Capital Area Health Alliance

The Capital Area Health Alliance (CAHA) is a regional hub for organizations with interest in health and health care. Since its inception, CAHA has convened community conversations to understand and address healthcare system trends, regional needs and opportunities for improvement. The Alliance provides an inclusive platform on which competing organizations and multiple sectors can collaborate. CAHA connects providers engaged in the work of health care with organizations working at the community level to support innovative approaches to improve the health of the entire community and to bring resources and educational opportunities to employers, businesses and area residents.

Ingham Health Equity Council Funding Second Year of Mini-Grants 

The Ingham County Health Equity Council (HEC) is funding over $163,000 in health equity projects addressing COVID-19-related inequities and risk factors among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). The is the second year of the mini-grant funding.
 
The Council has awarded 13 mini-grants, ranging from $5,000 to $16,000 each, to local organizations who will implement their proposed objectives between December 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. Projects include expansion of mental health counseling and education, personal needs boxes for low-income BIPOC men, a community baby shower and childbirth education, free transportation to medical appointments for BIPOC persons experiencing homelessness, expanding access to food, and increasing access to immunizations and boosters.
 
The HEC was created in 2022 by CAHA and the Ingham County Health Department through a $400,000 grant from MDHHS and MPHI. To learn more about the Ingham Health Equity Council, and for project and awardee details, visit our Ingham Health Equity Council page.

Racial and Health Equity

The Board of Directors of the Capital Area Health Alliance affirms and is in alignment with the following statement by Dr. Gail Christopher, D.N., Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, https://www.nationalcollaborative.org/.

"A statement from the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) on the violence, systemic and by individuals, that has led to so many needless deaths, pain, and traumatic economic suffering in the Black community and many communities of color across the United States in recent weeks:

NCHE stands in solidarity with the countless families and loved ones outraged and fed up with the brutal and senseless killing and loss of lives, with excess suffering, grieving, economic trauma, and distress of recent weeks. We know this pattern is rooted in centuries of denial of the value of lives of people of color: Centuries of denying our full humanity and equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We call on all leaders to stand with us in taking immediate actions to unite our country and put an end to racial hierarchy and begin to redress its consequences.

There must be continued Congressional, state, and local government action to bring measurable relief to vulnerable communities and groups hit hardest by COVID-19. We support local and national efforts to accelerate accountability and racial healing throughout America. We stand for and are determined to use our energy to “overcome” the health and life-destroying power of racism”.

To learn more about CAHA's work in Health Equity, visit our Health Equity page.

CAHA 2022/2023 Focus

CAHA is taking a deep dive into “Whole Person Care,” recognizing that the best way to care for people is to consider their full spectrum of needs—medical, behavioral, and socioeconomic, and “Readiness for Care,” including preparation for leadership, clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills, dynamic health systems, and coaching new generations of healthcare professionals. As we take this deep dive, we are intentionally examining how racism creates health inequities and building our capacity to address these inequities throughout our work.

                                                                                                  

What CAHA Members are Saying

"CAHA's role as a coordinating body...assures healthcare needs of the community are met and changes in healthcare policy and provision of care are planned for. More than any one healthcare organization alone, CAHA combines the strength of all members of the organization to give us greater ability to provide for the healthcare needs of the community."

"CAHA is an organization that allows competing agencies to work together and achieve mutual goals that benefit our communities. CAHA provides connectivity and pathways of communication that enable all of us to offer services that enhance the health and well-being of the people of the tri-county region."

"[CAHA brings] organizations together and bring[s] opportunities for developing joint programs, services, educational endeavors, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. CAHA has been the leader in the region for healthy lifestyles."