Doctors say Michigan patients can expect longer wait times if an interstate agreement isn’t signed. Members of both political parties blame each other for the stalemate.
Robin Erb
Robin Erb covers a range of health issues in Michigan, including the industry of aging and the issues facing older residents in Michigan, a state that is aging faster than most others. She joined Bridge in 2019 and has led investigations that tracked millions of dollars in opioid settlement money and explored severe worker shortages in health care that threaten lives and the state's economy. She chronicled the shock and grief of Michigan families in COVID’s wake, as well as state policy decisions and the triumphs of medical breakthroughs. Robin previously spent six years covering health at the Detroit Free Press, documenting the battle over, and the eventual passage of, the Affordable Care Act and Michigan's Medicaid expansion. She studied communications and political science at Miami University and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lourdes University (Toledo, Ohio). She and her husband raised two wonderful children — but have failed miserably at training their Beagle-Bassets — in southeast Michigan. Reach her at rerb@bridgemi.com.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Reform expands savings program for Michiganders with disabilities
Special savings accounts allow people with disabilities to save money without triggering asset limits that otherwise stop benefits from Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Report: Michigan to pay more for nursing homes than most of US — again
Amid concerns about the high cost of aging, new data highlights the increasing cost of nursing home care in Michigan and across the US.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
‘Green Houses’ offer cozier alternative to Michigan nursing homes
Two programs are helping older Detroit area residents avoid nursing homes, improving care and potentially saving tax dollars.
So why aren’t there more of them?
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Supporters tout benefits of kratom, but will it stall Michigan drug fight?
A kratom derivative known as 7-OH targets the same receptors as painkillers and opioids. Experts say the products, sold in colorful packages, especially endanger children and people battling addiction.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Henry Ford sells a SE Michigan hospital to mental health provider
A Warren-based behavioral health provider will open a 100-bed behavioral health hospital at Henry Ford Health’s Madison Heights hospital once Henry Ford vacates it.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
St. Clair County makes it easier for parents to opt out of vaccines
The health department announced a streamlined approach Monday to expedite vaccine waivers and reminded families they can opt out of the state’s data reporting system.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Desperate for doctors: Michigan looks to expand who can provide care
Lawmakers are trying to ease dangerous short-staffing in health care by tweaking laws — expanding the ability of some mid-level practitioners and, in some cases, creating new types of workers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
For Michiganders in opioid recovery, surgery brings a new pain dilemma
A new study finds that an increasing number of surgeries — and the painkillers that follow — could derail recovery for those who once misused opioids.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan leaders, legislators vow to improve nursing homes after Bridge report
Two Republican candidates for governor and at least one lawmaker promise changes following a two-day Bridge series laying out neglect, abuse and short staffing in Michigan nursing homes. Another lawmaker, a Democrat, says the key is in staff pay.