Author

Estelle Slootmaker

Estelle Slootmaker's Latest Articles

Brian Nicholson, MiCAL program director for Oakland County-based crisis services agency Common Ground, takes a call for the Michigan Crisis and Access Line (MiCAL).
New mental health crisis line to roll out across Michigan

The new service is now available in Oakland County and Michigan's Upper Peninsula – and it's just the first step of a larger plan to roll out improved mental health crisis services across the state.

Eastern Market in Detroit.
How do you feed a state in crisis? Michigan Food Security Council report plans ahead

A recent report by the state's new Food Security Council examines response to food security issues during COVID-19 and how we can learn from it in the long term.

Sarah Milanowski, marketing and communications specialist with LifeCircles PACE, accompanies a PACE participant.
Little-known Michigan programs provide all-inclusive support for older adults to age at home

The PACE model provides comprehensive medical and social services at low or no cost to older adults who live at home.

Fresh Conversations participant LaDonna Johnson prepares to eat a corn salad she made using a recipe she got from the program.
Fresh Conversations inspires Detroit seniors to eat healthy and move more

A weekly nutrition class offered by the Methodist Children’s Home Society is helping seniors become more mindful about making healthy food and fitness choices.

AARP Michigan volunteer Howard Pizzo, AARP Michigan Communications Manager Mark Hornbeck, and AARP Michigan State Director Paula Cunningham on the Lansing River Trail.
Michigan pursues “age-friendly everything” to support growing older adult population

With the coming growth in Michigan's older adult population, the existing movement towards age-friendly health systems has broadened to embrace the concept of "age-friendly everything."

Rachel Bloch, the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency’s health education consultant and MFF SNAP-Ed program lead.
Innovative program makes CSAs accessible to Michigan families

A program called Michigan Farm to Family: CSA offers families fresh fruits and vegetables through local community supported agriculture shares at a reduced price.

Family Medical Center Behavioral Health Therapist Alexis Cavins and School Based Services Supervisor Meredith Gilliam at Wagar Middle School in Carleton.
Teletherapy and telepsychiatry visits help Southeast Michigan students improve mental health

The Family Medical Center of Michigan has developed a successful school-based behavioral telehealth program in partnership with 20 schools in Lenawee, Monroe, and Wayne counties.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools staffers prepare meals for pickup.
COVID reshaped how Michigan schools provide meals. Will the changes stick?

When COVID-19 prompted shifts in how, when, where, and to whom school meals were served, many of Michigan's schools responded with wildly successful meal programs. Now, many education professionals are hoping those shifts inspire permanent changes.

A young participant in The Learning Kitchen.
Cooking classes help Detroit youth knock out bad eating habits

Through a program called The Learning Kitchen, offered by GenesisHOPE Community Development Corporation, third through eighth graders are top contenders when it comes to eating more fruits and vegetables.

Isabel Romero looks at mementos of her family members who have died of COVID-19.
Grief in isolation: Michiganders navigate a disrupted grieving process during COVID-19

In the absence of many traditional, in-person rituals, the pandemic has forced many to grieve in extremely unusual ways.

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