by Becky Andrus | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Michigan announces $80 million for opioids crisis response
Investments in prevention, treatment and harm reduction services will save lives
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Opioids Task Force announced $80 million in federal funding to respond to the ongoing opioids crisis. The funds will support prevention, treatment and harm reduction services, with a focus on evidence-based practices that save lives.
The funding includes $36.4 million from the new State Opioid Response II (SOR II) grant and $43.1 million from an extension of the current State Opioid Response I (SOR I) grant. Over the last five years, opioid overdoses have killed 8,000 Michiganders. In 2018, five people died on average every day from opioid overdoses. The crisis has become even more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic; calls to emergency medical services for opioid overdose were 22 percent higher from April to July 2020 than during the same period in 2019.
“The opioid epidemic has devastated families across Michigan, and we must continue to do everything we can to end it. This funding will help prevent more opioid deaths and help those struggling with addiction recover,” said Governor Whitmer. “I will continue working closely with Dr. Joneigh Khaldun and members of the Michigan Opioids Task Force to keep Michiganders safe.”
Michigan’s opioids crisis response is supported by the grants from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. The SOR II grant begins Sept. 30 and continues for two years. MDHHS also received approval to extend the SOR I grant for a third year from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021. The MDHHS Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Administration, Office of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care is the recipient and administrator of the grants.
“Opioid overdose continues to be an ongoing crisis in Michigan and MDHHS is acting with utmost urgency to expand services that save lives, including medications to treat opioid use disorder and naloxone, the life-saving opioid reversal medication,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health at MDHHS. “We urge local governments, health providers, law enforcement and organizations around the state to partner with us in this vital mission.”
Funding from the SOR I and SOR II grants will deepen the state’s investment in the most effective tools to reduce overdose deaths, including widespread naloxone distribution and expanding access to medications to treat opioid use disorder. The grants will support start-up costs for new and expanding treatment providers offering medications, as well as providing free training and clinical supports. A new program will seek to increase retention in treatment by offering incentives to patients who attend consistently.
Many programs in the SOR I and SOR II grants address intersections between the opioids crisis and other systems. For example, programs will support diversion of individuals from the criminal justice system to treatment, expansion of treatment in correctional facilities and courts and assistance with reentry for individuals leaving incarceration. Other work focuses on pregnant and parenting women; social determinants of health like housing and transportation; and reducing racial disparities in overdose mortality. Finally, the grants will continue successful work to prevent substance use disorders through prevention education, again with a focus on how social determinants of health impact health outcomes.
A summary of how the new SOR II grant supports the state’s opioids strategic plan is available online, and a summary of projects supported by SOR I funding is available here.
For more information on the state’s opioids crisis response, please visit Michigan.gov/Opioids.
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by Becky Andrus | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Governor Whitmer and Lt. Governor Gilchrist Highlight Significant Reduction in Racial Disparities of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths
State announces Rapid Response Grants for local organizations to continue addressing disparities.
LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Governor Gilchrist today highlighted new data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services showing significant progress has been made toward reducing the disparate impact COVID-19 has had on communities of color. The State of Michigan has created the Rapid Response Grant program to help local organizations continue the administration’s efforts to tackle racial disparities.
“The aggressive action we have taken in Michigan has no doubt saved thousands of lives, especially among our most vulnerable communities – people of color, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said Governor Whitmer. “The work of the Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, spearheaded by Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, has helped us dramatically reduce the number of African Americans who have been impacted by COVID-19. We are not out of the woods yet, and must continue to do our part to save lives and protect our brave frontline workers. The Rapid Response Grant Program will help us continue this hard work and create a blueprint that states across the country can follow to protect their most vulnerable.”
While Black residents only make up 15% of Michigan’s population, they represented a staggering 29.4% of the cases and 40.7% of the deaths in the early days of tracking COVID-19 data based on race. In the past two weeks of available data, the state has seen significant progress in limiting the disparate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, with Black residents accounting for 8.2% of cases and 9.9% of deaths.
“We have reason to be proud of the hard work and progress made to reduce the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Black people,” Lt. Governor Gilchrist said. “However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic that continues to take the lives of our friends and family. We still have work to do to tackle generations of racial disparities and inequality to ensure that all Michiganders can lead happy and healthy lives. And more than anything else we need to keep the Governor’s emergency measures in place to limit the spread of this virus, which we know causes disproportionate harm among people of color who start out in a more vulnerable position.”
Under Governor Whitmer’s leadership, the administration took immediate action to tackle racial disparities through executive orders issued under the governor’s emergency powers. The administration also launched the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities to act in an advisory capacity to the governor. The task force studied the causes of racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19 and recommended actions to immediately address such disparities and the historical and systemic inequities that underlie them.
The task force’s broad-based representation and collaboration with State Departments facilitated swift actions, such as:
- Distributing large quantities of masks to the public;
- Launching a strategic communications and social media effort targeting communities of color;
- Collaborating with regional racial disparity task forces to share data and recommendations for additional actions;
- Increasing access to coronavirus testing in communities of color through drive-thru, walk-up, and mobile testing sites.
“Swift actions have been taken to address the health inequities that existed prior to the pandemic and were exacerbated by the virus. Access to testing and adequate resources to protect communities of color will continue to be a priority as we fight COVID-19.” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health at MDHHS. “I applaud the racial disparities task force and the multiple partners on the ground who helped decrease this disparity. However, we cannot let our guard down. We must continue to take precautions including wearing masks, maintaining social distancing of at least six feet from others, washing our hands often and staying home if we are feeling ill.”
To continue the administration’s efforts to tackle racial disparities, the State of Michigan has created the Rapid Response Grant program, which has awarded 31 grants for a total of nearly $20 million of CARES funding to local organizations. The grants must be used to address food and housing insecurity, provide technology and tablets, increase access to testing and flu vaccines, improve contract tracing, provide basic needs, and fund operations.
To view MDHHS data on racial disparities, click the link below:
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by Becky Andrus | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
CONTACT: Diane Cross, MDOT Office of Communications, [email protected]
M-24 project in northern Oakland County expected to be complete in early December
COUNTY:
Oakland
COMMUNITIES:
Orion Township
Oxford Township
Village of Lake Orion
Village of Oxford
ROADWAY:
M-24 (Lapeer Road)
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE:
Early December 2020
PROJECT DETAILS:
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing $33 million to rebuild and resurface M-24 (Lapeer Road) in Oakland County between Goldengate Street in Orion Township and Harriet Street in Oxford Township, with the villages of Oxford and Lake Orion also being affected. Remaining work includes underground sewer work in Oxford and roadway paving. This type of work always requires flexibility in the schedule as it is greatly affected by the amount of underground utilities and weather. Barring such delays, work is expected to be complete in early December.
Stay informed about this project at www.RestoreM24.info; e-mail updates can be requested at the website.
Project map
TRAFFIC DETAILS:
Currently, one southbound lane of M-24 is open from Harriet Street to Drahner Road in the Oxford area with northbound traffic closed and detoured to eastbound Drahner Road, then northbound Oxford Lake Drive to westbound/northbound Glaspie Street, then to Ray Road.
In the Orion area, M-24 has one lane open in each direction, along with a center turn lane, between Drahner Road and Goldengate Street.
SAFETY BENEFIT:
Extending the center left-turn lanes, improving the pavement surface, adjusting lane widths, and consolidating driveways will increase motorist safety by reducing the number of crashes in this area.
by Becky Andrus | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
By Sammy Taormina
Top Six Matchups For Week Three.
West Bloomfield at Clarkston: This is shaping up to be an interesting matchup between two 2-0 teams on Friday night in Clarkston. The Wolves have looked good in the last two weeks including last week’s 35-14 victory over Oxford behind three touchdowns from Ethan Clark. Clark will be mentioned a ton for Coach Ron Bellamy’s defensive staff but the Lakers have a stout defense. Clarkston will have to deal with Donovan Edwards and Dillion Tatum as they have had strong starts. West Bloomfield looked shaky but survived 17-15 at the Swamp over Southfield Arts and Tech. This is shaping up to be a very interesting game as mentioned.
Ferndale at Allen Park: This is shaping up to be a very interesting game on Friday night on the grass at Allen Park. The Jaguars took down the Eagles 7-0 last season at Ferndale. The Eagles have had a bit of a renaissance winning their last two games by a combined 13 points. They had a 28-23 victory over Troy Athens last week. Allen Park whom is a traditional state power in the Downriver League is coming off a 16-8 loss to Brownstown Woodhaven last week. I’m expecting this game to be a battle down in Wayne County.
Bloomfield Hills at Rochester: These are two teams trying to find better results in the Blue and they are just doing just that. Bloomfield Hills is 2-0 for the first time since 2017 while Rochester is 2-0 for the first time since 2012. The quarterback matchup is very interesting between Tanner Slazinski and Alex Bueno. Both of them have been very instrumental in their respective starts. The Blackhawks beat the Falcons 35-14 last season. This is shaping up to be a very interesting matchup that is looming.
Lake Orion at Southfield Arts and Tech: This shapes up to be a very interesting matchup this week over at Southfield. Lake Orion has won three of the last four years over Southfield Arts and Tech including last season’s 37-7 shocking blowout. The Dragons used a total team effort in a 38-6 blowout of Oak Park on Friday night. The Warriors lost 17-15 to West Bloomfield in the Swamp but they have four very talented players in quarterback Isiah Marshall, wide receivers Robert Army and Jeff Bowens along with running back RaeQuan Lee. Southfield Arts and Tech has lost both games by a combined nine points but they are improved. This should be a very interesting game as mentioned.
Troy at Berkley: This has developed into a very nice rivalry in the last four years with each team winning two games. Berkley is much improved but they should be tested against a Troy team that is 2-0 for the first time since 2012. The Colts won 13-6 over Walled Lake Central last week while the Bears won 49-0 over Pontiac. Experience will be key in this matchup at Hurley Field.
Adams at Seaholm: This is shaping up to be a very interesting matchup between both teams that run the veer. The Highlanders won 31-21 in Beverly Hills over Groves after losing a tough 34-33 overtime game two weeks ago to North Farmington. The Maples bounced back after getting blown out by Stoney Creek 37-13 two weeks ago and blew out Farmington 41-2 last week. Seaholm has a ton of experience and Adams is young but talented. This is shaping up to be a very interesting game as mentioned.
by Becky Andrus | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Michigan kicks off Manufacturing Week, highlights hard-working men and women
LANSING, Mich. — Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation declaring September 28 to October 2, 2020 as Manufacturing Week to recognize Michigan’s more than 11,386 unique manufacturing firms, which account for 626,000 jobs and $98.64 billion of total output annually.
“Michigan is home to hundreds of thousands of hardworking men and women who are dedicated to making the innovative products so many of us rely on every day,” Governor Whitmer said. “They were some of the first to go back on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them creatively retooling their operations to provide critical PPE and other products to keep our state safe and healthy. I’m proud to recognize these dedicated Michiganders not only this week, but every week of the year.”
Michigan has created more than 162,000 new manufacturing jobs in the last eleven years — an increase of 42.8 percent — thus remaining the national leader in manufacturing job creation and outpacing all other states.
“Manufacturers have led the way in reopening safely, restarting our economy and helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio said. “This industry is the backbone of Michigan’s economy and will continue to be a crucial part of our recovery.”
Michigan has been the heart and soul of manufacturing in the United States for decades. The state has diverse manufacturing sectors in automotive, metals, machinery, chemical product, food and beverage, computer and electronic, natural resource, furniture and many others.
“Manufacturing has high-tech, highly skilled and well-paying career options waiting for the next generation,” said John J. Walsh, President and CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association. “We invite students, parents and teachers, during Manufacturing Week and always, to learn about the exciting opportunities available in Michigan’s largest and most impactful industry.”
Michiganders are encouraged to explore high-tech, high-skilled, and well-paid career options — careers where average annual compensation and benefits are higher than the average across all industries – at www.Going-PRO.com.
View the full proclamation:
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