“Trust in public health is essential amid COVID-19 pandemic” write Udow-Phillips and Lantz in Journal of Hospital Medicine
“Trust in public health is essential amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” write Marianne Udow-Phillips and Paula Lantz in a new Journal of Hospital Medicine Perspectives piece. With more than two million cases of COVID-19 in the United States to date, no vaccine, and few treatments, the need for public health measures to reduce death and disease could not be more important. …
Read more >
Michiganders continue to report difficulty accessing mental health care, forgoing needed care.
The 2020 Cover Michigan Survey, an online survey fielded in early 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting Michigan), asked Michiganders about their ability to access mental health care. Across Michigan, 47 percent of survey respondents reporting needing mental health care before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic is thought to be exacerbating mental healthcare needs. Among these Michiganders, …
Read more >
Protecting individuals with SMI from COVID-19: Best practices for community mental health agencies and clinics
For individuals with a serious mental illness (SMI)—a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that interferes with or limits major life activities—the COVID-19 pandemic may present a particular threat. Community mental health agencies and clinics need to be prepared to protect their clients with SMIs from COVID-19 by understanding and following best practices for this unique situation. To slow the spread …
Read more >
Telehealth services have expanded to address COVID-19 emergency. Let’s preserve the most effective innovations.
Over the past decade, telehealth services have been on the rise, in part due to the fact that more and more states are adopting telehealth-friendly policies. But by 2019, the proportion of U.S. consumers using telehealth services was still only about 10 percent. In light of the COVID-19 emergency, national Medicare and Michigan Medicaid and commercial plans have responded with …
Read more >
COVID-19 rapid response brief: Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on persons in poverty – strategies to consider
Amid an ever-changing COVID-19 crisis, the communities that have historically been segregated by income and race are struggling. The effects of systemic racism and poverty, reduced economic mobility, and the high cost of medical care are compounding inequities. Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on persons in poverty is essential. To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and minimize its impact, social …
Read more >
COVID-19 rapid response brief: Safe, temporary shelter for homeless populations during the pandemic
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, staff members at the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) have been conducting rapid response research for Michigan policy leaders who are working proactively to protect vulnerable communities across the state. In this analysis for county-level commissioners, we outline some of the strategies state and local governments are deploying to provide alternate temporary shelter spaces …
Read more >
COVID-19 rapid response brief: Meeting the behavioral health needs of Michigan’s prison population
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, staff members at the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) have been conducting rapid response research for Michigan policy leaders who are working proactively to protect vulnerable communities across the state. In this analysis for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, we explore best practices for meeting the behavioral health needs of Michigan’s …
Read more >
COVID-19 rapid response brief: Best practices for protecting populations in nursing homes, long-term care settings
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, staff members at the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) have been conducting rapid response research for Michigan policy leaders who are working proactively to protect vulnerable communities across the state. In this analysis for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, we explore best practices for protecting populations in long-term care settings such …
Read more >
Lost insurance in COVID-19 crisis? Act quickly to get ACA coverage. Already uninsured? In 38 states, including ours, it’s complicated.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has joined with governors from 11 other states on the federally facilitated exchange to urge the federal government to reopen the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace in light of the COVID-19 pandemic so Michigan residents who have lost insurance or who are without insurance can access coverage. For the 38 states that use the federally-facilitated Healthcare.gov marketplace, …
Read more >
What local health departments need to know about CARES Act funding and policy opportunities for COVID-19 response
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) staff members have been conducting rapid response research for Michigan policy leaders who are working proactively to protect vulnerable communities across the state. In this analysis for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, we explore funding and policy opportunities in the 2020 CARES Act, signed into law …
Read more >