Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit said the policy was not fair to low-income criminal suspects forced to sit in jails while awaiting trial while more affluent defendants were set free. Jurisdictions that jettisoned cash bail in other states report promising results, though not everyone is on board.
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
Michigan ended surprise medical bills, but left out ground ambulances
Despite recent reforms that shield patients from unexpected bills they thought were covered by insurance, ground ambulance services can still charge high fees if they are outside a patient’s insurance network. A lawmaker promises to look into the matter.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan health officials wrestling with who will get COVID vaccine next
With vaccines still scarce, hospital and emergency workers are first in line. But as more get vaccinated, local health officials must make tough choices among essential workers and other, more vulnerable groups.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Five ethical questions raised by COVID vaccines in Michigan
Grand Valley State University medical ethicist Jeffrey Byrnes addresses some of the moral questions involved in dispensing scarce supplies of vaccines.
Posted inTalent & Education
Detroit police working to de-escalate confrontations with the mentally ill
Years after other Michigan departments, the state’s largest city police force turns to specialized mental health training for officers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID-19 vaccine nears approval. What Michigan needs to know.
Vaccines may be shipped soon from Pfizer’s Kalamazoo plant, as the vaccine nears final approval. Michigan is receiving more than 250,000 doses, and first priority goes to health care workers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As COVID vaccine nears, Michigan calibrates pitch to wary African Americans
State officials are reaching out to Black residents, who have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. While there is significant public skepticism toward a COVID vaccine, mistrust runs even deeper in the African-American community due to a legacy of mistreatment in government public health efforts.
Posted inChildren & Families
Child abuse reports in Michigan are way down. Here’s why that’s worrisome
Child protection advocates warn that declining numbers of reported child abuse cases are in fact a red flag for widespread undetected abuse. With fewer children in schools or visiting their doctors, there are fewer opportunities for trusted adults outside the family to detect potential abuse.
Posted inMichigan Government
Biden win in Kent County latest evidence of region’s demographic shifts
The Grand Rapids area helped fuel Kent’s economic resurgence by attracting young, well-educated professionals. Younger workers and an influx of Hispanic reEsidents are making the county more politically diverse.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
West Michigan contact tracers are overwhelmed by volume of COVID cases
As Michigan cases spike, health officials in Kent, Calhoun and Ottawa counties say they need more personnel to quickly contact infected individuals to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. And too often, the people they do reach won’t cooperate.