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Committee approves 1-year community health worker certification contract; health department explains transition from SEMHA
Summary
The committee approved a one-year, $90,000 certification contract with the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance for the health department and discussed the 2023 transition of roughly 88 contract workers from SEMHA into City employment.
The Public Health and Safety standing committee on April 14 voted to send a one-year, $90,000 contract with the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (Mishaw) to formal council with a recommendation to approve. The contract will allow the city to certify community health workers through a statewide program, a health-department official said.
Leah Smith, director of administrative operations for the health department, explained that the contract addresses a certification need after the department brought contractual employees in-house in July 2023. "All of our employees are now City of Detroit Health Department employees," Smith said. "Mishaw is currently the only community health worker certification program in the state." Smith told the committee the contract had been delayed and was now proceeding so the city can continue training and certifying workers and community-based partners.
Smith said the department moved approximately 88 employees from the Southeastern Michigan Health Association (SEMHA) to the city to simplify payroll, discipline, and oversight. "We wanted to resume all of our employees being city employees," she said. The health department will pay an annual membership fee to Mishaw from the general fund; revenue generated from a separate training agreement with Henry Ford College will offset the cost, Smith said.
Committee members asked why SEMHA remains a fiduciary for some grants even after employee transitions. Smith said SEMHA will continue to serve as a fiduciary for philanthropic or foundation grants that cannot be made to a government entity, but the department will bring federal and state grants in-house beginning October 1.
Chris Johns of the Office of Contracting and Procurement joined the discussion; the item was described as an unplanned, nonstandard one-year procurement. After questions from members, the committee approved the item and forwarded it to formal session with a recommendation to approve.
No amendments or changes to the contract terms were recorded at the meeting.
