Health

Boilerplate language in Governor Snyder’s budget would change the funding structure for the state’s community mental health system. After pushback from families and advocates, those changes seem unlikely to happen. We talk to Robert Sheehan, director of the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards, about what changes he thinks are necessary.

Having a sick or injured child in the hospital is difficult enough, but add to that the logistics of having to travel away from home for your child to receive care and it becomes a very stressful situation. For Neighbors in Action we speak to the executive director of Ronald McDonald House Mid-Michigan, Carolyn Hurst, and a mother who has stayed at the house, Jen Van Nortwick.

Michigan State University communications experts are lending a high tech hand to Flint residents affected by the city’s water emergency. It's the new Empower Flint smart phone app.

Dr. Marc Edwards was central in confirming a serious water problem in Flint and leads ongoing analysis that will determine when it’s safe to drink again. We talk with Dr. Edwards about how long it will be before Flint’s water is safe and reforms he says are needed to protect America’s drinking water.

Adults who suffer traumatic brain injuries require extensive medical care as well as support and encouragement along the road to recovery. For this week’s Neighbors in Action, we speak with the executive director of Origami Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center about the non-profit’s interdisciplinary approach to caring for patients.

Reporters from around the world have been writing about the Flint Water crisis. We hear what it’s like to be a Flint journalist covering it daily from the city from Flint Journal editor Bryn Mickle and reporter Ron Fonger.

Though health insurance has become easier for many people to obtain, there are still some for whom healthcare is hard to access. Carefree Medical provides medical, dental, optometry and behavioral health care to uninsured and underinsured patients of Greater Lansing.

Brian Fees won an Eisner Award for his series "Mom’s Cancer." Current State's Jamie Paisley talks with the cartoonist.

The state of Michigan is under fire over information contained in newly released emails that show a less than urgent response to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Flint. 

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger has filed a $100-million lawsuit against the state of Michigan and McClaren Flint Hospital over the outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease. Current State’s Scott Pohl talks with Fieger about the suit.

Virginia Tech water scientist Marc Edwards has emerged as one of the heroes of the Flint water crisis.

Current State learns about the Michigan National Guard's efforts to clean up lead contaminated armory sites.

The political fallout from the water crisis in Flint continues to unfold, but for public health experts, the real crisis could be years down the line. We talk to Hurley Medical Center pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Associate Dean at the MSU College of Human Medicine Dr. Dean Sienko about an initiative to deal with the long-term impacts of lead exposure in Flint.