In Michigan, over 2 million adults (27%) have a disability. People with disabilities were 6 times more likely to die from COVID-19 and have increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression.
Michigan Vaccination Partners is a collaboration of the Autism Alliance of Michigan, Disability Rights Michigan, and the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI-DDI) at Wayne State University. Leveraging COVID-19 Supplement IV grants, they seek to improve equity in care for those with disabilities. They invite Michigan providers and organizations to obtain Most Valuable Provider (MVP) certification. MVPs offer consistent, accessible, and welcoming vaccination and health clinic experiences to all people in Michigan, including those with disabilities.
Becoming certified as a Most Valuable Provider means:
- All frontline healthcare workers complete online MVP Disability Training.
- The site is sensory-friendly and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- The site collects information on disability status.
- The site promotes immunization and other clinic/site events as MVP/disability friendly.
Michigan Vaccination Partners provides access to resources and benefits to those seeking certification. This includes free consultations regarding accessibility and sensory friendly strategies; free technical assistance regarding public health data from Population Health Outcomes and Information Exchange (PHOENIX); and free promotional materials and recognition on the MVP website and social media.
To date, 16 organizations across Michigan have become MVP-certified including 10 local health departments, 3 mobile health units and 2 health systems. Over 25 more organizations are in the process of getting certified. To learn more, about obtaining certification, go to: https://ddi.wayne.edu/mvp.
Michigan Multipayer Initiatives 