The Michigan Center for Rural Health, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and other partners, today released recommendations and an action plan to improve the health of rural Michigan. Entitled "Michigan Strategic Opportunities for Rural Health Improvement," the State Rural Health Plan is the culmination of a year-long comprehensive strategic planning initiative to identify priority health issues for rural Michigan and develop a plan of action to address these priorities.

"The State Rural Health Plan sets an agenda for the future," said MDCH Director Janet Olszewski. "This plan serves as a call to action for communities and elected officials to address the health challenges faced throughout rural Michigan."

The full report

This rural health planning initiative began last spring when more than 1,500 rural health experts were invited to participate in the initiative after completing a questionnaire on rural health issues. In addition, a series of six community meetings were held throughout rural areas of the state, including the Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower Peninsula, West Michigan, and the southern tier of Michigan near the Indiana border.

A 13-member advisory group, which included representatives from the Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Osteopathic Association, Michigan Association for Local Public Health, Michigan Primary Care Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development, MSU Extension, and regional representatives guided the initiative. The advisory group reviewed the findings from the surveys and community meetings, in addition to reviewing extensive health data on rural health, and identified priority areas for rural health improvement over the next five years.

The priority areas identified include:

- Recruitment and Retention of Health Care Providers;

- Availability and Accessibility to Health Care Services; and

- Healthy Lifestyles

"The strength of this initiative is that we talked with and listened to residents from rural Michigan," said John Barnas, executive director of the Michigan Center for Rural Health. "We traveled to communities throughout the state, and spoke not only with health and hospital officials, but with every day people who have genuine concerns about health."

For each priority area, a set of measurable goals and objectives, along with action-oriented strategies, have been developed to guide the rural health improvement over the next five years. The Rural Health Plan serves as a call to action to encourage all to work collaboratively to improve the health of rural Michigan.