Land a Great Healthcare Career in Central Michigan
The Great Lakes Bay and Central Michigan region represents a premier destination for healthcare professionals seeking the intersection of clinical excellence and personal fulfillment.
Healthcare in the region is anchored by major systems such as Covenant HealthCare, McLaren Health and MyMichigan Health. This medical landscape is further supported by the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, CMU Health, Isabella Citizens for Health and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers.
Spanning from the urban centers of Saginaw, Midland and Bay City to the surrounding rural areas, this robust network provides a platform for impactful careers rooted in community and collaboration.
In This Article
Mission Over Clock
For orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alex Schmucker, the path to Covenant HealthCare began with family ties to Michigan and rediscovering a place he already loved.
“Being from Michigan, my wife was the biggest factor that first got me looking in the area,” he says. “But to be honest with you, it wasn’t one of those situations where I was just doing something to make her happy.”
Growing up, he spent summers at family camp in Northern Michigan. Returning as an adult reminded him “how awesome of a state it is.”
He was drawn to Covenant’s mission-driven environment, where professional excellence and patient care are treated as personal commitments. “I finished training in Baltimore and found there were a bunch of people just punching the clock,” he says. “Here at Covenant, I’ve found it immensely refreshing to find people who are committed to their work and doing a good job.”
Outside the clinic, he and his family find their balance through an active lifestyle, filling their time with hiking, hunting, fishing and competitive sports. “What Covenant HealthCare offers in its family-friendly and small-city atmosphere should not be undervalued or overlooked,” he says.
Local Roots, Lasting Change
For Angelia Williams, senior vice president at Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, returning to Saginaw wasn’t originally part of the plan. Raised here, she left for college and built a career in large urban healthcare systems – first in Ann Arbor, and then Miami, and finally returned home to Saginaw for an extended family visit.
“This is surprising to me,” she says. “I had no real intention of living in Saginaw.”
Angela Williams
More than 20 years ago, an opportunity arose to join Great Lakes Bay Health Centers (formerly Health Delivery Inc.) as director of special community projects, and she hasn’t looked back. What started as a professional opportunity became something deeper – a chance to expand access to healthcare in the place she’d always called home.
Williams has helped spearhead the development of vital community initiatives, including school-based health centers, HIV prevention services and doula programs.
By bringing care directly to students, farmworkers and families, these vital programs have helped people who might otherwise face barriers. She has watched kids she served in school grow up and pursue their own healthcare careers.
What makes the region unique, she notes, is the level of collaboration. Healthcare leaders work closely with health departments, nonprofits, schools, and local businesses to address needs and create solutions.
“It’s a place where individuals are supported, voices are heard and careers can evolve,” Williams says. “My mission every day is to know that I am doing something to impact individuals and families in our communities that are underserved and do not have a voice at the table.”
Service Full Circle
For Cameron, a registered nurse at MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw, choosing to work and live in the region felt like coming home. He grew up in the Frankenmuth area, then served nearly six years in the military before deciding to return.
“I knew I wanted to come back to be close to family, friends and this amazing location that I grew up loving,” he says. “Joining MyMichigan was a great decision and an easy one to make.”
From day one, the culture stood out. He says his preceptor genuinely wanted to see him succeed and provided every resource he needed, while his manager worked to create a schedule that fit his family life.
“You can tell within the staff that everyone truly cares,” he says. “It is an honor to make lasting impacts in the lives of my patients here.”
An avid outdoorsman, he spends his weekends hunting and fishing with his children, teaching them to respect and enjoy the wild just as he does. “The Great Lakes Bay Region – and working at MyMichigan – just feels like home,” he says.
Bridging the Gaps in Rural Communities
Regional healthcare is entering a transformative era as major investments strengthen the workforce across the region. This collaborative movement – uniting clinical, academic and economic leaders – is successfully bridging care gaps in rural communities.
Leading this charge, Central Michigan University (CMU) continues a long-standing tradition of adapting to the state’s most vital workforce demands.
“Meeting Michigan’s needs is at the very foundation of our university’s history,” says Ariadne Harris, CMU’s executive director of strategic communications.
CMU is bolstering existing healthcare training programs and launching impactful initiatives, including a new four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), while also preparing to relocate its medical education program to Saginaw. Currently, first- and second-year medical students study in Mt. Pleasant, while third- and fourth-year students complete clinical training in the Saginaw area.
“This move will strengthen our educational programs, collaborations between basic science and clinical faculty, inspire more cooperative research initiatives across departments and organizations, and enhance the student experience,” Harris says.
The strategy is already having measurable impact: U.S. News & World Report ranks CMU among the top 20 medical schools for rural community placement and holds the 16th spot nationally for serving underserved areas.
Healthcare at the Diamond
At the same time, Saginaw is transforming its healthcare corridor through the Saginaw Medical Diamond. Work is already underway on major infrastructure improvements. The multiyear project – with work expected to continue through the end of the decade – will create a 5.5-acre riverfront park and prepare development-ready sites for medical, residential, commercial and retail.
The district will have key facilities, including CMU’s consolidated medical school, Saginaw Valley State University’s health professions education building and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers’ Behavioral Health Center of Excellence and Primary Care hub.
“If you have a college of medicine in your community, it really does serve as an innovation hub for medical care and delivery,” says Tom Miller Jr., president and CEO of Saginaw Future Inc. He adds that CMU’s medical school consolidation is one part of a broader ecosystem that also includes major investments.
“Add all those things together,” Miller says, “and it does really create a cluster of medical education and medical services that can really boost an economy and increase the quality of healthcare for the region.”
Through these efforts, the region is reinforcing a shared commitment to regional healthcare by scaling the workforce, upgrading infrastructure and ensuring sustainable access to care.
Get to Know Great Lakes Bay and Central Michigan
Want to learn more about living and working in Saginaw, MI, and the surrounding communities? Check out the latest edition of Livability Great Lakes Bay – Central Michigan Region.