Robin Erb has spent three decades in journalism, building a reputation for empathetic reporting. She leads expanded coverage of healthcare as traditional newsrooms shrink staffs.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan emergency rooms are jammed. Identifying mental illness can help.
Chronic users of hospital ERs often have mental health or substance abuse issues. Programs in five regions of the state help patients find treatment for underlying problems while easing the burden on emergency rooms.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Panic attacks and anxiety landed her in Ann Arbor ERs. Today, she serves others.
Panic attacks led Lynne Ponder into alcoholism and homelessness. But a pilot program targeted at chronic ER visitors helped her find therapy, a place to live and a sense of purpose.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan’s abortion rate among nation’s highest. What you need to know.
As lawmakers debate restrictions on abortion in Michigan and elsewhere, a look at numbers that help frame the debate.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Mentally ill suspects get help in Miami, jail in Michigan. Guess which works
Miami’s innovative program has slashed the number of mentally ill jail inmates in Miami, saving Dade County millions of dollars while providing hope to that region’s most vulnerable residents. Michigan officials are taking stock.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
In Miami, judges weigh treatment, not prison, for the mentally ill
A day in Miami-Dade Circuit Court shows the promise of a program that has reduced the region’s jail population and may serve as a model for Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
After surviving mental illness, he works to keep others like him out of jail
In Miami, peer specialist Justin Volpe taps into his own dark past to reach out to criminal suspects with serious mental illness. Michigan court and government officials are studying whether to adopt such a model.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Mounting debt threatens West Michigan Medicaid mental health agency
The state health department threatens closure of Lakeshore Regional Entity, which coordinates behavioral health care for 30,000 recipients in West Michigan. Lakeshore’s board chair threatens suit, says state is to blame.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan is obese, unhealthy and dying young. And that's costing billions.
From Detroit to Clare, poor choices and limited access to health care have added up to lower lifetimes for many state residents, making health a gnawing but significant concern to those who live in Michigan and those leading it.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
How healthy is your Michigan county? Use this map to find out.
From Escanaba to Adrian, Michigan’s health challenges are similar yet different. Use this map to explore a variety of metrics, from infant mortality and obesity to life expectancy.