Cases have declined steeply and hospitalizations are dipping, but the virus is still killing more than 500 people per month.
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
As RSV packs Michigan hospitals, a new need emerges: baby cribs
Hospital-grade infant cribs can be rented temporarily for surges, but now an entire nation of hospitals is scrambling, with some local vendors out of supplies. Hospitals are also running short of specialized tubing.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
A Texas lawsuit could stifle Michigan access to the abortion pill
Just when Michigan voters thought abortion rights were secure, a federal lawsuit filed in Texas by an anti-abortion coalition could curtail, at least temporarily, a medication used in 50 percent of procedures.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
1-in-7 parents haven’t talked with child’s doc about vaccines for two years
Michigan researchers wanted to find out more about vaccine conversations between doctors and parents. Too often, those conversations aren’t happening across the United States.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Staffing woes foil Michigan efforts to keep residents out of nursing homes
The popular MI Choice program, which keeps low-income seniors and disabled residents in their homes, now has 4,000 open positions as state agencies struggle to hire direct-care staffers, even after offering higher pay.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan doctor helps shine national focus on race bias in pulse oximeters
Dark skin can throw off oxygen level readings on a ubiquitous medical tool. Landmark research by a U-M team found that low oxygen levels are more likely to go undetected in Black patients, with dangerous consequences.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Doctors: Know who’s at Thanksgiving table as RSV continues to surge
C.S. Mott Children’s in Ann Arbor became the latest hospital to announce it was running short on pediatric beds. Doctors say Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings could make RSV, flu and COVID spread much worse for the most vulnerable.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Abortion locked into Michigan constitution. What comes next.
When does the law take effect? What about existing state laws? Will there be lawsuits? You have questions, Bridge has answers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan logs 1st RSV child death as virus fills ERs and doctors’ offices
RSV and other respiratory viruses are riding a “bounce back” this fall as Michiganders and people around the nation return to pre-pandemic routines.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Flu shots down as Thanksgiving nears. And that’s only one threat.
After two years of low influenza rates, doctors fear Michigan may be in line for a severe flu season. There is already a rise in RSV cases, and COVID hospitalizations are rising. Bottom line, doctors say: Get your shot and wash your hands.