HW staff COVID and flu shots available at IHC

HealthWest staff can now obtain new COVID-19 booster and flu shots through our IHC!

Shots will be available:

• 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11
• 9-11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 13

These clinics are for HW staff only.

Staff will need to bring a copy of their insurance card and a completed copy of the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot forms. You do not need to bring your COVID-19 vaccination card.

Please note that it will take roughly 45 minutes for the vaccination process.

The price of the COVID-19 vaccine is high, so staff cannot prepare vaccines in advance out of fear of spoilage. It will take roughly 30 minutes to ensure the vaccine is at a usable temperature, and the CDC recommends medical staff observe recipients for 15 minutes after the vaccine is administered to watch for any potential side effects.

Please reach out to Suzanne Beckeman if you have any questions. 

Join the annual HealthWest Holiday Market

You are invited to participate in a HealthWest Holiday Market from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, in the MHC Board Rooms.

For a $10 donation to the FunD Committee, you will be given a 6-foot table to display your items. Signups will be limited to the first 12 staff members. All vendors will need supervisor approval to participate. Please discuss this with your supervisor before signing up. 

This will be a staff-only event, and you can sign up by clicking here. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Erickson.

Experience of care survey sent to HW consumers

An Experience of Care survey was mailed to all open HealthWest consumers recently. This survey, which helps fulfill our requirements as a CCBHC, is an important tool for assessing the quality of our services. It also gives consumers and their families a chance to share feedback about their experiences with HealthWest and allows us to identify areas for improvement.

All survey mailers included a self-addressed, stamped envelope for returning completed responses to HealthWest. Consumers may also return surveys in person, using the survey collection basket in the lobby of the Mental Health Center (MHC).

If consumers on your caseload give you their completed surveys, please place them in the collection basket at MHC or send them via inter-office mail to Niki Emelander.

Questions about the survey should be directed to Customer Service team members.

Thank you for supporting this opportunity for our consumers to share their perspectives!

MCA added to building tour series

Want to learn more about HealthWest campuses, programs, and the daily work of those teams? Join an upcoming building tour. Each tour will be hosted by staff members stationed at each location. Guests will hear firsthand about the experiences and services of other HealthWest teams. 

CMHA Action Alert: HB 4707 would improve access to mental health and substance use care

House Bill 4707, sponsored by Rep. Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield, is recently introduced comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder parity legislation that would provide parity for those with commercial insurance for the first time in Michigan.

HB 4707 would go a long way in closing the gap that people with commercial insurance have in accessing meaningful mental health and substance use disorder services. Access to care for individuals not served in the public mental health system has been one of the greatest areas of need for people with commercial-based insurance. 

If services for the medically necessary treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder are not available in-network within the geographic or timeliness access standards under the law, the bill would require the commercial insurer to arrange coverage to ensure the delivery of medically necessary out-of-network services and any medically necessary follow-up that meet those geographic and timeliness standards to the maximum extent possible. In these cases, the insured would not have to pay more in total for benefits rendered than the cost-sharing they would pay for the same covered services received from an in-network provider.

The Community Mental Health Association of Michigan is asking you to reach out to your legislators (House & Senate) and the Governor and urge them to support HB 4707 and encourage their leadership to bring the bill up for a vote in the fall legislative session. HB 4707 will go a long way in improving people’s lives across the state. 

Learn more about TIDE Resource Groups

Tide Resource Groups are a continuous, year-round team that provides resources and support to a specific part of the HealthWest workforce. Often, TIDE Resource Groups are organized around a particular culture, demographic, characteristic, or common interest. TIDE Resource Groups will establish a dedicated team to ensure that individuals within that group are included, supported, and represented, have access to resources, and that opportunities for education and professional development are provided to all staff. 

While initially composed of HealthWest staff, TIDE Resource Groups may evolve to include participants from beyond the agency. Given the size and complexity of HealthWest, TIDE Resource Groups will need to partner with internal teams and departments to further the work of both and will need to recognize areas of intersectionality (and coordinate with other resource groups accordingly).

Finally, TIDE Resource Groups are meant to have internal and external components; in other words, TIDE Resource Groups support HealthWest staff and influence our organizational culture, but they also interact with, contribute to, and draw upon the larger Muskegon community. 

Want to learn more? Sign up in Relias for one of our upcoming informational sessions.

LAT43 Updates

Additional staff signature lines have been added to the following documents within LAT43: 

• IPOS Pre-Plan 
• IPOS Review 
• Integrated Biopsychosocial  

Lab test orders and results user manual  

Lab test orders and results have now been updated/embedded within LAT43. For more information, please visit the “Help” section under “User Manuals” within LAT43 (See image). 

CareConnect 360 LIVE 

CareConnect 360 is now live within LAT43 for staff to utilize. Once the link is clicked, it may take a moment to load.