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.
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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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.
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Diet drugs are bigger than ever, and in Michigan, Medicaid picks up the tab
Michigan’s Medicaid picked up the $393 million cost last year for 67,000 patients on Wegovy and other drugs. Not all insurance covers the pills that can cost $1,000 or more a month, prompting equity issues.
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Michigan Democrats push to expand birth control access, boost supplies
One day after the first over-the-counter pills began shipments, Michigan lawmakers weighed whether pharmacists could prescribe other types of birth control.
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Measles in Michigan: Three counties with confirmed cases
Washtenaw, Oakland, and Wayne county health departments have all confirmed at least one case of measles.
