Health Care Economic Forecast set for January

Grand Valley will host the eighth annual West Michigan Health Care Economic Forecast on January 13, detailing health-related trends and issues that face the Grand Rapids metropolitan area.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. in the Eberhard Center, 301 Fulton St. West, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A light breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m.; the event is free and open to the public, RSVP online by clicking here.

Seidman College of Business economics professors Kevin Callison and Leslie Muller will present their findings of an annual study, "Health Check: Analyzing Trends in West Michigan," which researches health care issues in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties. 

Following their presentation, a panel of health care experts will discuss trends and challenges. Panelists are Dr. David Blair, president and chief medical officer of Mercy Health Physician Partners; Tina Freese-Decker, president of Spectrum Health Hospital Group; Nick Lyon, director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; and Jim McDonald, vice president of Total Rewards, Meijer.

Jean Nagelkerk, vice provost for Health, said the annual Health Check report provides data that aids community leaders in health care services, government, business and education during planning and policy making decisions.

She said as health-related challenges continue in the region, collaboration among organizations will be key to developing policies that support healthy communities. "West Michigan has a strong tradition of collaborative community engagement to develop strategies for improvement of health care for our community, while also conserving valuable health care resources," Nagelkerk said.

For more information about the event, call (616) 331-5876.