Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/health/)
On Mar 2, the Board of Education conducted a regular meeting in the Shirley M. Rodgers Administration Bldg. 519 W. Kalamazoo St, Lansing. The Action Items section of the meeting focused on Interagency Agreement which the Board of Education partnered with the Ingham County Health Department to provide high school students in Lansing healthcare service.
RURAL MORTALITY: The gap in death rates between urban and less healthy rural areas has widened, USDA figures show. Rural hospitals are reducing services and communities are having trouble recruiting and retaining health care providers. We hear from the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department and the Michigan Association for Local Public Health. By Anish Topowala. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, SAULT STE. MARIE, IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN AND ALL POINTS.
LAW ENFORCEMENT MENTAL HEALTH: Law enforcement personnel and other first responders face mental health problems from the demands of their jobs, and there are growing resources to help them. We hear from the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, Police Officers Association of Michigan and Frontline Strong Together based at Wayne State. By Anish Topawala. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
ORGAN DONORS: More than 6,000 Michigan residents so far have taken advantage of a 2023 law that lets them check a box on their income tax returns to be designated as an organ donor. A pending bill would mandate organ donor education for 9th graders. Ohio and Illinois have higher rates of organ donors among new drivers. We talk to Gift of Life and to lawmakers from Pittsfield Township and Berkley. Other sponsors include legislators from Grand Rapids, Detroit and Eastpointe. By Owen McCarthy. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, GREENVILLE AND ALL POINTS
SWIMMER’S ITCH: Researchers from U-M, Hope College and Calvin University have designed a new system to relocate infected mallards from inland lakes where they cause swimmer’s itch. We talk to the Larks Lake Association in Emmet County. Other participating associations are at Higgins Lake in Roscommon County, Crystal Lake in Benzie County and Cheboygan County’s Black and Douglas Lakes. Ducks are being relocated to beaches on Lakes Huron and Michigan. By Alex Walters. FOR PETOSKEY, CHEBOYGAN, TRAVERSE CITY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CRAWFORD COUNTY, CLARE COUNTY, BIG RAPIDS, GLADWIN COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.
TICKS: Climate change is transforming the patterns of disease-carrying ticks, raising public health concerns as winters become warmer and spring weather arrives earlier. We talk to an MSU researcher, an East Lansing dog groomer and an Oakland Township veterinary technician. By Gabrielle Ahlborn. FOR PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
IMPLICIT MATERNAL BIAS: New Senate legislation may allow Michigan to join 41 other states in licensing and reimbursing birth centers for their services. The proposal comes as a Detroit organization plans to open a Black-led birth center later this year. Sponsors are from Detroit, Lansing, Taylor and Redford Township. We hear from BirthDetroit, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. By Sophia Ceru. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
April 6 marked the final day for GAAY, which stands for GLBTQIA+, Athletes, Allies and You. The non-profit hosts many sports, including dodgeball, kickball and bowling across Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. For Lansing’s final dodgeball game of the season, it didn’t take long for the group of almost 60 players to mingle, make new friendsn and let the anxiety of gym class fade away.
POSTPARTUM: There’s a push to extend Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants from two months to 12 months after giving birth. The change in policy for the Maternity Outpatient Medical Services program would cost $6 to $10 million a year, says the Michigan League for Public Policy. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, with offices in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti and Detroit, and an NYU expert explain. By Theo Scheer. FOR DETROIT, WKTV, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
K-12 MENTAL HEALTH: Michigan school districts face a shortage of social workers and other mental health professionals, and small rural districts have an even tougher time recruiting and retaining them. The Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency talks about the impact in that region. We also hear from the Michigan Association of School Boards, state Education Department, Michigan Association of School Social Workers and Michigan League for Public Policy. By Anish Topawila. FOR ALPENA, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, BIG RAPIDS, CLARE, GLADWIN, CHEBOYGAN, CRAWFORD COUNTY, MIDLAND AND ALL POINTS.
TOXICS IN FISH: Every fish studied in the Rouge River and Huron River watersheds contained at least one of a family of toxic and persistent health-threatening chemicals, say researchers at the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor and Indiana University. We also talk to experts at MSU and the EPA. By Ruth Thornton. FOR PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT, MONROE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
