Robin Erb, Bridge Magazine

Robin Erb

Bridge Magazine

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Recent:
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Past:
  • Bridge Magazine
  • Michigan Radio

Past articles by Robin:

ER or urgent care? As respiratory ailments pound Michigan, who do you call?

Misery is at its worst in the still of the night, when doctor offices are closed. There are sure signs for when to call 911 or hit the ER, and when urgent care of merely a call to your doctor is enough. → Read More

Here’s where to get free COVID test, treatment before holidays

The so-called ‘tripledemic’ is prompting a whole host of health concerns as the holidays near. Here’s how to prepare. → Read More

U-M hospital system to acquire Sparrow Health in latest Michigan merger

Lansing-based Sparrow is to become part of Michigan Medicine by next summer, offering midstate market share to U-M Health and better financial footing to Sparrow. → Read More

Michigan Democrats eye other abortion law changes as Prop 3 set to take effect

Proponents of a Michigan constitutional protections for abortion vowed existing limits remain in place. That doesn’t preclude a Democrat-led Legislature from eventually changing them. → Read More

Michigan hospitals lost 1,700 beds from staff shortages, seek more money

Over the past year, healthcare is one of many industries eyeballing federal relief dollars. Michigan hospital leaders say funds will bolster staff and protect health care and local economies. → Read More

Michigan takes steps to boost bed capacity for kids in mental health crisis

Michigan has lost hundreds of mental health treatment beds for kids in the juvenile justice and foster care systems due to staff shortages. Officials hope to boost staffing by offering steadier funding to residential treatment centers. → Read More

Michigan’s pandemic baby bump over: 2022 births sliding again

Preliminary data through June appears to show that any increase in Michigan births following COVID stay-at-home orders was just a blip. In a state aging faster than most, lagging birth rates present another challenge to its economic future. → Read More

As RSV packs Michigan hospitals, a new need emerges: baby cribs

Hospital-grade infant cribs can be rented temporarily for surges, but now an entire nation of hospitals is scrambling, with some local vendors out of supplies. Hospitals are also running short of specialized tubing. → Read More

Staffing woes foil Michigan efforts to keep residents out of nursing homes

The popular MI Choice program, which keeps low-income seniors and disabled residents in their homes, now has 4,000 open positions as state agencies struggle to hire direct-care staffers, even after offering higher pay. → Read More

Michigan doctor helps shine national focus on race bias in pulse oximeters

Dark skin can throw off oxygen level readings on a ubiquitous medical tool. Landmark research by a U-M team found that low oxygen levels are more likely to go undetected in Black patients, with dangerous consequences. → Read More

Doctors: Know who’s at Thanksgiving table as RSV continues to surge

C.S. Mott Children’s in Ann Arbor became the latest hospital to announce it was running short on pediatric beds. Doctors say Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings could make RSV, flu and COVID spread much worse for the most vulnerable. → Read More

Abortion locked into Michigan constitution. What comes next.

When does the law take effect? What about existing state laws? Will there be lawsuits? You have questions, Bridge has answers. → Read More

Michigan Proposal 3 abortion rights supporters declare victory

With 52 percent of the statewide vote in, support for Prop 3, which would enshrine abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution, was running ahead with about 53 percent of the vote. → Read More

Michigan logs 1st RSV child death as virus fills ERs and doctors’ offices

RSV and other respiratory viruses are riding a “bounce back” this fall as Michiganders and people around the nation return to pre-pandemic routines. → Read More

Michigan Proposal 3: Campaign fights ‘baldfaced’ lies about abortion issue

In the final days in the most expensive campaign in Michigan, volunteers working overtime to counter ‘confusing and extreme’ narrative of the constitutional amendment. → Read More

Flu shots down as Thanksgiving nears. And that’s only one threat.

After two years of low influenza rates, doctors fear Michigan may be in line for a severe flu season. There is already a rise in RSV cases, and COVID hospitalizations are rising. Bottom line, doctors say: Get your shot and wash your hands. → Read More

1-in-10 people in U.S. over 65 has dementia, U-Michigan study finds

Another 22 percent were found to have mild cognitive impairment. Dementia hit hardest among Black people, impairment hit higher for Hispanic participants. The findings hold implications for public policy and future health research. → Read More

Michigan’s 1.8M Catholics called on to stop Proposal 3. Will it work?

The state’s largest faith is mixing prayer and pragmatism in its fight against the ballot measure, trying to persuade even those who may generally favor abortion that the proposal is ‘extreme.’ → Read More

Medicare open enrollment begins in Michigan: What to know

There are some significant changes as open enrollment begins Saturday, offering beneficiaries the chance to review options for 2023 and make adjustments. But it’s still buyer beware. → Read More

With insulin costs rising, Michigan plots early steps to produce its own

Republican Senator Curt VanderWall and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are searching for companies who can manufacture the lifesaving drug in Michigan to lower costs. Two companies are talking back. → Read More