Gov. Gretchen Whitmer broadly reopened much of northern Michigan over the Memorial Day Weekend. More than two weeks later, few new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across the region.
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
Inspections show death, despair gripped Michigan nursing homes amid pandemic
As the coronavirus ravaged Michigan, nursing home staffers called in sick, faced equipment shortages and struggled to comply with infection controls, inspection reports from the hardest-hit facilities show.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan COVID-19 deaths swell, as state tweaks how it tallies cases
Michigan’s coronavirus caseload has increased by 240 to 5,800 now that “probable” deaths are included. The changing of definitions has caused controversy in other states.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Whitmer eases restrictions on hospital visits as coronavirus spread slows
Families will soon once again be able to visit their loved ones in Michigan hospitals, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rolled back restrictions put in place in March to tamp down the pandemic.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Insomnia, flashbacks hitting Michigan hospital workers as coronavirus ebbs
Burnout and suicide rates were already high among health care workers. Now, hospital systems and mental health providers are responding to trauma caused by the intensity of responding to COVID-19.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
What is my future? How Michigan teens and young adults deal with isolation
Experts expect a wave of mental health issues for adolescents and young adults following months of quarantine during the coronavirus crisis.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Whitmer orders coronavirus protections for Michigan’s migrant farm workers
They harvest much of the fruits and vegetables produced in Michigan. A new executive order will offer them some protections from COVID-19 while they work at farms across the state.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan continues to stumble in tracking coronavirus in nursing homes
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges its count of nursing home COVID-19 cases is likely inaccurate. And the agency still cannot accurately list how many senior residents have died from virus complications.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Wanted: Michigan blood samples — lots of them — in fight against COVID-19
A biobank at University of Michigan is collecting blood samples from both sick and healthy people as researchers search for clues to treatment and a vaccine.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan’s Beaumont Health cancels merger with Ohio system, vague on why
Neither Beaumont nor Ohio-based Summa Health offered specifics on why the deal was nixed. Beaumont said, however, that its decision was unrelated to financial losses during the coronavirus crisis.