ERs nearly full; Beaumont asks patients to go elsewhere if possible
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Worsening staff shortages, coupled with a surge in patients with a litany of medical needs, prompted Beaumont Health last Wednesday to begin asking the public to seek emergency care elsewhere when possible. The Southfield-based system also temporarily closed down 180 beds throughout its eight-hospital system, stepped up a call for blood […]
5 things on the minds of Michigan businesses eyeing Biden vaccine mandate
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s large employers join businesses across the U.S. in awaiting details on President Joseph Biden’s plan to set COVID-19 vaccination mandates that would affect about half of the state’s workers. The vaccine requirement — which also allows employees to submit to weekly testing if they are unwilling to get a […]
Republicans advance bills to bar Michigan school mask mandates
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — A tense clash over school masking and COVID-19 testing policies continued last Tuesday at the Michigan Capitol, where a Republican-led Senate panel advanced bills to bar local mandates after a Democratic lawmaker walked out in frustration. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has encouraged school masking and is likely to […]
A Michigan doctor goes to Facebook over dying, unvaccinated COVID patients
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) It had been another grueling weekend for doctors and staff battling to save COVID patients at Beaumont Hospital in Troy. People gasping for breath, some dying. Patients’ panic mixed with bewilderment and grief. Dr. Matthew Trunsky had slogged through plenty of these shifts since the pandemic began last year: rushing […]
Michigan hospital leader: We’re near capacity again.
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The head of Michigan’s hospital industry group said Thursday that COVID patients are straining state bed capacity as medical leaders once again urged more residents to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. As of Wednesday, more than 1,400 patients were being treated at Michigan hospitals for confirmed or suspected cases of […]
Michigan unemployment director, under fire, pledges ‘user friendly’ upgrades
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s unemployment agency is promising a more-user friendly experience for jobless workers, announcing on Thursday it will replace a problem-plagued computer system and communicate in “plain language.” But frustration remains among some legislators who told acting Director Liza Estlund Olson during a House Oversight Committee meeting Thursday the Unemployment Insurance […]
Michigan redistricting panel saves metro Detroit for last. Is that a mistake?
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) EAST LANSING — As Michigan’s redistricting commission drafts new legislative districts, some critics worry members aren’t devoting enough time to draw maps for the state’s most populous areas. The Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission has spent the last few weeks drawing drafts of state legislative districts in the Upper Peninsula, and […]
Required COVID vaccines put Michigan hospital worker hesitancy to the test
by Kelly House, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The clock is ticking for Sharon Petty to decide whether she’ll submit to a COVID-19 vaccination or lose her job as a phlebotomist at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, but she said her mind is already made up. If her request for a religious exemption isn’t approved, Petty said, […]
Whitmer, GOP race toward budget deal as shutdown deadline looms in Michigan
by Jonathan Oosting(Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Legislative Republicans and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are racing to finalize a Michigan budget by the end of September and avoid a partial government shutdown. Both sides express optimism they’ll agree to terms by the constitutionally mandated Oct. 1 deadline, an annual process aided and complicated this year by […]
Michigan labs fear COVID test shortages. Will new mandates add to strain?
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Some Michigan laboratories could soon face shortages in COVID-19 testing supplies again, as delta-variant-fueled cases rise in the state and schools and businesses step up testing demands. President Biden’s announcement of broad vaccine mandates — which will force millions of workers to choose between a vaccine or regular testing — could […]
