Posts published in “Guest Column”

Last month, the Citizens Research Council released a report on child and adolescent behavioral health in Michigan, finding increasing needs and a lack of services and programs to address them. Shortly thereafter, Bridge Michigan released…

When you hear the word “home,” what comes to mind? For young couples, it may be a starter home that allows them to create a family and equity. For working adults, it may be an…

One would think that when I became a parent, I would have been fairly prepared for what was coming my way. After all, in addition to being a board-certified pediatrician, I am receiving additional training…

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly. Meanwhile, vaccination rates have hit a plateau. Approximately 51 percent of Michiganders have been vaccinated, which puts us in the lower third of states. Although vaccinations are…

The recent flooding in southeast Michigan has yet again put a bright light on what happens when we fail to make investments in our underground water infrastructure. The Detroit metropolitan area saw as much as…

While it’s an honor and privilege to serve my community as an election clerk, I can no longer say that it is fun. Abundant disinformation, personal threats, and an onslaught of big-money funded anti-voter bills…

The issue of child care is a big one for Michigan families. Access is a key component and we have been losing that fight. The number of available care providers in Michigan is down 30…

Twelve years ago, in the midst of an economic crisis, lawmakers in Lansing agreed to a controversial plan to bail them out of a budgetary mess by using Michigan’s School Aid Fund — money intended…

In Michigan, there are four-year olds who get off to a great start in the state’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) pre-school. There are others who get a head start through the federal Head Start…