Integrated Clinics: WIC, Immunization, MIHP

The Health Department of Northwest Michigan provides an integrated service delivery approach which facilitates "one stop shopping" for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Immunizations, Fluoride Application, Medicaid Enrollment and Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) enrollment & services.  For a pregnant woman this means she comes to the Health Dept for a 1.5 hour appointment and gets her Healthy Kids application completed, is enrolled in WIC, and is also enrolled in MIHP.  For a child it means they may receive immunizations & fluoride varnish at every WIC appointment where those services are needed by the WIC Competent Professional Authority (CPA) who is a RN.  Parents of children who are not enrolled in Medicaid/MI-Child are given information on how to apply and offered application assistance, if needed.

The Health Department of Northwest Michigan is doing all of the items identified above.  Grand Traverse County Health Dept & Benzie-Leelanau Health Dept are doing many of them.  Other health departments have visited to get information on the model and are implementing parts and/or all of it in their locations.  The reason we do it is because clients only need to come to the health department once so it's economical for them, it is economical for our agency, and we have very good health outcomes so it's a win-win.  Good health outcomes include very high immunization rates, very high breastfeeding rates, and low infant mortality rates.

This model actually saves local health departments money by maximizing the use of local dollars through the match available through Medicaid Outreach, Immunizations, & MIHP funding sources and minimizing local dollars supporting the WIC program.

This program made a difference because it led to high immunization rates, high breastfeeding rates, low infant mortality rates, high levels of client satisfaction, it is cost effective, & maximizes local dollars.