When Katie Norton joined the Access Health Board of Directors in 2023, she really didn’t know what she was facing.
What the senior assistant prosecutor in the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office found out about Access Health thrilled and amazed her. As an attorney working for justice for victims of abuse, neglect and domestic violence, the work of Access Health with the social determinants of health were spot on.
“I fell in love with Access Health immediately,” Katie said. “This is where my heart is at. Access Health’s work is so important for the people I work with in the abuse and neglect world. Although I have a different background, the work resonated so well.”
Katie was impressed by the innovative programs and collaborations that began to be developed 25 years ago at a time when the philosophy of supporting and treating the whole person to create an individual’s health was not understood as it is today. She called what has evolved at Access Health in the past 25 years “innovative, progressive and so practical.”
“Access Health has sustained this approach where others have not,” she said. “Access Health has stood the test of time. It actually has worked in Muskegon and is still relevant.”
Being in the criminal justice system and not versed in health care finances and health insurance, she said she tries to be the eyes and ears of typical Access Health members and participating employers. If it can be translated for her then she hopes to convince a community not in that world, she said.
And being a connecting voice in the community is what Katie hopes to be in the years going forward. As a prosecutor in Muskegon County Family Court, she has collaborated and engaged nearly every human service agency and organization in the community.
In a short period of time, Katie has become a fierce advocate for the Access Health mission and programs.
“My hope would be to shine the light on this Muskegon effort across the state and the rest of the nation,” she said. “Muskegon County is a microcosm of the state and the nation. If Access Health works here, it can work anywhere. It is so important. Access Health gets down to helping people be better.”