Collaboration Tackles Health Disparities: $5.4 Million Grant for Michiana Family Journey Program

Beacon Health System, a South Bend-based organization, has received a $5.4 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to support the Michiana Family Journey program. The five-year grant aims to improve birth outcomes, promote health equity, and eliminate health disparities in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties.

The program will involve collaboration among 25 not-for-profit partners in the region, including Child and Parent Services Elkhart, Mental Health Awareness Michiana, and the Notre Dame Eck Institute for Global Health. These partners will work together to refer clients, provide education and clinical care intervention, offer nonclinical support, and contribute expertise and resources to the program.

Kimberly Green Reeves, Beacon Community Impact Executive Director, stated that the goal of the program is to address barriers to care and improve health outcomes by bringing together healthcare providers, community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers, and health departments. This collaborative approach is expected to significantly improve infant mortality rates and maternal health outcomes in the region.

As the program progresses, additional funding will be allocated to other counties through future grants to further expand the program. More community partners are also expected to join the program as it develops, indicating a growing network of organizations dedicated to improving health outcomes in the region.

The Michiana Family Journey program is an example of how collaboration between different stakeholders can lead to better health outcomes for individuals and communities. By bringing together healthcare providers and community-based organizations with expertise in different areas of healthcare delivery, this program aims to address gaps in care that may have been hindering birth outcomes and maternal health in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties.

This collaborative approach recognizes that improving health outcomes requires a holistic approach that takes into account social determinants of health such as poverty, racism