Michigan takes steps to boost bed capacity for kids in mental health crisis
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Staffing shortages have helped shrink the number of residential spaces available to children and adolescents in severe mental-health crisis in Michigan’s foster and juvenile justice systems. What was at one point 800 slots for young people in distress has shrunk to fewer than 500 spaces, largely due to the lack […]
Scientists warn of health impacts as Great Lakes plastic pollution grows
by Irving Mejia-Hilario,(Bridge Michigan) As a lifelong West Michigan resident and avid beach walker whose hometown draws its drinking water from Lake Michigan, Arthur Hirsch has always loved spending time along the Great Lakes. That’s how he spotted something worrying in the water three summers ago. Thousands of plastic pellets littered the beach’s sandy shore, […]
As RSV packs Michigan hospitals, a new need emerges: baby cribs
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) As RSV cases among children continue to pack Michigan hospitals and doctors’ offices, hospital supply chain managers are keeping an eye on inventories they say are running dangerously low. Hospital-grade baby cribs — cribs that can cost $5,000 or more — have been in short supply in recent weeks. Hospitals are also […]
No-fault insurance reform may be in play as Democrats take power in Michigan
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Auto crash victims and providers may get another crack at changing Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law when Democrats take control of the Legislature in January. A 2019 law ushering in major changes to Michigan’s insurance policies gave drivers the option to choose coverage levels. The reform was intended to lower […]
Give thanks: No fall wave of COVID in Michigan
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) As Michigan and the nation are just weeks from beginning the fourth year of COVID-19, the signs are remarkably positive, according to new state data release Monday and Tuesday: For the first time since July, Michigan hospitals are treating fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 positive patients. New confirmed cases fell this […]
Michigan businesses brace again for possible U.S. rail strike
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan businesses for the second time this year are unsettled over renewed potential for a national rail strike that could slow billions of dollars in cargo shipments at the start of the holiday season. A disruption could impact supply chains for autos, chemicals needed for manufacturing and water treatment, fuel, […]
Lame Duck? Michigan session could be super lame this year
by Tracie Mauriello, Chalkbeat Detroit (for Bridge Michigan) After the last midterm election, Michigan lawmakers voted on 300 bills and ended the term with an exhausting 21-hour day as Republicans looked to push through controversial legislation before Democrat Gretchen Whitmer took office. Don’t expect the next few weeks to look anything like that. Lawmakers may gather during […]
Michigan’s outdoor recreation boom is becoming a business boom
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s COVID-19 outdoor recreation boom has produced a subsequent business boom, according to a new federal report on the state’s outdoor scene. Buoyed by a global pandemic that shuttered public gathering spaces and pushed people outdoors, Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy grew by 15.4% last year, contributing $10.8 billion and 109,595 […]
Michigan’s most vulnerable rescued by kinship caregivers
by Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News & Hayley Harding, The Detroit News (Bridge Michigan) Navelle Jenkins stepped up to single-handedly raise her seven grandchildren after both of her daughters died. The 78-year-old couldn’t have predicted the financial and physical toll keeping her loved ones close would have. That cross has been a heavy one for Jenkins to […]
Report: Debt collection cases flood Michigan courts, hurt low-income residents
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Debt collectors overwhelmed Michigan district courts with more than 200,000 lawsuits in 2019, and the state must do more to help consumers avoid default judgments that can ruin lives, according to a new report. The lawsuits comprised 37% of all district court cases that year and can be “devastating” […]
