Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) has expanded its work in support of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund’s (Health Fund’s) efforts to improve the health of children, older adults, and families in Michigan.
PPA will incorporate the work of 11 new grantees supported by the Health Endowment Fund’s Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles initiative. The supported programs are working to improve access to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, promote nutrition education, and enhance health and wellness.
Michigan residents face serious health challenges, which the Health Fund seeks to address. An estimated 1.5 million Michigan residents lack access to healthy, affordable foods, and the state’s obesity rate of 32.5% is among the 10 highest in the nation.
“PPA will provide independent feedback to the Health Fund on the power of its investments to achieve its strategic objectives,” said PPA Senior Project Manager Dr. Nancy McCrohan, who has worked extensively on issues of food and nutrition.
“Our work will provide insights into what is working and why, and examine the degree to which the grants individually and collectively improve health outcomes.”
The Health Fund selected PPA to evaluate its Nutrition and Health Lifestyles grant stream in 2017. The new agreement expands the evaluation to include 2018 grantees.
For more about PPA’s evaluation work on food and health, contact Dr. McCrohan at nmccrohan@publicpolicy.com or 517-485-4477. 