House committees press Michigan Public Health Institute on funding, security and contracts

Lansing — The Michigan Public Health Institute told a joint House Appropriations and Oversight committee on Jan. 28 that it operates as a taxpayer-prioritized nonprofit partner to state government, drawing the majority of its funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and other state sources while providing technical assistance, research and program execution.

MPHI CEO Dr. Renee Kennedy and board member and Wayne State researcher Dr. Philip Levy described MPHI’s role as an operational partner that can move more quickly than civil-service hiring to staff short-term federal grants, conduct program evaluations and push evidence into policy discussion. "We are taxpayer driven, taxpayer prioritized," Kennedy said during the hearing, adding that MPHI pursues external grants and philanthropy to diversify funding.

Why it matters: Lawmakers sought specifics about MPHI’s master agreement with MDHHS, project inventory, contracting vendors, data-security safeguards and executive compensation, all areas legislators said they need to evaluate whether state dollars are being used efficiently and with appropriate oversight.

Key facts from the hearing

- Funding and scale: Kennedy said MPHI receives about 80–90% of its funding from the state and 10–20% from other sources; she stated MPHI’s overall budget at about $200,000,000 and described the…