Cyberattacks on public bodies and hospitals in Michigan can cost millions if they don’t take steps to train workers and protect computer systems. “It’s just going to get worse,” one expert told Bridge Magazine.
Ted Roelofs
Ted Roelofs of Kentwood, has written extensively on healthcare as well as prison and juvenile justice reform. Roelofs spent nearly three decades at the Grand Rapids Press where he covered politics, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rural poverty and mental illness among the homeless. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Reach Ted at ted.roelofs@gmail.com
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
In Ironwood, a tiny hospital merged to save itself. Despite fears, it thrived.
For Aspirus Ironwood Hospital, in a sparsely populated former mining region in remote Michigan, merger points to a brighter future.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Rural hospitals in Michigan face a dilemma: Merge or not?
Rising fiscal challenges force independent Michigan hospitals to seek alliances. They can save the hospitals, but some critics ask at what cost.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Budget fight looms over changes in Medicaid mental health in Michigan
Mental health advocates want Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to veto a plan they say threatens care for 300,000 Medicaid patients. Supporters say the plan safely integrates mental and physical health care for low-income patients.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan jails filled with unlicensed drivers, people who miss court dates
Michigan’s jail task force is finding that one explanation for the state’s crowded county jails is thousands of people being locked up for relatively minor charges rather than dangerous crimes.
Posted inTalent & Education
As Michigan schools ban cellphones, reports surface of ‘talking,’ ‘eye contact’
Studies are increasingly drawing links between heavy student cellphone use and anxiety and lower achievement. In one suburban Grand Rapids district, a phone ban may be spawning something else … conversation.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Suicide rates rise across Michigan, with few answers
A proposed state commission on suicide would seek solutions to the spiking suicide rates, particularly among young people, military veterans and i rural counties. Meanwhile, a bill to help students remains stalled.
Posted inMichigan Government
What’s behind the population boom in rural Michigan jails?
A state task force could convene on why rural jails hold a greater share of inmates, with more awaiting trial.
Posted inMichigan Government
Part of bribery case against GOP Rep. Larry Inman proceeds
A federal judge declines to dismiss one felony charge against GOP state Rep. Larry Inman, put two others on hold
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
New plans for Michigan psychiatric facility raise more concerns about care
Mental health advocates say a decision to keep a Caro psychiatric hospital open doesn’t improve Michigan’s mental health system.