Health systems tout AI advances for patient care. Some analysts warn of racial bias.
Ted Roelofs
Ted Roelofs of Kentwood, has written extensively on healthcare as well as prison and juvenile justice reform. Roelofs spent nearly three decades at the Grand Rapids Press where he covered politics, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rural poverty and mental illness among the homeless. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Reach Ted at ted.roelofs@gmail.com
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As Michigan boosts school security after shootings, how much is too much?
Deadly shootings at MSU and Oxford High spurred the tate to divert millions of dollars for school police officers and other security measures. Research is mixed on whether those measures save lives, and they come with a cost to student mental health.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan youth in mental health crisis: Could more screening help?
Advocates endorse national panel guidelines to screen children aged 8 to 18 for anxiety disorders.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Racial disparities in Michigan COVID-19 deaths all but gone, panel finds
African Americans died from the coronavirus at about the same rate as whites in 2022, a state-appointed task force finds
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Food assistance cuts loom for 1.3 million Michiganders. No legislative action yet
Some low-income households will see a loss of more than $500 in monthly benefits beginning March 1.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Medicare’s $35-a-month insulin cap still leaves many residents out of luck
Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents with diabetes don’t qualify for the price cap because they aren’t in Medicare. Health advocates add that even with the cap, low-income patients can’t afford the other aspects of diabetes care.
Posted inTalent & Education
On Michigan State campus, fragile emotions and a fierce desire for support
Students say they are still processing the terror of Monday. One said she feels like she can never again walk comfortably without looking over her shoulder. Experts say most students will show resilience, but want students and those who love them to monitor their progress.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
‘Staggering’ rise in overdoses, suicides for African Americans in Michigan
The rate of opioid overdose deaths doubled among Black residents over a recent five-year period. Suicide rates jumped 88 percent. Advocates say isolation, treatment disparities and the ubiquity of fentanyl in street drugs are behind the increases.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Wake up call: Pediatric group issues guidance against childhood obesity
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges earlier and intensive interventions, including surgery in severe cases, to stem a rising tide of childhood obesity but not every Michigan doctor agrees
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Medicaid review could drop 400,000 Michigan residents from coverage
Beginning April 1, Michiganders must once again prove Medicaid eligibility, following years of protection from cutoffs during the pandemic. Many will likely lose coverage even though they qualify because they don’t fill out the right form.