by Becky Andrus | May 2, 2022 | Health and Wellness
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2022
CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, SutfinL1@michigan.gov
Michigan releases 2022 Eat Safe Fish Guides to help
residents learn about and plan for local fish consumption
Updates include a ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory for bluegill and sunfish in parts of
Rouge River and lifting of ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory for parts of Huron River
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released the 2022 regional Eat Safe Fish Guides. These guides can help Michiganders plan their fish consumption to minimize exposure to chemicals that can build up in fish, while still getting all the health benefits of eating fish.
The regional Eat Safe Fish Guides provide guidelines for eating locally caught fish. Guidelines are based on levels of chemicals found in the portions of fish that people eat – typically the filets. Test results from the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories are used to determine what is safe for people to eat over the long-term. There are many health benefits to eating fish and the Eat Safe Fish Guides help individuals choose the fish that are best for them and their families.
One update to the Eat Safe Fish Southeast Michigan Regional Guide is a ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory for bluegill and sunfish caught in the Lower Branch of the Rouge River and the Main Branch of the Rouge River from the Ford Estate Dam to the Detroit River. Bluegill and sunfish were collected from these parts of the river in 2021 and analyzed for harmful contaminants. Due to high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), MDHHS recommends that people avoid eating bluegill and sunfish from this stretch of the Rouge River.
Other species of fish collected in 2019 and 2021 from this same stretch of the river were found to be contaminated with PFOS, but not at levels that call for a ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is continuing to investigate possible sources of this PFOS contamination. There is also historical PCB contamination for this stretch of the river. Consumption guidelines for all other species of fish in this stretch of the Rouge River can be found in the Eat Safe Fish Southeast Michigan Regional Guide.
Another update includes the lifting of the ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory for most fish species from a specific stretch of the Huron River due to recent fish filet data. The advisory is lifted for the stretch of the Huron River from where it crosses I-275 in Wayne County to the river mouth at Lake Erie, including the Flat Rock impoundment.
Although the ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory has been lifted for most fish species from this stretch of the Huron River, fish consumption guidelines are still in place for the following species:
- Bluegill and sunfish have a recommended eight MI Servings per month due to PFOS.
- Carp have a recommended ‘Limited’ category for fish less than 28” and a recommended ‘Do Not Eat’ category for fish greater than 28” due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins. Fish with a ‘Limited’ category should not be eaten by people under the age of 15, those who have health problems like cancer or diabetes, those who may have children in the next several years, those who are pregnant or those who are breastfeeding. People who do not fall under any of those categories are recommended to limit their consumption to one to two servings each year.
- Catfish have a recommended one MI Serving per month due to PCBs.
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass have a recommended four MI Servings per month due to PCBs and mercury.
- Rock bass still have a recommended ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory due to PFOS.
- For other fish species, refer to the statewide guidelines.
The ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory remains in effect for the Huron River from where the river crosses N. Wixom Road in Oakland County to where the river crosses I-275. This includes: Norton Creek (Oakland County), Hubbell Pond also known as Mill Pond (Oakland County), Kent Lake (Oakland County), Ore Lake (Livingston County), Strawberry & Zukey Lakes (Livingston County), Gallagher Lake (Livingston County), Loon Lake (Livingston County), Whitewood Lakes (Livingston County), Base Line & Portage Lakes (Livingston/Washtenaw County line), Barton Pond (Washtenaw County), Geddes Pond (Washtenaw County), Argo Pond (Washtenaw County), Ford Lake (Washtenaw County), and Belleville Lake (Wayne County).
Unlike the Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s Michigan Fishing Guide, the MDHHS Eat Safe Fish guidelines are not laws or regulations, and no one is required to follow them. Instead, the guides are a free resource for those who would like information about which fish, and how much of those fish, are healthy to eat from various bodies of water across the state.
Chemicals in fish are a worldwide problem that is not limited to Michigan and other Great Lakes states. The chemicals most commonly found in fish are mercury and PCBs. However, PFAS, including PFOS, have also been found in fish from certain bodies of water in Michigan.
It is important to note that fish from some areas in Michigan are more contaminated than others. By using the Eat Safe Fish Guides, Michigan consumers can be confident that they are making informed choices about eating the fish they catch from their local lake or river.
In addition to the Eat Safe Fish Guides, MDHHS also produces the Buy Safe Fish Guide to help residents choose seafood that is lower in mercury from local grocery stores, fish markets and restaurants. The Eat Safe Fish Guides and Buy Safe Fish Guide are available online at Michigan.gov/eatsafefish.
For more information on how to buy, eat or prepare safe fish, or to get the 2022 Eat Safe Fish Guide for your region, visit Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish and click on Find Your Area or call 800-648-6942.
by Becky Andrus | May 2, 2022 | Health and Wellness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2022
EGLE Media Office, [email protected], 517-284-9278
EGLE’s Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate promotes Drinking Water Week
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) kicks off Drinking Water Week today, which also include Private Residential Awareness Day on Tuesday, May 3. The purpose of this weeklong event is to recognize the vital role drinking water plays in daily life and the critical infrastructure required to carry it to our homes.
EGLE’s Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate (OCWPA) will use this week to educate the public on their drinking water and provide tips that residents can use to help ensure they have quality tap water by connecting residents to state drinking water resources. Every Michigander should be equipped with knowledge that helps keep their drinking water healthy.
“There are actions all of us can take to support healthy drinking water from protecting the source to getting the water moving in our home plumbing.” Said Kris Donaldson, EGLE’s Clean Water Public Advocate.
The week begins with a primer on drinking water that covers where it comes from and how it gets to your home or place of work. Knowing your water supply is key to learning about your water quality and determining who to contact with concerns. Depending on your water supply, your local health department or water supplier is likely your best resources for answering questions about your water. Residents can also report drinking water concerns online using EGLE’s Drinking Water Concern System.
Tips to reduce your risk of exposure to lead in drinking water, which is a particular concern in homes with older plumbing or those served by lead service lines, are also covered.
Private Residential Awareness Day on Tuesday will focus on the more than one million private wells in Michigan that provide drinking water to over 2.6 million Michigan people statewide. Drinking Water Week highlights important resources about well maintenance and testing found on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service’s (MDHHS) Care for MiWell (URL: Michigan.gov/Envirohealth) website.
Drinking Water Week also brings attention to the critical role water infrastructure plays in getting healthy drinking water to our tap. The Michigan legislature this year approved a major supplemental appropriation that includes over $1.8 billion in funding to EGLE for clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects.
For more information about Drinking Water Week, visit Michigan.gov/DrinkingWaterWeek. |
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by Becky Andrus | May 2, 2022 | Regional News
Gov. Whitmer Announces State to Expand Medicaid Coverage for Moms & Babies
New approval expands coverage to full 12-month postpartum period, a key competent of Governor Whitmer’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative
LANSING, Mich. – Coinciding with the beginning of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced that the state’s request to expand Medicaid coverage for a full 12-month postpartum period to ensure the health and well-being of moms and babies across Michigan had been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This expansion is a critical component to the governor’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative.
“As a mom of two, I know firsthand how vital it is for every mom to have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare to care for herself and her new baby,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “By extending these critical, 12-month postpartum benefits, we can improve long-term outcomes for moms and babies and close health disparities. We will continue working together to ensure every family can thrive with access to behavioral health services, screenings, and treatments to lead healthy and successful lives.”
“I have long supported legislation to make this extension of postpartum care permanent, and I am so grateful to have an ally in this fight in Governor Whitmer,” Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said. “New moms and their health care providers agree that current standards of postpartum care are antiquated, especially in communities where health disparities exist. This is a huge step towards ensuring every new mom gets the care and support she needs, and we know healthy moms have healthy babies, laying the foundation for a healthy life.”
Under existing requirements, many Medicaid enrollees receive coverage through the end of the month in which their 60-day postpartum period ends. Maintaining Medicaid coverage for a full year provides access to critical health and dental services during the first year after pregnancy, which can help to address persistent health disparities. The approximately $20 million budgeted for this expansion will benefit an estimated 35,000 pregnant and postpartum people in Michigan annually.
“Being able to ensure continuity of care for Michigan moms and babies is critical to reducing preventable deaths and will lead to better long-term health outcomes for new parents and newborns,” said Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. “Extending Medicaid postpartum coverage will assist the state in its continued efforts to improve access to care for all Michigan families and equitable health outcomes.”
This extension promotes access to critical behavioral health services that can reduce pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity and improve continuity of care for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac conditions, substance use disorder and depression. Extending postpartum eligibility will provide increased opportunities for beneficiaries to complete postpartum depression screening and receive referrals to services and supports for needed treatment. Beneficiaries will have similar access to supports and treatment for substance use disorder conditions if needed as well.
Access to high quality health care services is a critical component of statewide efforts in addressing maternal morbidity and mortality rates in Michigan. As of January 2018, Michigan’s Maternal Mortality Surveillance (MMMS) Committee found that approximately 50% of maternal deaths in Michigan were preventable.
One of the possible prevention measures identified by the MMMS committee is access to family planning and other medical health care services. Additionally, among pregnancy-related deaths in Michigan the committee found persistent racial disparities.
Current Medicaid recipients do not need to take any actions to receive the extended coverage. It will be extended automatically to 12 months past their reported delivery date.
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by Becky Andrus | Apr 28, 2022 | Transportation
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New research yields surprises on traffic safety messages
On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations with two academics studying the effect of safety messages on driver behavior.
Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/10520849-new-research-yields-surprises-on-traffic-safety-messages
First, Joshua Madsen, a professor of accounting and behavioral economics at the University of Minnesota, talks about a research report he co-authored — and highlighted in the Journal Science — that examined whether highway signs displaying traffic deaths reduce crashes.
In the second segment, Jerry Ullman, a senior research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, talks about a perspective he wrote to accompany the story in Science.
Madsen explains how he first encountered the messages while driving in Illinois and was struck by the starkness of the numbers. He wondered about context and how the numbers were derived.
As outlined in the story:
“Researchers focused on Texas, which consistently displayed the messages for one week every month on 880 signs across the state’s highways. Researchers gathered data on all traffic crashes that happened on affected roads between 2010 and 2017. They compared crashes that occurred in weeks when fatality stats were displayed with those that happened during the rest of the month, taking care to compare only the accidents that happened at the same hour and on the same day of the week. They also controlled for weather and for holidays, which can independently affect the number of crashes.”
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While conceding the difficulty of researching these topics, determining cause and affect and discerning what and when messages can influence behavior, Madsen cites one initiative with resonance: placing the wreckage of vehicles, which had been driven by a teenager, at rest areas.
During his segment, Ullman talks about whether the effect of higher fatality numbers is plausible and questioned whether drivers are really processing larger and smaller death rates differently. He says he would like to see more research on the cause of the increase.
Ullman also talks about the importance of message design and other research on how optimism bias informs our judgment.
Podcast player photo: MDOT Dynamic Message Sign board displaying a safety message.
First portrait: Joshua Madsen, a professor of accounting and behavioral economics at the University of Minnesota.
Second portrait: Jerry Ullman, a senior research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
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by Becky Andrus | Apr 28, 2022 | Regional News
Media contact:
Lynsey Mukomel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Elder Abuse Task Force Hosting Symposium Next Week, Registration Remains Open
LANSING – The Elder Abuse Task Force (EATF) will host the first of two virtual symposiums next week to highlight topics relevant to protecting Michigan’s seniors and answer questions from attendees.
“The EATF continues to pursue important advocacy on behalf of our state’s elderly population,” Nessel said. “I encourage those interested in learning more about the task force’s impact and vital resources to attend this symposium.”
Scheduled topics include:
- Resources for Members of the Public Interested in Protecting Older
- Adults Adult Protective Services (APS) 101 Basic Understanding
- How Can the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Help?
- To Avoid Guardianships and Conservatorships: Speak for Yourself
- Scams Targeting Seniors
Last month, the EATF released a new video on the Department’s YouTube page focused on the general rights each nursing home resident has and must be afforded, as well as steps to take in the event a resident’s rights have been violated.
