Community Stories

Health improvement efforts from around the country

Just Waiting to Be Asked: The Beaverton Clinic Story

April 30, 2013

Adolph Presidio is a tough, resilient 93 year old with ongoing health concerns. His 20 mile monthly drive to the clinic in Harrison, MI...

Part III: Collaborating to Improve Community Safety in Genesee County, Michigan

December 6, 2012

Public safety is an important component of every community’s overall health. In Flint, MI, located in Genesee County, the violent crime rate is over...

Part II: Moving Into Action in Clare County/Central Michigan

October 12, 2012

As a result of the 2010 Public Health Summit, the Central Michigan District Health Department created the Together We Can Health Improvement Council, which...

Working Together Creatively to Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

September 4, 2012

Twenty years ago George Sedlacek, the Director of Community Health inMarquette County, MI, was lambasted in the local news as a “health Nazi.” Now...

Detroit, MI: Joy-Southfield Neighborhood Unites to Tackle Chronic Disease, Poverty and Other Barriers to Health

April 3, 2012

Detroit, MI, is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, with high crime, poverty and unemployment; poor public transportation; and vast...

Part I: Laying a Foundation for Addressing Obesity and Women’s Health Issues in Clare County

June 14, 2011

In Michigan, Health Director Mary Kushion seized Clare County’s poor performance in the County Health Rankings as an opportunity to host a public health...

Part I: Collaborating to Improve Health Behaviors in Genesee County, Michigan

March 21, 2011

Kirk Smith wasn’t surprised when Genesee County’s health behaviors ranked last among Michigan’s 82 counties in the 2010 County Health Rankings.

Part II: Collaborating to Improve Health Behaviors in Genesee County, Michigan

March 21, 2011

In an April 2011 Rankings in Action webinar, Kirk Smith, president and CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) commented that the 2011...

Focusing on Unhealthy Behaviors in Muskegon County, Michigan

January 20, 2011

When the 2010 County Health Rankings were released, Muskegon County’s Healthy on the Shore coalition was already in the planning stages. But the information...