For her family, for all families: Anna Reetz’s work in community health

The benefit to future generations is among the multitude of reasons to enter into a community service career. Working for posterity enables a community to thrive long after the initial acts of service have ended. 

Those who serve their community in this way are often family-oriented, having a stake in the trials and triumphs of future generations. For some, this stake is not limited to one’s own family, but is instead driven by a desire to see all families thrive.

Anna Reetz is one of these people.

Reetz originally came to Isabella County to attend Central Michigan University, before staying in the area beyond graduation. Reetz had goals of being a mom, while also having a career that was fulfilling and focused on helping people. Those goals led her down the path of community health, where she now works for the Central Michigan District Health Department. 

“I’m a mom first, but I also get to put a huge emphasis on helping my community, and I get paid to do that … I’m always pinching myself about it. It’s a very fulfilling field,” says Reetz. 

“It’s overwhelming, the amount of gratitude we get from the people that we are serving,” she continues. “It is absolutely rewarding and it’s incredible to get to come to work and experience that day after day.” 

Courtesy Anna ReetzReetz’s professional focuses are harm reduction and helping people who are struggling with substance use. 

“There’s a stigma around harm reduction programming,” she says of her work. “It’s not palatable to everyone … If people don’t really dive into the data and hear firsthand how harm reduction interventions help people with substance use, they can maybe make a quick judgement and think that harm reduction is not the way to go, but once you look at the data, the proof is in the pudding. [Harm reduction intervention] is the way to help people who are experiencing substance use thrive and live a life more focused on their well-being.” 

Reetz’s calculated logic, coupled with her compassion, has afforded her longevity and fulfillment in a field which can often be fraught with hardship and strong emotions.   

As impactful as her individual efforts have been, she is quick to point out the joint effort necessary for achieving success in harm reduction. Reetz is part of the Isabella Substance Awareness Coalition (ISAC), which exists to support community-wide efforts to reduce substance misuse. 

“The work that ISAC produces is incredible,” she says. “It is nice to see all those people come together, and the work they are doing is definitely making an impact on the community.”

Reetz is clear that her true vocation is to pave the way for community vitality, and the circumstances of her life have her uniquely suited to do so. 

Just as her professional accomplishments make the community a better place for her children, so too does her status as a mom aid in her professional life; Reetz has woven the unconditional acceptance and grace required of motherhood into her professional life. 

“It’s important not to judge people by first glance, or by a diagnosis that they might have … everyone has a story and a reason why they are where they are, and the more you understand that the kinder [you can be],” she says. 

While she is adamant that she is a mother first, Reetz’s story is one of careful and calculated balance. Her career and her responsibilities as a mom do not diminish or detract from each other in any significant or final manner, but rather, each serves to sharpen her resolve for the other. 

“As a mom, you want the area where your kids are growing up, and the things they may get into, to be thriving as much as possible,” Reetz says. “So really, [for work] I’m investing in improving other peoples’ lives, but also improving my family’s health and well-being, too. So personally, when I think about improving my community, it just makes sense. Let’s make it a better place, not only for my family, but for all the families that live here.”