Michigan releases 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guides

Michigan releases 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guides

by | Aug 15, 2023 | Health and Wellness

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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11, 2023

CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, WuthC@michigan.gov

Michigan releases 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guides to help residents learn about and plan for local fish consumption

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released the 2023 update to its Eat Safe Fish Guides, which 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,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive.

Chemicals in fish are a worldwide issue. The chemicals most commonly found in fish are mercury and PCBs. Additional chemicals, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have also been found in fish, resulting in Eat Safe Fish guidelines for fish from certain Michigan water bodies. Like mercury, PFOS cannot be removed by trimming away the fat on the fish because the chemical is stored in the filet. By using the Eat Safe Fish Guide, Michigan fish consumers can be confident they are making informed choices about eating the fish they catch from their local lake or river.

The 2023 Eat Safe Fish guidelines include several new recommendations originally announced in January 2023 for certain locally caught smelt. The new smelt guidelines are based on elevated levels of PFOS found in the smelt.

The new Eat Safe Fish consumption guidelines for smelt are as follows:

  • Lake Huron: 6 servings per year.
  • Lake Michigan: 1 serving per month.
  • Portage Lake in Houghton County: 1 serving per month.
  • Gull Lake in Kalamazoo County: 2 servings per month.
  • Higgins Lake in Roscommon County: 4 servings per month.

MDHHS previously issued a guideline for smelt from Lake Superior in May 2022, recommending that no one eat more than 1 serving per month of smelt from Lake Superior, due to elevated levels of PFOS. That guideline will remain in effect.

Originally issued in August of 2018, the ‘Do Not Eat’ fish advisory remains in effect for a large stretch of the Huron River due to elevated PFOS levels in fish. That advisory begins downstream from where the river crosses N. Wixom Road in Oakland County to where the river crosses  I-275 in Wayne County and includes the following waterbodies: 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).

In addition to updating the Eat Safe Fish Guide with new guidelines, the program regularly reviews the science behind its guidelines. This review ensures that Eat Safe Fish guidelines are based on the best available science to be health protective for people who eat fish caught in Michigan.

Unlike the 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.

MDHHS also produces the Buy Safe Fish Guide to help residents choose seafood from local grocery stores, fish markets and restaurants that is lower in mercury. 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 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guide for your region, visit Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish and click on Find Your Area or call the MDHHS Division of Environmental Health at 800-648-6942.
Perfect Time to Buy Tomorrow’s College Tuition at Today’s Prices

Perfect Time to Buy Tomorrow’s College Tuition at Today’s Prices

by | Aug 15, 2023 | Regional News

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2023

Contact: Ron Leix, Treasury, 517-335-2167

Michigan Education Trust Pitches ‘Back to the Future’ Message as Students Prepare to Return to School

It’s the Perfect Time to Buy Tomorrow’s
College Tuition at Today’s Prices

LANSING — As parents begin to fill back-to-school shopping lists, Michigan Education Trust (MET) is encouraging them to consider buying college tuition at today’s prices to prepare for their children’s future education.

“Back-to-school season is the perfect time to think back to the future when it comes to educational planning,” said Diane Brewer, executive director of MET, the prepaid education savings program administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury. “We’re asking parents to look beyond pencils and notebooks needed now and look to the future by purchasing tomorrow’s college credits at today’s prices through MET.”

MET, the nation’s first 529 prepaid education plan, has helped tens of thousands of families since 1988 with an affordable way to save for their education by prepurchasing tomorrow’s tuition at today’s rates. Signed into law in December 1986, it was the first prepaid education program in the nation. More than 96% of high school graduates participating in MET have attended a college, university or technical school.

MET alumna Lisa Ingall of Ann Arbor understands firsthand the value of MET and the life-changing impact it has on working families.

“Thanks to my mom’s foresight, I was a member of the original MET class,” said Ingall, a 1998 University of Michigan engineering graduate. “My mom was divorced and didn’t have a lot of extra money, but she valued education. She wasn’t going to let money stand in the way of her daughter going to college.”

Her mother’s investment has made a generational difference for Ingall and her sister, Casey Parrotte, and it will for Ingall’s 12-year-old son, Devin Saha, and Parrotte’s two daughters, ages 3 and 5.

“My mother knew that while you can’t predict the future, you can prepare for it,” Ingall said. “As a mom now myself, I can attest to the fact that there is no better cornerstone than MET for building the foundation for your child’s educational future.”

Among the many motivations for opening a MET account, Brewer pointed to the increasing number of young adults facing significant debt after completing their college education. By getting an early start in offsetting the often-overwhelming financial burden associated with higher education, MET enables more people to attend college or pursue other post-secondary education and join the workforce without being saddled with massive debt.

Brewer noted that anyone can contribute to a child’s education savings plan, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and others. With a Pay-As-You-Go plan, once the plan is opened, contributions can be as low as $25.

“The beauty of MET lies in its flexibility,” Brewer said. “There is a MET plan for everyone and everyone should consider opening a MET plan as part of their savings portfolio..”

The 529 plan also has tax advantages. For instance, distributions from MET are not taxed by the state or federal government when it comes time to pay for qualified higher education expenses. Michigan residents who are MET contract holders can also claim a state tax deduction on the total contributions they make during a calendar year.

Contributions to an existing account can be made at any time during the year through MET’s secure online pay site. The MET gift declarations also allow contributors to print out certificates of their contributions designed for holidays, birthdays, graduations and more that can be put in a card or gift wrapped.

More information about MET can be found at SETwithMET.com or by calling 800-MET-4-KID.
Health Division Extends Hours for Back-To-School Vaccinations

Health Division Extends Hours for Back-To-School Vaccinations

by | Aug 15, 2023 | Health and Wellness

Health Division Extends Hours for Back-To-School Vaccinations

Post Date:08/14/2023 1:46 PM

Pontiac, Mich. – Oakland County Health Division is offering extended clinic hours this week, Aug. 14-19, to provide school-age required vaccines. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are encouraged. Visit www.oakgov.com/health or call 800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

“We strongly encourage children to get the necessary vaccinations before the school year begins,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, Oakland County director of health and human services. “Vaccination is an important step to ensure health and protect classmates, friends, relatives, and others in the community from preventable diseases.”

School-age vaccines will be offered at the following dates, times and locations:

North Oakland Health Center at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 34 East in Pontiac

  •  Tuesday, Aug. 15, 4 – 7 p.m.
  •  Thursday, Aug. 17, 4 – 7 p.m.
  •  Friday, Aug. 18, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
  •  Saturday, Aug. 19, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

South Oakland Health Center at 27725 Greenfield Road in Southfield

  • Monday, Aug. 14, 4 – 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Aug. 16, 4 – 7 p.m.

A parent or legal guardian must be present with a minor. The Health Division will continue to provide immunizations for all ages during normal business hours: Mondays, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Tuesday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

If you have insurance, check with your healthcare/insurance provider for possible benefit coverage. The Health Division participates in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program which offers vaccines at no cost for eligible children up to 18 years old. No one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay. A discounted/sliding fee schedule is available. Payment options include cash and credit card. Credit card fees apply. Bring all insurance and identification cards to the clinic.

Follow these recommendations to help protect children from serious diseases:

Check your child’s immunization records to determine what vaccines your child needs and catch up on any missed vaccines before the school year begins. Contact your child’s healthcare provider, school, or Oakland County Health Division for more information.

Follow the CDC’s Recommended Immunization Schedule, and work with your healthcare provider to determine what vaccines your child needs.

Get an annual flu shot: Annual flu vaccines are recommended for children 6 months and older. Each year, millions of children get sick from seasonal flu. Thousands are hospitalized and some children die from flu. Children of any age with chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes, and disorders of the brain or nervous system are at especially high risk of serious flu complications.

Get recommended vaccines for preteens in addition to a yearly flu vaccine:

  •  HPV vaccine protects against HPV infections that can cause cancer later in life.
  •  Tdap is a booster shot to help protect preteens from whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria.
  •  Meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against meningitis, and bloodstream infections (bacteremia or septicemia). These illnesses can be very serious, even fatal.

For more information visit www.oakgov.com/health or contact Nurse on Call at 800-848-5533 or noc@oakgov.com. Nurse on Call is available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For up-to-date public health information, follow @publichealthOC on Facebook and X (formally known as Twitter).

For media inquiries only please contact Bill Mullan, Oakland County public information officer, at 248-858-1048.

Increased Funding for Parents Fostering Children

Increased Funding for Parents Fostering Children

by | Aug 15, 2023 | Regional News

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 15, 2023

Contact: press@michigan.gov

 

Gov. Whitmer Announces Increased Funding for Parents Fostering Children 

New funding supports administration’s commitment to helping families at each stage of their life

 

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the new state budget will help the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) improve and increase support for foster parents.

 

“The bipartisan budget I signed a few weeks ago will put more money in the pockets of foster parents so they can pay the bills and put food on the table while caring for their foster kids,” said Governor Whitmer. “Foster families work hard to care for their children and we must have their backs. The budget boosts the resources they receive so we can keep children safe and healthy.”

 

The funding is part of MDHHS’ overall effort to address the shortage of foster parents in Michigan and provide additional support for foster youth with higher behavioral health needs.

 

“Right now, about two-thirds of foster parents quit fostering within one to two years, a fact that places new stress on a system that already badly needs more loving, caring foster parents,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Through providing more money to foster parents while also giving them a break, we continue to do everything in our power to make Michigan the safest place in America to raise kids and nurture families.”

 

Respite care services can vary depending on the unique needs of the foster parent and child and are used to provide short-term relief to primary caregivers of children while they are cared for by respite care families. Instead of foster parents needing to use their daily board and care rate per diem to go toward the cost of respite care, this new program will have an annual budget allocation of $10 million annually to go directly to respite care providers and gives foster families additional support.

 

“Unfortunately, money and time are, too often, the biggest barriers to loving and caring families welcoming children into their homes. This funding increase and respite care program address both of those issues,” said Lara Bouse, executive director of Fostering Forward Michigan, a coalition that represents foster, kinship and adoptive parents in Michigan. “Foster parents are heroic, and right now, we simply don’t have enough people willing to change lives with this commitment. We are so grateful to the state legislature and governor for supporting the MDHHS’s goals of keeping kids safe and keeping families together.”

 

Foster parent Sarah Bacheller of Livingston County said the additional financial support will help her make sure the boys in her care can have the same experiences as other children – whether it’s trips to Detroit, West Michigan or up north, or buying school pictures or yearbooks.

 

“Any increase helps go toward providing a similar level of normalcy that their peers get on a normal basis,” said Bacheller, who has fostered more than 30 boys. “You don’t do it for the money. You do it to help these kids out. But any increase helps take the financial burden of all the extras – beyond food and clothing – off of the foster parents. I think if the burden is reduced and eliminated, you might get more people willing to get licensed and open their homes for these amazing kids.”

 

As one of the most requested forms of support from foster families, the department will focus on contracting and building agencies that recruit and fill the need for respite care providers across the state, offering a half-day rate for providing care for 12 hours or less and a full-day rate with an overnight option.

 

  • As part of the department’s work to address the shortage of foster parents by decreasing stress and increasing support, the budget allocation for daily payments to foster parents was raised for the second consecutive year, this time by 8% bringing the rate for caregivers of youth up to age 12, approximately $670.00 a month, for youth age 13 and older, $800.00 a month and for youth living independently (age 18 or older who still receive foster care assistance), $825.00 a month. This expanded allocation is in addition to the 20% increase in rates paid to foster parents, independent living providers, relatives, and adoptive parents and guardians in 2022.

 

Marquette County Probate Court Judge Cheryl L. Hill played a critical role in advocating for MDHHS’ request for additional funding to keep Michigan competitive with other states’ budget allocations.

 

“The additional funds in the fiscal year 2024 budget along with increases approved last year help our foster families continue to provide loving homes to our most vulnerable and precious resource – the children of Michigan,” Judge Hill said. “We still have a critical need for loving foster homes in Michigan. Being a foster parent is rewarding, but it is hard work. Any support we can provide to these special families who give so much of themselves should be encouraged. The money allocated in the budget is truly an investment in the future success of the children of the State of Michigan.”

 

Both process and policy updates are a part of MDHHS’ larger actions to keep kids safe and promote foster parent recruitment and retention. To view the latest on how the department is supporting foster families, visit the MDHHS foster care website or call 855-MICHKIDS to learn more.
DNR News: What’s that in the water? Freshwater jellyfish

DNR News: What’s that in the water? Freshwater jellyfish

by | Aug 15, 2023 | Recreation
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DNR News
Aug. 14, 2023
Contact: Tim Cwalinkski, 231-340-0276

What’s that in the water? Freshwater jellyfish

Freshwater jellyfishAs anglers, swimmers and other water recreation fans flock to Michigan lakes and streams this summer, some may catch a glimpse of a common, though rarely seen invertebrate known as the freshwater jellyfish. Don’t be concerned though — these jellyfish are not harmful to humans and are believed to have negligible adverse effects on the aquatic environment.

Freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbyi) are related to the various marine species of jellyfish, but in essence are not true jellyfish since they have a membrane called a velum that the marine species do not. Despite this difference, the appearance and movement of freshwater jellyfish mimic those of a true jellyfish. They are not native to Michigan or even North America and are believed to be native to China and Asia. However, this species has been found throughout most of North America for well over a century and is considered to be a nonharmful member of our aquatic communities, and certainly an intriguing one.

The first documentation of freshwater jellyfish in Michigan occurred in 1933 from the Huron River in southeast Michigan. Today, they can be found in most Michigan lakes and streams, and are most frequently spotted in lakes in the late summer and early fall.

Freshwater jellyfish are polymorphic, meaning that there are multiple forms of the same entity within a population.

The jellyfish life cycle includes the following steps:

  • The jellyfish spend winter in bodies of water in a podocyst resting stage.
  • As conditions become more favorable, such as during spring, the podocysts develop into polyps and continue the life cycle with asexual reproduction.
  • By late summer, polyps develop into the medusa stage, which most resembles a free-swimming jellyfish.  Jellyfish in this stage take an umbrella-shaped form and can range in size from a penny to a quarter. This is the life stage that is visible to the human eye and often observed during late summer.

“These are the sightings that often trigger calls to local DNR offices from curious spotters who have caught the rare glimpse of the invertebrate,” said Tim Cwalinski, the DNR’s northern Lake Huron manager. “Though freshwater jellyfish do have stinging cells like the marine species, their tiny size means they lack the ability to sting, and so they’re not harmful to people. It is also believed to be unlikely that freshwater jellyfish could consume enough zooplankton in our bodies of water to negatively compete with fish species.”

Cwalinski said that we generally think our waterways are inhabited only by fish, aquatic plants, waterfowl and various invertebrates. However, there is an entire other spectrum of life under the surface, such as plankton, bryozoans and jellyfish.

“If you’re among those to observe a single medusa stage or colony of freshwater jellyfish this year in our lakes or slow-moving streams, consider yourself fortunate, don’t panic, and understand this is simply an invertebrate that has inhabited most of our waterways for a century.”

Note to editors: An accompanying photo is available below for download. Caption information follows.

  • Freshwater jellyfish: Freshwater jellyfish can be found in most Michigan lakes and streams, and are most frequently spotted in lakes in the late summer and early fall. (Photo credit: Greg Lashbrook, PolkaDotPerch.com)