Here in Washtenaw County, Michigan, we are surrounded by some of the finest healthcare systems in the country, yet Packard Health continues to serve as a critical safety net for our community. 

Since 1973, Packard Health has provided quality care to all – regardless of income, insurance status, or background. Many of the patients Packard works with “fall through the cracks” within the larger medical system due to a variety of factors that can range from transportation issues to a lack of insurance. As Dr. Ray Rion, Packard Health Executive Director notes: “We are currently facing the most serious degradation to healthcare access in our community since before the Affordable Care Act. With policy changes to the ACA in the last three years, 500,000 Michiganders have lost Medicaid coverage, with 100,000 losing coverage in the last 12 months.”

Working together with Allison Halerz, Communications Specialist, and Jennifer Richard, Development Director, we reviewed website feedback gathered from patients, staff, and board members to better understand the needs of their various audiences and stakeholders, identified goals, and then got to work redesigning and improving the web experience for all.

Mobile-First

Half of all Packard Health visitors access the site via mobile devices and patients manage critical tasks like Telehealth visits, patient portal access, and bill paying on their phone.

  • We streamlined navigation to require fewer clicks to get to information
  • Developed a mobile-friendly menu
  • Added large, easy-to-click cross-links and buttons
  • Utilized accordions to organize content and reduce vertical scrolling
  • Featured the patient call center phone number, Patient Portal, and Donate buttons at the top of all pages
  • Improved access to location information including links to Google maps and bus information

Removed Language Barriers

Packard’s patient population has many non-native English speakers. One of Packard’s goals is to remove all barriers to health care – including language.

  • We implemented the TranslatePress WordPress plugin and the DeepL translator tool.
  • The site launched in English and Spanish with plans for Arabic in the future.

Met Accessibility Standards

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Packard offers a range of services from primary care and women’s health to behavioral health, addiction treatment, and more. As an FQHC, Packard’s website must adhere to WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. This includes:

  • Meeting color and contrast standards
  • Keyboard accessibility
  • Structured content with clear page titles and descriptive links

Integrated News and Social Platforms

The old website and social platforms were disconnected. At times newsworthy stories only received social mentions and a lot of time was devoted to posting to individual platforms.

  • The new site includes the Bit Social plug-in which allows each news article to post automatically to Packard’s social platforms
  • In addition, categories, tags, and an archive were added to the redesigned news area.

Highlighted Staff, Donors, and Partners

The Packard Health staff are true health care warriors. Packard sees 15,000 patients each year at three locations plus outreach clinics.

  • The entire healthcare team is featured prominently on the website
  • In addition, the donors and partners that support the organization are recognized. Packard cannot do this work without the community.

Created a Welcoming Digital Experience

Packard Health works hard to create a welcoming physical space for their staff, patients, and the community. This is the same goal for Packard’s digital experience. The Packard logo and identity standards were designed by the Q team in 2008!

  • We maintained the branding in the redesign
  • Simplified page layouts
  • Removed walls of text
  • Added more photos
  • Included testimonials from both staff and patients

Our hope is that the new website will continue to support Packard Health’s mission to provide affordable primary care and mental health care to all.

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Project team: Andy Sikora, Matt Restorff, Christine Golus