SAGINAW, MI — CMU Health will serve as the organizational home for the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership, a move designed to expand mental health awareness and collaboration across the region, organizers said.
The partnership, which has operated under the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance nonprofit for the past four years, will transition to CMU Health to support long-term growth and sustainability.
Dallas Rau, who serves as director of the partnership at CMU Health, said the change allows the organization to expand while maintaining its community focus.
“This transition allows us to grow thoughtfully and responsibly,” Rau said in a statement. “Partnering with CMU Health opens the door to enhanced collaboration, innovation, and sustainability, while maintaining the community-centered approach that has always guided our work.”
The partnership aims to reduce stigma and strengthen mental health awareness, access, and collaboration throughout the region, organizers said. The alignment with CMU Health, which operates as part of Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine, will create opportunities to integrate programming with clinical education and patient care.
Dr. Abishek Bala, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at CMU Health, said the collaboration connects education, clinical care, and public health.
“It creates a pathway for medical students, residents, and fellows to engage directly with community needs,” Bala said in a statement. “By working together, we are investing in a healthier, more resilient community.”
Dr. Delicia Pruitt, a family medicine physician at CMU Health and medical director for the Saginaw County Health Department, said the partnership fits with existing health initiatives.
“This collaboration is a shining example of the unity that exists in the Great Lakes Bay Region,” Pruitt said in a statement. “It is a perfect fit for our BWell Saginaw efforts and CMU Health’s community and population health initiatives. Together, we will continue to help the region become a healthier place.”
BWell Saginaw is a health care-related program led by the Saginaw County Health Department.
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