Infant mortality rates have dropped significantly over the decades, but remain far higher in Michigan for Black infants. But small programs are improving outcomes by helping women manage stress, get to doctors, and even arrange transport when their cars won’t start.
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
FDA menthol cigarette ban hailed as triumph, especially for Black health
Michigan advocates and health experts say the ban could have a significant impact on improving public health, but particularly for African American smokers, who overwhelmingly favor menthol cigarettes. But some Black advocates warn of unintended consequences.
Posted inMichigan Government
Grand Rapids Police release name of officer who killed Patrick Lyoya
Christopher Schurr, who joined the department in 2015, was identified Monday as the officer who fatally shot Lyoya in the back of the head after trying to subdue Lyoya following a traffic stop. The videotaped shooting has spawned broad protests.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Video tablets are lowering suicides, raising treatment for rural veterans
Military veterans are at higher risk of suicide than the general population, even more so for veterans from rural areas, which have far fewer therapists. A large U.S. study found rural vets who received tablets for remote visits were far more likely to get mental health treatment, with fewer ER visits and lower suicide rates.
Posted inMichigan Government
Lansing and other police agencies rethink value of ‘minor’ traffic stops
The fatal police shooting of Black motorist Patrick Lyoya is renewing debate over whether police should be stopping drivers for low-level infractions; encounters that sometimes turn violent.
Posted inMichigan Government
Patrick Lyoya’s parents: Our hearts are broken. Grand Rapids mourns as well.
A family that fled war in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they found ‘genocide’ against Black men in America. In Grand Rapids, frustration, sadness mount after years of demands for police change fail to prevent tragedy.
Posted inMichigan Government
Grand Rapids Police release video on deadly shooting of Patrick Lyoya
African immigrant Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head by an officer during a scuffle on April 4 following a traffic stop over a license plate.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Home-visit programs save money, free ERs. Many insurers don’t cover them.
Yes, some paramedics make house calls, treating seniors and other patients with chronic medical problems so they don’t end up in emergency rooms. The programs save millions of dollars in medical costs, but many insurers don’t yet cover these services.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As pandemic wanes, Michigan confronts toll of isolation on homebound seniors
The link between loneliness and health troubles is real. Agencies are turning to everything from buddy programs to animatronic pets to help ease isolation made worse by the coronavirus.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Stressed-out Michigan restaurant workers find mental health help on menu
Hospitality workers say rude customers, financial uncertainty and staffing shortages are taking a toll. Now a few restaurants are funding mental health counseling for staff who struggle with the added tensions of the pandemic.