The Michigan Men’s Health Foundation, founded in 2009 and formerly known as the MIU Men’s Health Foundation, has expanded its focus from metro Detroit to the entire state of Michigan in its commitment to men’s health advocacy and the awareness, education, research, and treatment of prostate cancer and men’s health-related issues.
“We are committed to making an impact by providing opportunities for men to have health screenings, education and resources they may not have had before to demonstrate our commitment across the state,” says Dr. Michael Lutz, urologist and president and founder of the Michigan Men’s Health Foundation. “We want to continue to engage the community on a much broader scale and bring men together to save lives.”
As a first step in this effort, the Foundation named two additional leaders to serve on its Board of Directors: West Michigan residents Bill Payne and Dr. Conrad Tobert.
Payne is a principal at BP Ventures, former vice chairman of Amway and a former member of the Corewell Health System Board of Directors. Tobert is a urologist with the Corewell Health Medical Group and lives in Grand Rapids.
Among the many goals the foundation has through its expansion statewide is the establishment of an Office of Men’s Health in the state of Michigan. Additionally, plans are in the works for a kick-off event in west Michigan later in 2025 to spread awareness of the foundation’s initiatives and raise funds to advance its impact beyond metro Detroit. A vision of mobile health screenings that will travel across the state to reach underrepresented populations is also taking shape.
The Michigan Men’s Health Foundation also manages the Blue Fund, which provides short-term assistance to prostate cancer patients during treatment to help lessen the financial burden of cancer. Plans are underway to expand the impact of that fund to patients in more of Michigan.
“Our focus is on saving lives – the key to prostate cancer survival is early detection,” Lutz says. “We need to reach as many men as possible – and the partners and families who care about them – to ensure they engage in preventative health screenings, while also raising funds that support survivorship and other programs all year long.”
For more information, visit michiganmenshealthfoundation.org.
