Michigan nurse Jordana Latozas began her career writing prescriptions for pain pills in “a different world.” Fourteen years later, she said, she’s trying to right the wrong that those pills caused.
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.
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Medical debts crush 14M Americans; Michigan programs aim to ease burden
Medical debt is on the rise, even as the number of uninsured people decreases. Hospitals and other systems are stepping up efforts to curtail the debts.
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ACLU calls for ending Michigan parental-consent law for underage abortions
A new report by the American Civil Liberties Union and others used court data and interviews with sexual-health advocates, attorneys and providers to examine Michigan’s 1991 law requiring parental consent for abortions
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Michigan opioid settlement dollars sit unspent as crisis rages
Less than a quarter of the money Michigan’s state government has received to fight the opioid crisis has been spent, more than a year after the funds began flowing into state coffers.
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Fighting Michigan's opioid crisis with new needles, purer drugs, respect for addicts
Harm reduction is more than needle exchanges. At Grand Rapids-based Red Project, users can ask to have their drugs checked for additives, allowing the user to decide whether to discard or use them.
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Supreme Court abortion pill case ‘terrifying’ for Michigan women, Nessel says
Michigan voters in 2022 guaranteed abortion access in the state constitution, but a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court could sharply restrict who gets the abortion pill. Attorney General Dan Nessel calls that a “terrifying” prospect.
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Report: Michigan needs coordination, collaboration in spending opioid funds
Michigan governments sharing in a $1.5 billion opioid crisis settlement must invest in housing, peer recovery staff and harm reduction programs like syringe exchanges, according to a new report.
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In drug-ravaged northern Michigan, there’s money for help. But few counselors
Michigan is receiving $1.5 billion from an opioid settlement. Up North, experts worry that housing and worker shortages will make it hard to put the money to good use and help users.
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Report: 3 in 10 deaths of new moms in Michigan linked to substance use
The drug crisis and maternal mortality crisis have converged, notes a new report. Maternal mortality rates overall are increasing.
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Michigan reports first pediatric flu death of season
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first influenza-related death of a child during the current flu season.