The end of summer signals a new season — one of respiratory diseases. As cases and hospitalizations tick upward, here’s a short, smart update on new variants, new vaccines and the latest advice to stay safe.
Robin Erb
Robin Erb covers health care and aging for Bridge Michigan, focusing on a state that is aging faster than most. She has led investigations tracking opioid settlement money and health care worker shortages, and previously spent six years at the Detroit Free Press covering the Affordable Care Act and Michigan's Medicaid expansion. She holds a master's degree from Lourdes University in Toledo.
Robin and her husband raised two children in southeast Michigan — and have failed miserably at training their Beagle-Bassets.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Long-simmering battle over public health comes to a head in Ottawa County
Deeply conservative political leaders in Ottawa County ratcheted up attacks on the local public health office, ordering steep budget cuts. Ottawa’s embattled health officer is standing firm in a fight that is drawing national attention.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
RSV vaccine available for older Michiganders, but many don’t know of it
Up to 10,000 older Americans die per year from the RSV virus, which made the approval of the first vaccine a breakthrough. But a new U-M survey shows many either don’t know or don’t care about the vaccine.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
New COVID variant confirmed in Michigan. What to know about BA.2.86
A Washtenaw County resident is the first in Michigan with a confirmed case of BA.2.86, a variant that worries doctors because of mutations that possibly could make it resistant to existing vaccines.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Will raffles, pig roasts and same-day pay ease the health worker shortage?
A critical shortage of Michigan workers is forcing health care employers to rethink recruitment and retention, moving beyond paychecks to consider the benefits different workers value most.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan kindergarten vaccinations plunge. What’s the rate in your school?
The number of children attending school in buildings with vaccination rates less than 90 percent has doubled since 2015. Check out the rate of elementary schools statewide.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Despite court ruling, abortion drug in Michigan remains accessible for now
A federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision that places limits on the prescription of mifepristone, the so-called abortion drug. But those restrictions remain on hold as the case heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan back-to-school COVID, flu vaccine requirements, and RSV too
A flurry of news about vaccines and boosters adds to family to-do lists as schools prepare to reopen for a new year. Bridge turned to four medical experts to help parents (and college students) sort through it.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan ambulance workers still in short supply despite state grants
It’s a high-stress job with middling pay. With other jobs aplenty, ambulance services are struggling to find, train and hire paramedics and EMTs, with the gap expected to grow this decade.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Nearly 23K Michiganders have lost Medicaid, another 123,000 remain at risk
States must reassess eligibility for everyone on Medicaid — more than 3 million people in Michigan, alone. Two months into the state’s year-long process, state health leaders still struggle to get word out to fill out paperwork.