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Improving
health
and
wellness,
SE
Michigan
residents,
communities
ride on
reliable
regional
transit
Four
major
hospital,
health
systems
come
together
to urge
‘Vote
YES for
Regional
Transit’
DETROIT
- The
health
and
wellness
of
Southeast
Michigan
residents,
communities
and
businesses
across
Macomb,
Oakland,
Washtenaw
and
Wayne
counties
will
benefit
greatly
from a
YES vote
on
regional
transit
this
November,
said
health
care
administrators,
doctors
and
nurses
from the
area’s
major
hospital
and
health
systems.
Coming
together
in a
relatively
unprecedented
way as
part of
the
Citizens
for
Connecting
our
Communities
ballot
initiative
effort,
the
region’s
health
care
leaders
agreed
that
transportation
is too
often
overlooked
as a
factor
that has
a big
influence
on
individual
health
and the
health
of our
communities.
“We all
are 100
percent
committed
to
supporting
efforts
that not
only
help our
patients
access
necessary
healthcare
services,
but also
help our
employees
get to
their
places
of work
to
provide
essential
healthcare
services,”
said
Jean
Meyer,
president
and CEO,
St. John
Providence
Health
System
with 125
medical
centers,
four
hospitals
and
15,000
employees
across
the
region.
“Reliable
regional
transit
is
simply
integral
to
improving
the
health
of our
region.”
For
Detroit
Medical
Center
and its
eight
hospitals,
50+
outpatient
facilities,
3,000
physicians,
and more
than
10,000
employees,
ensuring
reliable
regional
transit
is one
key way
to help
improve
the
health
of the
city,
communities
and the
region.
“As
health
care
providers,
we know
that
healthy
communities
start
with
identifying
hurdles
that
keep
patients
from
accessing
routine
health
care,”
said
Conrad
Mallett,
Jr.,
chief
administrative
office
for DMC.
“We at
DMC say
Yes for
Regional
Transit
because
ensuring
a public
transit
system
that
connects
our
communities
is key
to
removing
those
roadblocks
and
gaining
control
over a
chronic
health
condition
or
maintaining
good
health.”
Henry
Ford
Health
System
has long
been
part of
the
effort
to
revitalize
regional
transit.
Bob
Riney,
executive
vice
president
and
chief
operating
officer
for
Henry
Ford and
chair of
the
Michigan
Health &
Hospital
Association
(MHA)
Board of
Trustees,
says
with six
hospitals,
dozens
of
medical
centers,
and
nearly
27,000
employees,
Henry
Ford has
more
options
for
patients
than
ever
before
but are
working
to
bridge
the gap.
“We have
a
staggering
number
of
patients
who miss
or
cancel
appointments
with
their
primary
care
provider
or other
physician
each
year due
to
transportation
challenges.
If these
patients
and
their
families
are
unable
to make
those
appointments,
chances
are high
they’re
also
struggling
to get
to and
from
their
local
grocery
store
for
fresh,
healthy
food or
the
pharmacy
for
their
medications.
All of
these
factors
are
critical
to
healing
and
recovery,
as well
as
maintaining
overall
health.
A
robust,
reliable
transit
system
is
essential
to
making
that
happen.
That’s
why
we’re a
strong
YES.”
Changing
demographics
and
trends
in
Michigan
only
reinforce
why the
time to
act is
now. The
latest
U.S.
Census
data
shows
nearly a
quarter
of the
state’s
population
will be
60 and
older by
the year
2030 – a
jump of
32
percent
from
2012.
And
studies
by AARP
have
shown
that
compared
to
similar-age
people
who
drive,
15
percent
of those
who
don’t
drive
make
fewer
needed
trips to
the
doctor.
Beyond
that,
regional
transit
is
critical
to
attracting
and
retaining
talent
and
meeting
each
system’s
workforce
needs to
deliver
the very
best
health
care,
said J.
Paul
Conway,
senior
vice
president
and
chief
human
resources
officer
for
Beaumont
Health,
which
runs
eight
hospitals
and 168
health
centers,
and
employs
nearly
5,000
physicians
and
35,000
workers
in
Southeast
Michigan.
“We know
reliable
regional
transit
is
critical
to
helping
us meet
our
talent
needs
and
creating
livable,
healthy
communities,”
Conway
said.
“It’s
about
getting
people
to jobs
and
career
opportunities
and
getting
our
patients
the care
they
need and
deserve
to lead
healthy,
productive
lives.
We need
to Vote
YES and
make
connected
transit
a
reality
this
November.”
Strong
public
transit
will
also
boost
the
already
significant
$35
billion
economic
impact
of the
health
industry
in
Southeast
Michigan
annually
with
more
than
13,000
existing
health-care
related
businesses
and more
than
485,000
direct,
indirect
and
induced
jobs
throughout
the
region,
according
to data
from the
2016 MHA
Community
Benefit
Report –
Economic
Impact
of
Healthcare
in
Michigan
and the
Detroit
Regional
Chamber.
Studies
and
research
also
show
that for
every $1
invested
in
regional
transit,
$4 is
returned
in
economic
value.
In fact,
Cleveland
generated
$114 for
every
dollar
spent
developing
the
city’s
rapid
bus
system.
“The
bottom
line is
that
this
kind of
infrastructure
investment
is a
must to
grow our
economy,
connect
the
region,
and
ensure
healthy
lives,
communities
and
businesses,”
reinforced
Meyer.
If
approved
by
voters
this
fall,
the
Regional
Master
Transit
Plan
will
connect
more
than
2,600
miles,
four
million
residents
and
nearly
two
million
existing
jobs
across
Macomb,
Oakland,
Washtenaw
and
Wayne
counties,
ensuring
frequent,
seamless
service
on major
regional
corridors
and key
connectors
instead
of
today’s
fragmented
and
limited
options.
It will
also
increase
paratransit
services
by at
least 33
percent
to help
provide
greater
independence
for
seniors
and
people
with
disabilities.
The
20-year
plan
will see
most new
service
completed
within
the
first
five
years.
The
proposed
ballot
initiative
includes
a
taxpayer
protection
clause
that
guarantees
against
any
increase,
renewal
or
redirect
of any
money
dedicated
to
connecting
Southeast
Michigan’s
four
counties,
without
direct
approval
from
voters.
Voting
yes will
connect
communities
with
reliable
regional
transit
and cost
homeowners
an
average
of just
$96
annually.
For more
information
about
Citizens
for
Connecting
our
Communities,
visit
www.voteyesforregionaltransit.com,
follow
on
Twitter
@yesfortransit
and on
Facebook
at
www.facebook.com/voteyesforregionaltransit.
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