Menominee County Board supports Provident’s online community survey

MENOMINEE, MICH. – Provident Health Foundation is giving telephone surveys the boot and will use an online survey accessible via a QR code to garner feedback from the Marinette and Menominee communities on what to support.

“We’re going to ask the public what they think,” said John Hofer, executive director at Provident Health Foundation. The foundation provides about $500,000 in grants annually to health agencies, nonprofits and public schools in the Marinette and Menominee area. In 2022, the last year Provident Health Foundation conducted a community survey, it collected information from about 1,000 people in Marinette and Menominee, Hofer said during a presentation at the March 25 Menominee County Board meeting in Menominee, Mich.

Provident also plans to interview about 100 community leaders to obtain more input, Hofer added. “We’re going to encourage everybody to participate and tell us where they see the issues and where we should be focusing our attention,” he said.

Hofer and Mike Snyder, administrator at Public Health of Delta and Menominee Counties, asked the Menominee County Commissioners to pass a resolution encouraging people to participate in the health needs assessment. “We should all have a vested interest in seeing this effort move forward,” he said. Aurora Bay Area Hospital, community health organizations and funders use the survey results to improve community services, Hofer continued.

The Menominee County Board approved a resolution encouraging participation. “Health providers, health agencies and funders are aligning to conduct the assessment. It allows us to cross that border and make sure communities align up,” said Hofer, who previously worked for Bay Area Medical Center for 20 years. The nonprofit is working with Public Health of Delta and Menominee Counties, Aurora Bay Area Medical Center, North Lakes Clinic, Marinette County Health Department, M&M Community Foundation, Bellin Health and Superior Health to identify health needs and programs deserving of support.

The foundation is relatively new. “Provident got started in 2019 when Advocate Aurora became whole owners of the hospital,” Hofer told a reporter in a phone interview on Monday. Prior to this, Aurora was a minority partner in Bay Area Medical Center. When Aurora took over the hospital, “They made a significant contribution to the community. It had to be managed by a brand new foundation that became Provident. I was part of the process because I worked at the hospital,” Hofer said.

While Provident might fund some of the same causes Tri-County United Way supports in Marinette, Menominee and Oconto counties, Hofer said Provident is different from United Way because it doesn’t ask for donations.

The foundation works with other nonprofits, including United Way, Green Bay Community Foundation, M&M Community Foundation and Superior Health Foundation in Marquette, Hofer noted. “We’re constantly looking for ways to bring more funds to this community. A lot of those organizations don’t have eyes and ears on the ground,” he said.

Community input helps the foundation to make appropriate funding decisions in areas such as child obesity, substance abuse, mental health and transportation. While its website said it has distributed over $1 million in funds, its financial documents for 2023 indicate it had about $3 million in expenses and distributions that year.

Aurora Bay Area Medical Center was listed as the foundation’s largest grant or contribution recipient with about $2.6 million earmarked for capital improvements, according to financial documents.

Hofer said he didn’t have specific information on how the $2.6 million would be used. “I don’t know how they spent the money,” Hofer said about the hospital.

“This was done in anticipation of ongoing support and improvement.” Hofer said he didn’t expect Provident would provide that level of funding to the hospital again, but said the organization’s funds for grants fluctuate depending on how its investments perform.

Provident Health Foundation reported $13.3 million in assets at the beginning of 2023 and about $11.6 million at the end of the year.

Provident has funded health-related programs in Marinette and Menominee counties, including health and nutrition programs at public schools in Peshtigo, Crivitz, Coleman, Stephenson, Marinette and Menominee. In 2023, it gave about $40,000 to Marinette Public Schools in a school nurse grant. It provided Crivitz Public Schools with about $20,000 for healthy breakfast and hydroponics.

Provident’s grantmaking process is “fairly rigorous,” Hofer said. “We view ourselves as grant partners. We have a very robust capacity building program. We help nonprofits improve their board structure at no cost. Any nonprofit can ask us to help them get better.”

The Crivitz Food Pantry also has received funds from Provident. “We grant the pantry,” he said, noting it has provided healthy snacks to Crivitz schools.

In Menominee County, which doesn’t have a hospital, community input led to the foundation’s financial support for a mobile clinic to better serve residents of Carney, Powers and Stephenson, Mich., who live a considerable distance from the hospitals in Marinette County or Delta County, Mich.

In other items from the March 25 meeting, the Menominee County Board approved a resolution to continue the Menominee County 9-1-1 surcharge at $2.12, effective July 1 for 12 months.

The board approved a $10,000 contract with Rehman Robson LLC for financial consulting services.

The board approved a motion to transfer a postage budget from the prosecuting attorney’s office to the Friend of the Court after the child support investigator position was moved to the Friend of the Court Office and combined with another position.

The child support investigator is involved with sending legal summons and other documents by certified mail with return receipt. This motion required a budget amendment to transfer funds from one fund to another, County Administrator Jason Carviou said. With the personnel change, the Friend of the Court Office also requested $3,000 in new office furniture, including an L-Shaped Desk with Pedestal Drawer priced at $1,729 and a stacking shelf with lateral file at $1,250. The old furniture didn’t fit in the Friend of the Court Office, Carviou said. Because the position was held open, Carviou said the county has the funds available.

The commissioners approved a resolution honoring Michael Furlong, who is retiring from his post as Register of Probate/Juvenile Court Recorder in the Probate & Family Court. Furlong served in the role for five-and-a-half years.
The board appointed Michael Wickman to the Northpointe Board of Directors effective April 1 for a three-year term expiring March 31, 2028. It appointed RJ Betzinger to the Building Code Construction Board of Appeals for a partial term effective immediately and expiring Jan. 31, 2027.