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 | Apr 27, 2022 | Health and Wellness
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2022
CONTACT: Bob Wheaton, 517-241-2112, WheatonB@michigan.gov
Rally, pinwheels at State Capitol raise awareness about preventing child abuse and neglect
Children’s Trust Fund holds annual event with remarks from Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and other advocates
LANSING, Mich. – Blue and silver pinwheels spun in the breeze outside the State Capitol today as more than 200 advocates for children and families spread their message about preventing child abuse and neglect.
Attendees of the 14th annual Children’s Trust Fund Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Day Rally planted the pinwheels in the ground following the event. The pinwheel is the national symbol for child abuse and neglect prevention.
More than 16,000 child abuse and neglect cases were confirmed in Michigan last year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The Children’s Trust Fund, housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1982. It serves as a voice for Michigan’s children and families and promotes their health, safety and welfare by funding effective local programs and services that prevent child abuse and neglect.
“Providing support to parents is critically important in ensuring that Michigan’s children grow up safe and healthy,” said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, one of the speakers at the rally. “I am proud to work with the Children’s Trust Fund to help families in local communities around the state and prevent child abuse and neglect.”
MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel also was among the speakers at the rally. “At MDHHS, we continue to find and act on meaningful opportunities to invest in Michigan families and children,” she said. “We do this by working alongside not just parents and caregivers, but also other adults, communities and partners. We provide information, encourage conversations, promote positive and nurturing relationships between children and adults, and strengthen home- and community-based supports that will keep kids safe where they live, visit, play and go to school.”
Suzanne Greenberg, executive director of the Children’s Trust Fund, served as emcee. “The national symbol for child abuse and neglect prevention is the pinwheel,” Greenberg said. “It serves as an uplifting reminder of childhood and the bright futures all children deserve. Child Abuse Prevention Month is an opportunity for you to be a positive force on behalf of the children and families in your community. No one person can do everything, but everyone can do something. And together, we can do anything!”
Other event speakers included Amy Tattrie Loepp, Children’s Trust Fund board chair; state Rep. Brenda Carter, D-Pontiac; State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Kent County; Jason Cross, state manager for Indian Child Welfare Act Compliance and Race Equity; and Bishop Reginald Bluestein, assistant executive director of Concerned About Reaching Everyone (CARE) in Detroit. Sharon Barry of Barry County received the Inspire Award for her work to prevent child abuse and neglect. Event entertainment was provided by Lansing’s Dwight Rich School for the Arts.
Today’s rally is one of two major Children’s Trust Fund events in April and May.
The annual Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event is May 17 at 5 p.m. at the Breslin Center on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing to raise money to support child abuse prevention programming. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to support the Children’s Trust Fund, visit www.michigan.gov/ctf. |
by Becky Andrus | Apr 27, 2022 | Health and Wellness
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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2022
CONTACT: Bob Wheaton, 517-241-2112, WheatonB@michigan.gov
MDHHS unveils new strategies that will continue improvements to state’s child welfare system
Judge praises plans to better serve children, families
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) today shared newly developed strategies to keep foster youth safe and move the state’s child welfare system closer to exiting federal court oversight.
Judge Nancy G. Edmunds praised MDHHS and the other parties involved for “hard work with still more to come. But we’re starting to see at least flags toward the finish line down the road sooner than we may have anticipated in January.”
MDHHS shared a plan it developed with federal court monitors in the three months since a January court appearance. The department today appeared virtually in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Edmunds in January requested the plan to address 14 areas identified by the court as needing improvement.
“With these new strategies we will make substantial progress to improve the performance of the department’s child welfare system,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “More importantly, we believe these strategies will improve safety for children and decrease the time it takes to find permanent homes for youth in the department’s care.”
The strategies are designed to continue to improve the state’s child welfare system in areas such as:
- Improved collaboration and oversight of private agency partners that provide residential and foster care services.
- Reducing the time children are in out-of-home care and reunifying them with their families sooner.
- Keeping siblings placed in foster care together.
- Limiting the time children spend in emergency or temporary facilities.
- Ensuring relative home placements are safe.
“We have designated knowledgeable, experienced senior staff to lead the way in implementing these strategies,” said Demetrius Starling, executive director of the MDHHS Children’s Services Agency. “I am personally committed to working with these
senior staff and the monitoring team to make these improvements for the good of the children and families we serve.”
Federal court monitors have been tracking the department’s progress since a court settlement in 2008 following a 2006 lawsuit.
Today, the court monitors also released their latest progress report, which was for the period of January-June 2021. MDHHS met the court-required performance metrics for 14 commitments monitored during this period, including ones related to caseloads for Children’s Protective Services (CPS) workers and timely completion of CPS investigations. In addition, the report highlights eight commitments in which the department consistently achieved compliance for every monitoring period since the creation of the Modified Implementation, Sustainability and Exit Plan.
View the latest federal court monitor report on the MDHHS website. |
by Becky Andrus | Apr 19, 2022 | Health and Wellness, Uncategorized
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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2022
CONTACT: Bob Wheaton, 517-241-2112, WheatonB@michigan.gov
Children’s Trust Fund observes Child Abuse Prevention Month
Activities, events around the state culminate in April 26 gathering at State Capitol
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s Children’s Trust Fund is recognizing the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect with a month of activities that will culminate with an April 26 ceremony on the lawn of the State Capitol.
Activities and initiatives through Michigan this month will center on the symbolic blue and silver pinwheel of Prevent Child Abuse America, which serves as a visual representation that everyone plays a role in providing children with a bright future.
The mission of the Children’s Trust Fund to keep children safe and strengthen families across the state takes special significance each April for Child Abuse Prevention Month.
As the only statewide organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, the work of the Children’s Trust Fund – which is within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) – supports local programs and services that touch all 83 Michigan counties.
“Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign in 2008,” said Suzanne Greenberg, executive director of the Children’s Trust Fund. “The pinwheels are a representation of child-like whimsy and lightheartedness as well as a vision for a world where all children grow up happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in supportive families and communities.”
The Power of the Pinwheel is the theme of this year’s pinwheel campaign. Through the 100-plus prevention partners of the Children’s Trust Fund and this year’s statewide partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, supporters of preventing child abuse are planting 50,000 pinwheels in hundreds of gardens throughout the state.
The 14th annual Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Day rally is 11 a.m. April 26 on the steps of the Michigan Capitol. Featured speakers this year include MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. The inaugural Inspire Award winner for volunteer service and commitment to preventing child abuse and neglect in Michigan will be presented to Sharon Barry of Barry County.
“We are thrilled that our new partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is giving us farther reach to expand and amplify our message for Child Abuse Prevention Month,” Greenberg said. “When we recognize that child abuse and neglect affect each of us and can unite under a common cause, we are giving hope to every child in our state and ensuring Michigan secures a stronger future.”
For information on the Children’s Trust Fund and Child Abuse Prevention Month, visit michigan.gov/ctf. |
by Becky Andrus | Apr 18, 2022 | Health and Wellness
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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2022
CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]
MDHHS reports first influenza-associated pediatric death in Michigan this season
Michigan residents ages six months and older eligible for flu vaccine
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has confirmed the first influenza-associated pediatric death in Michigan for the 2021-2022 flu season.
The reported death involves a child from Kalamazoo County who contracted Influenza A/H3. Nationally, there have been at least 16 influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported during the current flu season.
“Flu vaccine is a recommended childhood vaccine, and it is important to ensure that children are up to date with all of their vaccines,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for MDHHS. “Once children reach six months of age it is recommended they receive two doses of the flu vaccine for their first series. In addition, pregnant women should get the flu vaccine during each pregnancy. Flu vaccine can be given at the same time as other vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Each year, influenza claims the lives of children across the United States. Increases in flu-like illness and hospitalizations are currently taking place in Michigan, which is not typical for this time of the year. MDHHS continues to strongly recommend that everyone six months of age and older get a seasonal flu vaccine. If you haven’t received your flu vaccine yet, there is still time to receive it. Flu can be serious and lead to severe illness and hospitalizations. Flu vaccine is the best way to prevent getting the flu and can also reduce the severity of flu illness.
There has been elevated flu activity across the country over the past few weeks, with Influenza A being the main flu type circulating. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that since October there have been at least 3.8 million flu illnesses, 1.8 million flu medical visits, 38,000 flu hospitalizations and 2,300 deaths from flu nationally.
Nearly all of the positive influenza specimens confirmed by MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories this flu season have been Influenza A/H3 virus. This virus can cause severe flu infections in children, as well as in adults.
The influenza vaccine is especially important for persons at increased risk for complications from flu, including children, adults aged 65 years and older, persons of any age with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women. Children less than six months of age are too young to be vaccinated and need to be protected by vaccination of their close contacts, including parents, siblings, grandparents, childcare workers and health care personnel.
Currently, for the 2021-2022 flu season, only 32% of Michigan residents have been vaccinated against flu. According to data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, flu vaccine coverage among children ages six months through 17 years is 5.4% lower for the 2021-2022 flu season (25.8%) compared to the 2020-2021 flu season (31.2%).
There is still plenty of flu vaccine available for those who wish to be vaccinated. To find flu vaccine near you, call your health care provider, local health department or check the Health Map Vaccine Finder.
For more information about the flu, visit Michigan.gov/flu. |
