Disheartened by images of raucous crowds ignoring safety measures, some health officials wonder if contact tracing — long a trusted tactic in controlling infectious diseases — may be losing its usefulness.
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
Michigan’s newest headache: Young adults are driving coronavirus growth
Industries that serve the vulnerable see risky behaviors among young workers, but say they’re limited on what they can do.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Computer pad can help Michigan seniors use telehealth during coronavirus
Metro Detroit seniors are embracing online doctor visits using a customized tablet that makes technology less intimidating. It could prove a model for seniors increasingly dependent on telehealth to visit doctors.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan study: Hydroxychloroquine saved lives among coronavirus patients
The drug’s effects had been called into question after a series of studies and controversies since it was promoted by President Trump. A study at Henry Ford Health System found lower death rates when the drug is given early.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Large jump in Michigan deaths outside hospitals as coronavirus raged
Fear of contracting the virus at hospitals appears to have kept many patients from seeking care, including a large number of people suffering strokes or heart attacks.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan hospitals hardest hit by coronavirus get $850M, say they need more
Even with federal relief funds intended for providers slammed by COVID-19 patients, some hospitals say they are still shedding jobs to balance their books during the outbreak.
Posted inMichigan Government
As coronavirus cases rise, Whitmer halts plans to further reopen Michigan
Public health experts say they expected coronavirus cases to rise as Michigan’s businesses reopened but say they worry about COVID fatigue leading to more cases.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Coronavirus outbreaks tied to migrant farm workers in Michigan
COVID-19 is flaring up statewide among migrant workers. Experts say close quarters, crops that won’t wait, mistrust are perfect growing conditions for outbreaks.
Posted inSuccess
AARP: To guard Michigan seniors from coronavirus, avoid nursing homes
A new report says health disparities and economics helped expose Michigan’s oldest residents to COVID-19 and it offers recommendations that AARP Michigan’s director says are “achievable.”
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Report: Michigan hospitals shorted $130K per COVID-19 patient in federal aid
A new report highlights disparities in how federal coronavirus relief money was distributed, suggesting Michigan hospitals were shorted.