Whitmer asks Supreme Court to clarify if ruling against her goes into effect immediately
October 5th, 20200 LANSING — Governor Whitmer’s administration is asking for clarification from the Michigan Supreme Court after it decided last Friday that her extensions of the state of emergency and subsequent executive orders concerning COVID-19 were unconstitutional. Whitmer said previously that legally her orders would stay in effect for at...
Free COVID-19 testing in Dearborn Heights on Oct 10-11
October 4th, 20200 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - The Wayne County Public Health Division and The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) are continuing to host weekend drive-through COVID-19 testing. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said that testing will continue for the rest of the year. “The Wayne County Public Division will continue to...
Abdul El-Sayed has a message about President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis
October 2nd, 20200 Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has a message about President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis. Trump announced he and his wife Melania are positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning on Twitter. Donald Trump has the best healthcare in the world as he faces COVID-19. But we should remember this right now, he’s trying to take away health care entirely...
Whitmer extends state of emergency, issues several executive orders
September 29th, 20200 LANSING — Governor Whitmer is extending her state of emergency order for Michigan until October 27. Under the state of emergency, Whitmer will maintain executive decision-making powers as it relates to public health during the COVID-19 crisis. Whitmer also announced on Wednesday the extension of four executive orders: One allowing...
Michigan completes aerial treatment to combat mosquito-borne illness
September 24th, 20200 LANSING — A few weeks after state health authorities announced the first suspected cases of a mosquito-borne illness in a Barry County resident, along with dozens of animals, planned aerial treatments for several counties have now been completed. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced on Wednesday,...
Free COVID-19 weekend drive-through testing coming to Taylor
September 23rd, 20200 TAYLOR – The Wayne County Public Health Division, with support from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), continues its weekend drive-through testing, this time in the city of Taylor. The testing is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Taylor Sportsplex located...
U.S. surpasses grim milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths
September 22nd, 20200 (REUTERS) — The death toll from the spread of the coronavirus in the United States exceeded 200,000 on Tuesday, by the far the highest number of any nation. The United States, on a weekly average, is now losing about 800 lives each day to the virus, according to a Reuters tally. That is down from a peak of 2,806 daily deaths...
Michigan health insurers agree to no out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing, treatment through 2020
September 18th, 20200 LANSING — Michigan has secured agreements from nearly all of the state’s health insurers to waive all out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing and treatments through the end of 2020, including copays, deductibles and coinsurance. These agreements cover more than 92 percent of the commercial health insurance market in...
11 counties urged to cancel outdoor events due to suspected mosquito-borne virus
September 18th, 20200 LANSING — Michigan's health authorities are warning of a suspected rare mosquito-born virus, Eastern equine encephalitis. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said a man in Barry County is suspected of having the virus and is now urging people in 11 Michigan counties —Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella,...
Dearborn passes ordinance to reduce air pollution, traffic obstructions by industrial trucks
August 31st, 20200 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council unanimously passed ordinance No. 20-1680 to provide for several different environmental protections that have also been advocated for by state Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn). “Nearly five years ago, I met an elderly gentleman in the south end of Dearborn,” Hammoud said. “After a few...
Dearborn City Council asks residents to utilize non-emergency line to report mask violations
August 28th, 20200 DEARBORN — Despite Police Chief Ron Haddad urging residents to dial 911 to report large gatherings or unmasked people in public spaces, the City Council has requested residents to stop calling the emergency 911 line for these reports. With Dearborn leading Wayne County in new cases of COVID-19 over the last six weeks, excluding...
Free Narcan drive-thru giveaway for Wayne County community
August 27th, 20200 DETROIT — The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) will be hosting a free Narcan giveaway on Aug. 31, in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), emergency medical services and emergency departments are reporting a surge in opioid...
Children with cancer need immediate help in the wake of Beirut blast
August 21st, 20200 DEARBORN — Jackie Ayoub, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, has set up a GoFundMe page to accept donations that will go towards helping patients of the pediatric oncology unit at Saint George Hospital in Beirut. The unit was badly damaged along with the hospital in the Aug. 4 explosion at the city's port. Now...
Trump administration classifies teachers essential workers during pandemic
August 21st, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) – On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security classified teachers as essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic as the Trump administration presses schools nationwide to bring students back to class. The move comes as new COVID-19 infections have fallen for four weeks in a row in Texas and...
Researcher launches survey to assess and improve national Arab American health
August 12th, 20200 BOSTON — A new survey seeks to assess the health of Arab Americans in the U.S. The Survey of Arab Health in America, or SAHA, aims to bridge gaps in the knowledge of the population that is historically underrepresented in health research, often due to its non-existence as a category on official documents like the......
Dingell, Hammoud announce AK Steel will withdraw permit request to increase emissions in South Dearborn
August 7th, 20200 DEARBORN — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) announced on Thursday that Cleveland Cliffs, the owner of AK Steel, is withdrawing its permit requests to increase allowable thresholds for manganese and lead emissions. This comes after months of conversations, led by Dingell, Hammoud...
Henry Ford Health System is looking for people to take part in COVID-19 vaccine trial
July 31st, 20200 DETROIT – Henry Ford Health System will recruit up to 5,000 participants for a phase-three COVID-19 vaccine trial. The vaccine was developed by the company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. They want to enroll 30,000 participants across the U.S. in two months. Dr. Marcus Zervos is leading the study for Henry Ford. He......
State will conduct inspections of Michigan businesses to ensure COVID-19 rules compliance
July 31st, 20200 LANSING – State occupational health safety officials will conduct inspections of Michigan businesses to ensure compliance with state rules governing operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state said Monday. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a "State Emphasis Program" Monday that will conduct...
Whitmer to provide COVID-19 update as cases continue to rise
July 28th, 20200 LANSING — Governor Whitmer is set to give an update on COVID-19 at 2 p.m., Tuesday afternoon, as cases continue to rise in the state. Whitmer will be joined by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. Monday saw 488 confirmed cases with five deaths, bringing up the total...
Arab Americans invisible ethnic group when it comes to health care disparities
July 23rd, 20200 Race and ethnicity are becoming forefront conversations on our media, academic debates and daily life discussions here in the United States. Each of us has an identity that defines how we see ourselves and others. Arab Americans are a historically understudied minority group in the United States and their health needs and risks have been...
Businesses can deny unmasked customers entry while complying with disability laws
July 18th, 20200 DEARBORN — Governor Whitmer’s signed a new mask order on Friday to clarify how certain people did not have to wear masks in side of a store or public indoor space. This includes people who cannot medically tolerate a mask. The clarification may actually add to the confusion of dealing with customers that businesses face during......
Some people are exempt from wearing a mask, Whitmer offers clarification
July 17th, 20200 LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed an additional order that clarifies businesses may not assume an unmasked customer cannot medically tolerate a face covering, though they can accept a customer’s verbal explanation that they fall within a specified exception and do not have to. It also requires public safety officers to wear a...
As Michigan sees COVID-19 positivity rates are creep up, Whitmer maintains authority
July 14th, 20200 LANSING — In an another indication this month that Lansing grows concerned over the rates and spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, Governor Whitmer announced on Wednesday she will be extending both the state of emergency and the state of disaster. “Over the past three weeks … our progress in suppressing the pandemic has......
COVID-19 therapy collaborative offers free behavioral health help to youth and families
July 14th, 20200 DETROIT – In May, the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) launched the Detroit COVID-19 Therapy Collaborative, which provides free behavioral health supports and counseling to those who need help, with support from the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, Skillman Foundation, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and...
Scientists warn of potential wave of COVID-linked brain damage
July 9th, 20200 LONDON (REUTERS) — Scientists warned on Wednesday of a potential wave of coronavirus-related brain damage as new evidence suggested COVID-19 can lead to severe neurological complications, including inflammation, psychosis and delirium. A study by researchers at University College London described 43 cases of patients with COVID-19......
