part of the promising collaboration between the multitudes of providers of different disciplines that the coalition offers.”

 

The coalition is made up of Crystal Lake Health Center providing primary care; Centra Wellness Network providing behavioral health care; West Shore Medical Center providing acute and primary care; Catholic Human Services as a substance use treatment and behavioral health provider; Northwest Michigan Health Services providing primary care; Michigan Community Dental Clinics as a dental provider; Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and District Health Department #10 as public health providers; Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan as an elder care provider and now Munson Medical Center providing physical and behavioral health care services.

 

”With Munson in the mix of our coalition,” says Ingemar Johansson, Director of the Northern Michigan Health Coalition and COO of Centra Wellness Network, “another piece is added to our community system of care. It allows us to forge a closer relationship with this major provider with better coordination of holistic care for patients, thus increasing the likelihood of better health and wellness outcomes for them.”

 

The vision that the leadership of the coalition holds is that the community of health care providers collaborate to provide a range of health care services to people of all ages, in which the care for the whole patient is paramount in order to manage multiple, interrelated and chronic health problems. Also, all members agree to align their clinical and financial incentives to meet the triple aim of improved quality, patient experience and reduced cost of the care.

 

For more information on Northern Michigan Health Coalition visit: nmhealthcoalition.org.