MiCare Champion Cast

Tonya Darner, Market CEO, UP Health System Marquette & Bell joined Rich Helppie from The Common Bridge Podcast May 27 at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss how hospitals are always caring for their communities and always advancing the health of the state. To learn more, visit MIHospitals.org.

To subscribe to The Common Bridge Podcast, visit thecommonbridge.com.

MHA CEO Brian Peters joined Rich Helppie from The Common Bridge Podcast May 27 at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss how hospitals are always caring for their communities and always advancing the health of the state. To learn more, visit MIHospitals.org.

To subscribe to The Common Bridge Podcast, visit thecommonbridge.com.

MHA Board Chair Bill Manns, president and CEO, Bronson Healthcare, joined Rich Helppie from The Common Bridge Podcast May 27 at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss how hospitals are always caring for their communities and always advancing the health of the state. To learn more, visit MIHospitals.org.

To subscribe to The Common Bridge Podcast, visit thecommonbridge.com.

Hospitals are improving the health and well-being of communities through a care model that fosters collaboration between clinicians, patients and their support systems. Person- and Family-Centered Care (PFCC) — often referred to as Patient and Family Engagement (PFE) — is an approach to care delivery that has been shown to improve health outcomes, lower costs, enhance patient experience and boost overall staff satisfaction.

In this episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, two members of the MHA Person & Family Engagement Advisory Council from MyMichigan Health and Michigan Medicine provide first-hand insight on the powerful impact of PFE. It also provides actionable ways for healthcare teams to implement PFE and uplift its value to hospital leadership.

Guests include Michelle Brady, MSHAL, BSN, RN, CPXP, director, patient experience and relations, MyMichigan Health and Michele Mitchell, BS, MS, PMP, a nationally recognized patient advocate and breast cancer survivor.

EPISODE REFERENCES:

"Consumers’ and health providers’ views and perceptions of partnering to improve health services design, delivery and evaluation: a co‐produced qualitative evidence synthesis":

Link: www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1…274.pub2/full

Impact of Patient Engagement on Healthcare Outcomes: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5651621/

Mitchell ([email protected]) can be found below:

www.linkedin.com/in/michele-mitchell-403361135/

www.instagram.com/mmmitchell8

www.youtube.com/@PatientEngagement-tn6yr

This episode of the MiCare Champion Cast exploring state and federal healthcare priorities with Tina Freese Decker, MHA, MSIE, FACHE, President & CEO, Corewell Health and 2025 Chair of the American Hospital Association (AHA). The episode, hosted by MHA CEO Brian Peters, explores healthcare innovation, affordability, and how institutions like Corewell Health are bracing for the impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).”

Peters and Freese Decker also explore the future of growing the healthcare workforce talent pipeline, the role technology will continue to play in hospitals and the importance of fostering new partnerships across industries.

Looking Ahead with Bill Manns, Bronson Healthcare by Michigan Health & Hospital Association

In this episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, Lauren LaPine, senior director of legislative & public policy, MHA, provided insight on how Michigan continues to experience issues with timely access to behavioral health services. More specifically, LaPine shares how and why Medicaid patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis are often stuck in emergency departments (EDs) longer than those who are commercially insured. LaPine explores the proposed solution of expanding the three-hour assessment responsibility in order to allow clinically qualified staff to conduct pre-admission screenings in order to improve the delivery of care for behavioral health patients in Michigan hospital EDs.

This episode of the MiCare Champion Cast explores what Medicaid is, what's happening at the federal level and how potential funding changes could impact Michigan hospitals, patients, access to care and more. To contact members of Congress to prevent Medicaid cuts, visit the MHA Legislative Action Center: https://bit.ly/41705qc

This episode of the MiCare Champion Cast features Laura Ortiz, MD, Emergency Medicine Provider at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, who explores a collaborative effort that’s enhancing access to care.

The program, known as Street Medicine Oakland, is a collaborative effort between Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine that delivers free medical care to those experiencing homelessness in Oakland County. To learn more, visit: https://www.streetmedicineoakland.org/

This episode of the MiCare Champion Cast explores the latest on healthcare workplace safety with Brian Uridge, MPA, CPP, CHPA, CTM, senior director at the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety and Security (DPSS).

As a sworn police officer for the university, Uridge manages over 300 public safety staff members for a system that has 40,000 employees and sees over four million patients a year. In this role, Uridge prioritizes creating a culture of safety beyond moments when he and his team are responding to a security threat. The discussion explores the integral role of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) for identifying and managing safety threats.

All resources shared in the episode are open-source and available for other hospitals and health systems to use to enhance security protocol. Those interested in learning more or collaborating with the UM Health DPSS team are encouraged to contact Brian at [email protected] or visit the UM Health DPSS page at: https://www.dpss.umich.edu/content/about/our-departments/michigan-medicine-security/