Michigan Arthritis Program: Strengthening Partnerships to Reduce Disability

Submission Date: October 2014

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Michigan

States/Territories Involved: Michigan

Funding Source: CDC

CDC Funding:

Yes

CDC Funding (Specified):

CDC-RFA-DP12-1210 State Public Health Approaches to Improving Arthritis Outcomes

Domain Addressed:

Community-Clinical Linkages

Public Health Issue:

• Evidence-based self-management programs such as CDSMP and EnhanceFitness improve the lives of people with arthritis and other chronic conditions.
• Yet only 13% of Michigan adults with arthritis report they’ve taken a self-management course
• Organizations in Michigan, like health systems, are interested in offering quality, evidence-based programs to their constituents but need training and technical assistance to get new courses up & running.

Project Objectives:

The central aim of the Michigan Arthritis Program (MAP) is to improve the quality of life among persons affected by arthritis. MAP uses CDC funding to strengthen partnerships with other chronic disease programs, state Arthritis Foundation chapters/regions and other partners, improve their ability to monitor the burden of arthritis, coordinate activities, and to promote self-management education and physical activity.

Program Action:

• The Michigan Arthritis Program (MAP) helps partners across the state build capacity to offer quality programs proven to help people with arthritis and other chronic conditions. The MAP maintains centralized databases that allow them to identify who their partners are reaching and where, and to provide detailed reports to funders and potential new partners.
• MAP also provides technical assistance, training opportunities and a network for communication and guidance, and conducts an annual meeting for leaders and coordinators to promote skill building and a sense of community among workshop providers.

Impact/Accomplishments:

• Ten new sites in Michigan now offer EnhanceFitness, a positive step toward the expansion of the availability of evidence-based self-management programs for people with arthritis.
• Since 2008, the number of health systems offering the evidence-based self-management programs tripled.
• With technical assistance and training provided by MAP, one health system partner has held 55 evidence-based self-management programs. Thirty-three of those programs have been since the start of this funding cycle (July 2012).
• Program providers have ongoing opportunities for local training and benefit from MAP staff expertise in starting-up new, quality programs and connecting to local partners.
•  Lucy, an EnhanceFitness participant, shares, “Just wanted to let you know how Enhance Fitness improved my diabetes. Since I have been in this class I have lost 10 pounds and the diabetes doctor took me off of insulin at dinner and put me on a sliding scale. I sure do feel good about that. My heart doctor also took me off of Imdur [a heart medication].”

Program Areas:

Arthritis

State Contact Information:

MI
Karen McCloskey, Arthritis Program Coordinator
Michigan Department of Community Health
517-335-1236
mccloskeyk@michigan.gov

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