CMED announces new partnership with Saginaw County Health Department
Students leave the CMED Auditorium Friday evening, March 29, 2015, after keynote speaker Ryan Welchko, a doctoral student at CMU, finished his presentation.
The Central Michigan University College of Medicine has teamed up with the Saginaw County Health Department to address specific health initiatives in a new five-year agreement, according to a Nov. 15 press release.
The collaborative nature of the agreement will allow for a greater opportunity for research, clinical care and public health in the Saginaw region. This partnership also continues the established presence CMED has made in the Saginaw area.
“This was a way to formalize and build on what we had,” Dr. George E. Kikano, CMU vice president for health affairs and dean of CMED said. “This is a core mission, to educate our students, build our research and help the community.”
Students will also benefit from the educational opportunities that this partnership offers. Medical students will have four new electives available in public health related to the partnership, Dr. Kikano said. Additionally, undergraduate students from a range of degrees will have additional opportunities for assisting with research in the public health sector.
Beyond the context of education, the partnership will also seek out grants to complete special projects in the area.
“We are launching a major initiative around women’s and children’s health,” Dr. Kikano said. “We know minority women in Saginaw are completely disadvantaged from health care outcomes, and the same applies for newborns and infants.”
Additional areas of concentration will be in environmental health, mental health and the delivery of vaccinations to residents of the Saginaw region, according to the press release.
"As an 'academic health department,' we gain greater capacity to investigate and find answers to some of Saginaw’s most pressing issues that impact public health,” Saginaw County health officer Christina Harrington said. “Health Department clients will benefit from access to CMU medical experts, while students gain an added clinical learning environment through the Health Department.”
