Health care workers say the fear of an unknown virus and the frantic scramble for equipment of last spring are both gone. But gone, too, are heaps of support. In some instances, staff camaraderie forged in last year’s chaos has started to fracture.
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
Pressure mounts on Gretchen Whitmer to tighten Michigan COVID limits
The CDC director pushed Wednesday for “stronger mitigation strategies” in Michigan, including shutting down contact sports, as the state’s positive test rates and hospitalizations continue to surge. The governor is resisting another clamp down.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan COVID hospitalizations again on the rise, but patients are younger
Vaccines have protected Michigan’s oldest residents in this latest surge that’s fueled, at last in part, by more contagious variants. Though hospital beds are filling, younger patients are more likely to survive the virus.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
246 infected, 3 dead from COVID-19 in Michigan despite being vaccinated
These “breakthrough” cases, though rare out of 1.8 million completed vaccinations, are a reminder to continue taking safety precautions even after being vaccinated. Eleven vaccinated people have been hospitalized, according to the state.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID vaccine for kids edges closer to reality, as cases surge in Michigan
COVID cases among Michigan’s youngest residents have more than quadrupled in just over a month. A vaccine can’t arrive quick enough, health experts say.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan caregivers got a $2 hourly boost in COVID. Should it be permanent?
A long-sought-after bump in pay has helped keep some direct care workers on the job, performing crucial, life-saving services for seniors and those with disabilities in a pandemic. What happens if it goes away?
Posted inMichigan Government
Ex-Michigan health boss refuses to talk to lawmakers on secret exit deal
In a letter to the House Oversight Committee Thursday, Robert Gordon didn’t detail the reasons for his abrupt departure in January but alluded to “robust conversations about policy issues where reasonable people could disagree and did.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan ranks second in COVID variant cases as state hits ‘tipping point’
Michigan trails only Florida in the number U.K. B.1.1.7 variant cases following the most recent outbreak tied to prep basketball games in Grand Ledge. Variants pose a greater concern as people travel more and spring break hits.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Gretchen Whitmer opening MI COVID vaccines brings excitement and wariness
Local health officials in some counties welcomed the news that anyone over 16 could soon get the vaccine, saying they can get to more people sooner. But there was also concern seniors and other groups could be pushed behind the more computer savvy.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan residents 16 and older eligible for COVID vaccine by April 5
The expanded eligibility is a month ahead of President Biden’s plan for universal U.S. eligibility by May 1. In the Upper Peninsula, one health department threw wide open its scheduling Friday, immediately offering appointments to any resident 16 and older.