Kate Wells

1 week ago | michiganpublic.org | Kate Wells

Michigan State University is launching a broad “institutional assessment,” led by some of the sexual assault survivors and the police detective whose work together resulted in the criminal conviction and landmark sentencing of former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar in 2018.

1 week ago | npr.org | Kate Wells

New financial pressures forcing Planned Parenthood to close some clinicsNew financial pressures forcing Planned Parenthood to close some clinics Audio will be available later today. Planned Parenthood is closing some clinics that offer abortions, even in states where abortion has broad protections, due to new financial pressures.

2 weeks ago | michiganpublic.org | Kate Wells

Michigan now has nine confirmed measles cases this year, including four cases linked to a widening measles outbreak in Montcalm County. But public health officials said they couldn’t release details about the outbreak, in order to maintain the individuals’ privacy. “In public health, it's so important that people want to work with us, that they feel comfortable sharing their personal information with us,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive.

3 weeks ago | michiganpublic.org | Kate Wells

A 1-year-old male child is now the second confirmed case of measles in Ingham County, after he was exposed to a 1-year-old girl who contracted the virus after traveling out of state. Both children had received the age-appropriate measles vaccine (the vaccine is given in two doses, the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years of age), and both experienced “only mild symptoms,” according to a county health department statement Wednesday.

3 weeks ago | chalkbeat.org | Kate Wells |Michigan Public

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy. Brandon and Sarah Reinkensmeyer were getting a relaxing, child-free weekend away. They were traveling out of state for a friend’s wedding, while Sarah’s mom was home with their two kids in Birmingham, Michigan. And then, on Saturday, they got a call from the hospital. “I don’t know if it was a nurse who called, or if it was CPS who called us,” Brandon said.