The 18-bed psychiatric unit in Cheboygan is scheduled to serve 22 northern Michigan counties this summer, where there is an acute shortage of mental health professionals.
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
FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control, made by Grand Rapids firm
Women will no longer need a prescription from a doctor to receive birth control. The FDA approved, Opill an oral contraceptive for over-the-counter use.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan abortions for out-of-state patients jumped 66 percent last year
Doctors performed nearly 1,100 more abortions on patients from outside Michigan, as other states restricted the procedure. Even so, there was a drop in Michigan’s overall abortion rate, raising questions about whether all patients are being counted.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
More than 100K Michiganders may lose Medicaid by end of month
More than three years after the start of the pandemic, Medicaid recipients must once again prove eligibility to remain covered. More than 100,000 have yet to return paperwork for July, with millions more in potential peril over the months to come.
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FDA grants full approval for Alzheimer's drug. New hope but not without risks
Leqembi, a drug that can halt the progression of Alzheimer’s in a patient’s brain, just received full approval from the FDA.
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Michigan dentists are learning to help, treat the developmentally disabled
Options for dental care for the disabled are expanding under Delta Dental Insurance, which is offering coverage for additional care.
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Michigan health centers need medical staff. How one program is helping
A lack of medical and dental assistants in Michigan is limiting patient access to care. A $7.6 million training program offers a vision for how to help solve the state’s staffing woes.
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Thousands on Michigan Medicaid will keep coverage for at least another month
During the COVID pandemic, an unprecedented 3.1 million Michiganders were covered by Medicaid, the safety-net insurance program. The rule has expired, and Michigan is paring back its programs, with the first people losing coverage July 31.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Long COVID remains a debilitating medical mystery for Michigan sufferers
As of May, COVID-19 is no longer declared as a federal public health emergency. But many Michiganders are still living with long COVID as experts struggle to define and treat the syndrome.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
How a Michigan hospital is acting to save lives of Black pregnant women
Deaths of pregnant and new moms underscore a stark disparity: Black women are nearly three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women. Henry Ford Health in Detroit is trying a simple approach to narrow that gap.