Bipartisan support for early intervention legislation and newly outlined recommendations on bed capacity have renewed faith in revamping the state’s behavioral health system.
Mental health in Michigan
Bridge Listens Issues Watch continues with virtual conversation on health care
Health reporters from Bridge Michigan will host a virtual panel discussion at 7 p.m. April 29 to discuss rising health costs and concerns about the 2026 election.
Watch: Bridge reporters talk youth mental health outsourcing on WJR
Bridge Michigan reporters join WJR’s Kevin Dietz to discuss the results of an investigation into why Michigan children are increasingly sent out-of-state for mental health treatment.
Michigan kids in mental health crisis sent out of state as facilities close
Michigan has a shrinking capacity for children and teens in severe psychological crises. Families are finding care hundreds of miles away, and a growing number of kids are sent away by courts.
Michigan boosts bed capacity in ‘horribly underserved’ mental health system
Michigan mental health care providers, patients and their families and law enforcement have said the state does not have enough resources to care for people in psychiatric crisis.
Aric Nesbitt includes more state psychiatric hospitals in anti-crime agenda
Michigan needs more psychiatric hospitals to cut down on homelessness and crime, the GOP gubernatorial candidate has proposed, coinciding with a Trump administration push for more institutionalization of the homeless.
Michigan paid consultants $2.9M for failed mental health redesign
Michigan paid McKinsey & Co. about $2.9 million to design a Medicaid behavioral health overhaul that a judge later struck down — hiring a firm the state had previously sued for its role in the opioid crisis.
Report: Michigan lags in preparing students for mental health careers
Michigan is tied for the fewest behavioral health vocational training programs in the nation, contributing to a school mental health workforce shortage.
Hey, Gov. Whitmer: Here’s what Michigan says is real State of the State
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will discuss the State of the State on Wednesday. Here are what the facts — and Bridge readers — say.
How a sword and SWAT standoff sparked fury over Michigan mental health crisis
A man with a katana — and a history of mental health issues — sparked a SWAT team response and 30-hour police standoff in southeast Michigan. Critics call it a ‘systemic failure’ that shows how authorities across the state struggle to deal with such situations.