July 21, 2022

SVSU and MyMichigan Health partner to enhance health care workforce in region, state

Saginaw Valley State University and MyMichigan Health have announced a partnership designed to enhance educational opportunities for MyMichigan Health employees and improve the talent pipeline for health care delivery at the health system’s locations in communities throughout Michigan. To achieve this goal, MyMichigan Health, through its tuition reimbursement program, and SVSU are partnering to provide financial support to those employees pursuing relevant degrees and coursework.

MyMichigan Health students can pursue undergraduate, graduate and certifications in a variety of areas, including nursing (RN to BSN), social work, medical laboratory science, information technology, accounting, business, occupational therapy and more.

Deborah R. Huntley, SVSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the cooperative relationship between SVSU and MyMichigan Health is designed to address the critical need for health care professionals in the Great Lakes Bay Region and throughout the state

“We know the tremendous contributions MyMichigan Health and its employees make to the communities they serve. We are proud to partner with MyMichigan Health so its employees can pursue degrees and certifications that will help them enhance the care and service they can offer to their patients and advance in their careers,” Huntley said.

“MyMichigan Health is ecstatic about our partnership with SVSU. We have a long history of welcoming SVSU students into our hospitals to complete clinical rotations and have many of our employees attend the university to obtain a higher degree in leadership, business, nursing, information technology, laboratory science, and occupational therapy,” said Colleen Markel, M.S.N. R.N., S.H.R.M.-C.P., MyMichigan Health system director of education services and workforce development.

Markel said that many MyMichigan Health employees have expressed interest in advancing their educations, and this partnership helps make this possible.

“SVSU has generously taken an interest in MyMichigan Health by offering significant financial support,” she said. “Our purpose statement for the health system is ‘Creating Healthy Communities Together.’ We value SVSU as our community partner.”