Health homes reduce emergency visits, improve coordination, presenters tell House subcommittee

At a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Medicaid Behavioral Health, staff from Central Wellness Network described how Michigan's behavioral health home and substance use disorder (SUD) health home programs coordinate care for Medicaid enrollees and reported regional enrollment and outcome data.

Tricia Polczyk, clinical director of adult services at Central Wellness Network, told the subcommittee that as of 03/12/2026 her region had 976 people enrolled in the SUD health home and 716 in the behavioral health home; statewide, she said, there were 4,243 SUD health-home enrollees and 3,278 behavioral-health-home enrollees. Polczyk said her region represents roughly 23% of statewide SUD enrollments and about 21.8% of behavioral-health-home enrollments.

Jessica Hugard, the network's medical services supervisor who oversees health-home programs, outlined the model's six core services: comprehensive care management, transitional care management, care coordination, individual and family support, health promotion, and referrals to community supports. She said the lead on care teams is an RN care manager who coordinates with medical and behavioral-health providers, peer supports and community partners.

Hug…