For a proposed “behavioral health center” along South Washington Avenue, one mystery is resolved while two more evolve.
The location, still officially under wraps, is the former downtown farmer’s market site on city-owned vacant land, multiple sources have confirmed. The spot is south of the ATT/Michigan Bell building and the former Goodyear auto repair and tire shop.
The two new questions are:
- Why have leaders totally stepped away from the emphasis on mental health?
- Why is $30.3 million in next year’s state budget, announced last week, described as “infrastructure improvements to prepare a site?” Isn’t this a highly large site-prep sum for a building projected at 25,000 square feet?
These inquiries are from Mayor Brenda Moore along with former mayor Joyce Seals, who now serves on the city school board and as chairwoman of the countywide Health Equity Council.
Joining them is the Rev. Hurley Coleman Jr., pastor of World Outreach Campus Church, who took part with an advisory group for ARPA, the covid-relief American Rescue Plan Act.
The City Council and County Board last year approved a combined $10 million — $5 million apiece from their ARPA grants — to kick off support for an undefined “transformational” project within what partner Sam Shaheen Jr. has dubbed a cooperative “Medical Diamond,” shaped on a map to connect Covenant HealthCare to the west, Ascension St. Mary’s to the east, Dow Event Center to the north and the central parks and Old Town to the south.
Starting at the turn of the millennium, the Shaheen family has benefitted Saginaw, and has benefitted from tax breaks, to spark development along South Washington between downtown and City Hall. This time, in contrast, the “ask” has been for direct government funding.
The original farmer’s market has relocated to SVRC Marketplace, three blocks north.
Mental health, or overall plan?
“Their presentation for funding (to the council-appointed advisory panel) was all about mental health as a major unmet need,” Coleman said. “I am among a number of people in the community with concerns about the manner in which all of this has been conducted.”
Indeed, the June 2021 proposal states, “Half of Saginaw County residents felt mental health was a critical issue to address in the community health assessment. This is demonstrated by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in 2017, which found 19.7% of Saginaw residents reported poor mental health on at least 14 days of the last month much worse compared to Michigan and the US (8.5% & 12.4%) “
At the City Council meeting last Nov. 28, the general tone was discussion of mental health. Bill Ostash describes a “behavioral mental health center,” George Copeland references a “mental health facility” and Michael Balls asserts, “I’m talking about mental health.” Michael Flores explains his “no” vote by stating that people with mental health ailments sometimes are a burden on police, and Saginaw’s force already is understaffed. Only Annie Boensch twice mentions “mental and public health,” including the wider public health aspect, and even so, she stresses a need for both children and adults to receive mental health-related counseling.
Meanwhile, for the $30.3 million in funding from Lansing, the City Hall/Chamber of Commerce/Saginaw Future joint announcement last week all of a sudden makes no mention of mental health. The focus now is on overall public health: “Saginaw has the highest infant mortality and obesity rates in Michigan. Life expectancy is more than five years less than the county and state of Michigan. Nearly 35% of people in the City of Saginaw live in poverty.”
Explaining the change
So which is it, a mental health center or a public health facility?
Moore said, “The discussion began last year with talk of a mental health center, but all along I’ve figured this has to be more than CMH (Community Mental Health).”
She speculated that the public health and mental health agencies possibly are seeking to merge, given the age of the public health structure across from Bliss Park. Even though she feels the behavioral health center’s overall purpose has been unclear until now, she prefers the overall focus on public health, with mental health as a component rather than as a stand-alone.
Saginaw has a history of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) resistance to mental health site locations, going back to the launch of the residential treatment reforms late in the past century. Neighbors strongly opposed an adult foster care home in the northwest Northmoor area bordering the Vet’s Hospital, and there was a church-led protest against Bayside Lodge Clubhouse on Bay between West Genesee and State streets.
Joyce Seals is the spouse of retired family physician Dr. Eugene Seals. Their daughter is Dr. Delecia Pruitt, the county public health officer. Yet the former mayor, a breast cancer survivor from 20 years ago, says she remains in the dark on some of the details of a behavioral health center that now has received more than $40 million in taxpayer dollars with details that remain withheld..
She said, “If they are choosing to downplay mentioning any mental health aspect, that may be for the best, given how some people take things and react these days.”
One of the premises for privacy in pursuing the behavioral health center has been that if the location were revealed, it would drive up the price of property acquisition. Coleman, Moore and Seals now believe this aspect of secrecy has been unnecessary, since City Hall and the County Land Bank hold public ownership of tax-reverted vacant lots at and near the old farmer’s market site.
“It’s time to open this up, bring information forward,” Moore said. “It’s been a long time already.”
We asked behavioral center advocates for their outlooks. Our only response is from Veronica Horn, Chamber of Commerce president: “We are giving the public every piece of information that we can. Hopefully more to come. But suffice it to say that the government doesn’t just dole money out without a solid plan.”
Health Center, now and then
For the sake of comparison, mental health is not mentioned in last week’s $30.3 million state grant to the Medical Diamond proposal, after dominating the summary two summers ago. Here are the complete narratives, now and then.
Mutual local announcement June 2023
The Michigan legislature passed the fiscal year 2023/2024 budget on June 28, which includes $30.3 million in funding for Saginaw’s Medical Diamond project. When signed by the Governor, the funds will be awarded to the City of Saginaw for infrastructure improvements to prepare a site on Washington Ave. for a transformational development project.
“We are thrilled that the State is supporting our vision to have comprehensive medical education and healthcare services, providing access to our citizens,” said City of Saginaw Manager Tim Morales. “We look forward to what the future holds for our community.”
The project has been a collaborative effort between the City of Saginaw, County of Saginaw, Saginaw Future Inc., the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce and many others. The Saginaw City Council and the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners have each approved $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support related health care initiatives and the overall development.
“The County has worked closely with the City, Saginaw Future and the Chamber to bring this vision to reality,” said Commission Chairman Christopher Boyd. “We are making great progress towards a healthier Saginaw.”
Saginaw has the highest infant mortality and obesity rates in Michigan. Life expectancy is more than five years less than the county and state of Michigan. Nearly 35% of people in the City of Saginaw live in poverty. The community’s vision is to support the collaboration of experts in medical education and healthcare services to improve access to healthcare and provide a learning environment for future medical professionals.
“We have been proud to be part of expanding healthcare access in this region,” Dr. George Kikano, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine at Central Michigan University (CMU), said. “We are excited to explore our role in this opportunity, which would allow CMU to build upon existing operations in Saginaw, including our medical education programs, and to strengthen existing relationships with health care systems and providers in the region.”
Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet, Representative Amos O’Neal and former Senator Ken Horn worked together to champion the legislation.
“We have been very concerned about the health of our citizens,” said Senator McDonald Rivet. “Supporting the vision to improve public health is of vital importance.”
“Saginaw has some of the most challenging health maladies in the state,” said Representative Amos O’Neal. “This development brings together our medical education and healthcare experts to move the needle on these statistics.”
Additional approvals are still being pursued for the project and a groundbreaking is expected later this year.
ARPA funding proposal June 2021
City of Saginaw Behavioral Health Clinic is proposed as the sister facility to the Saginaw County Health Department project. Occupying 25,000 sf of behavioral health clinical and educational building (the second floor of the proposed Saginaw County Health Department) we will provide outpatient behavioral health services to the very most in need population. At the outset, this will house 6 psychiatrists, 24 psychiatry residents, and 6 therapists. We will increase capacity and access through the benefits realized by consolidating two to three separate ambulatory clinics. In addition to performing adult, child and adolescent, forensic, psychotherapy, and clinical psychology care, this facility will be utilized to train resident physicians, MSW/BSW, and psychiatry NP learners. Addiction medicine will also be supported in this location to better serve patients adversely impacted by the opioid epidemic. This will be the single most important integrative behavioral health center north of Flint.
In addition to performing adult, child and adolescent, forensic, psychotherapy, and clinical psychology care, this facility will be utilized to train resident physicians, MSW/BSW, and psychiatry NP learners. Addiction medicine will also be supported in this location to better serve patients adversely impacted by the opioid epidemic. This will be the single most important integrative behavioral health center north of Flint. Half of Saginaw County residents felt mental health was a critical issue to address in the community health assessment. This is demonstrated by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in 2017, which found 19.7% of Saginaw residents reported poor mental health on at least 14 days of the last month, much worse compared to Michigan and the US (8.5% & 12.4%).
The City is partnering with regional hospitals and the Central Michigan University College of Medicine to collaborate on community health issues. This new facility will be used as a teaching and research center to address chronic and systemic health issues specifically for under-served populations that, for decades have experienced health inequities.
This new facility will be used as a teaching and research center to address chronic and systemic health issues specifically for the region’s underserved populations that, for decades, have experienced health inequities.
Who would perform this work? CMU Medical Education Partners. Estimated cost is $5,000,000 ARPA request ($15m total project cost).
The work that the behavioral health clinic is doing with the Saginaw County Health Department will be further developed. The CEO of CMU Medical Education Partners, the CEO of Ascension St. Mary’s, and the CMO of Covenant Healthcare are Board members of the Saginaw County Board of Health. They are working with the Medical Director of the Health Department (an MPH and Family Medicine academic faculty) to further integrate residents with the initiatives identified in their strategic plan. A focus on population health education is underway (a CMEP faculty member created an online curriculum) and participation with Michigan Health Improvement Alliance MiHIA/thrive will continue to drive improvement of the healthcare in our community.
