Former Michigan health director Jim Haveman receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Hope Network

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Jim Haveman, a Grand Rapids native who recently stepped down as Michigan’s health director, received a Lifetime Achievement Award Saturday, Nov. 1, from Hope Network.

The award, presented at Hope Network’s annual Legacy Gala, honors Haveman for more than 40 years of public service, said Phil Weaver, the agency’s chief executive officer.

“He has such a passion for helping people who are underserved,” Weaver said.

Haveman, 71, announced Aug. 28 he was retiring from his role as director of the Michigan Department of Community Health after experiencing a mild stroke. His career encompassed leadership roles in West Michigan, the state and nationally.

He began his career as a social worker for Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids. He later served as executive director for the agency and helped run Project Rehab, a local substance abuse agency.

In 1991, Gov. John Engler named Haveman state mental health director. In that role, Haveman led the effort to overhaul the state’s mental health code. Many state mental health institutions were closed and patients were cared for in community-based settings.

“This is one of his legacies in this state,” Weaver said. “Jim was able to do that by continuing to push for the positive opportunities for the people we serve.”

Although the change was controversial, Weaver said it has ultimately had a positive impact on many lives. Thousands of residents with mental illness or developmental disability who once were in institutions now are part of a community.

“Now they are working. They are active in churches. They are doing volunteer work in the community,” he said. “In our state, I think we are very, very advanced with how we are able to serve and create opportunities and independence for all sorts of people who 30 years ago would not have been given any opportunity.”

Haveman served as Michigan Department of Community Health Director from 1996 to 2003. In 2004, he served the Bush administration in Iraq, advising the Iraqi government on rebuilding its health care system.

In 2012, Gov. Rick Snyder appointed him director of MDCH.

Weaver credited Haveman with leading efforts to expand Medicaid in Michigan under the Affordable Care Act. The new plan, called Healthy Michigan, expands eligibility to those making 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Since it
launched in April, more than 400,000 residents have signed up.

Haveman’s efforts on behalf of those in need of medical care affects clients Hope Network serves, Weaver said. The agency, which is marking its 50th anniversary, serves 23,000 people across the state, providing neuro-rehabilitation, behavioral health services and support for those with developmental disabilities.

“Jim has been a leader in the state in putting together programs and basically making sure the funding is there to help serve some of those individuals in our community,” Weaver said.

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