Displaying items tagged: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

The COVID-19 vaccine is “the ticket out” of the pandemic and will play a key role in employees’ return to the workplace, state officials said Monday while announcing a workgroup to provide recommendations for office safety.

LANSING — The director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services abruptly resigned today.

Spectrum Health began offering COVID-19 vaccines Monday to people eligible under a second phase of a statewide vaccination rollout. The health system plans to expand the effort to additional locations and set up mobile clinics in the days ahead.

The state plans to hold another liquor buyback for bars and restaurants. A similar effort earlier this year by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) bought back $3.4 million in spirits from 673 liquor license holders, for an average of a little more than $5,000 per each bar and restaurant that was closed or had limited operations during the COVID-019 pandemic.

GRAND RAPIDS — Spectrum Health vaccinated its first medical staff today hours after receiving the first doses from Pfizer Inc., ushering in what President and CEO Tina Freese Decker called the “next chapter in our fight against COVID-19.”

The Whitmer administration has extended restrictions on indoor dining and various indoor entertainment facilities for 12 more days to help curb the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Hospitals want Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to extend restrictions that are set to expire tomorrow night extended through the holiday season.

The Michigan Strategic Fund has approved a $10 million COVID-19 relief grant program for small businesses that were harmed by recent state restrictions affecting restaurants and entertainment facilities.

GRAND RAPIDS — The production company behind more than a dozen consumer shows across Michigan has canceled three Grand Rapids events in early 2021 because of the risk of spreading COVID-19.

GRAND RAPIDS — Founders Brewing Co. has temporarily laid off 89 employees as the bar, restaurant, entertainment and hospitality industries cope with recent health guidelines handed down by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday called on state lawmakers to extend state unemployment insurance benefits that were previously expanded but are scheduled to sunset at the end of the year. 

The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association and two hospitality businesses filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in response to new business restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19.

KALAMAZOO — The final piece of a major revitalization project turning what is known as the Performance Paper Mill Site into a health services campus was recently completed by Lansing-based Boji Group.

Restaurant owners have had to get creative and at times take extreme cost-cutting measures to keep their doors open this year, indicating the COVID-19 pandemic’s long-term effects for the industry.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants state lawmakers to enact legislation requiring people in Michigan to wear a face mask.

Restaurant owners are seeking clarification from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on last week’s revised emergency order requiring bars and restaurants to gather names and contact information from patrons. 

Officials at large West Michigan health systems say they are now treating as many COVID-19 patients as they did back in the spring when the pandemic hit hard, brought daily routines to a halt and hospitalizations were at their peak.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has extended emergency orders that reinstates restrictions on gathering sizes and requires bars and restaurants to collect contact information from customers to aid in contract tracing.

Metro Health-University of Michigan Health likely will proceed with seeking state approval to perform open-heart surgery in Grand Rapids, a move that would bring more competition for the procedure to the local market.

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and the operator of a suburban Detroit psychiatric hospital each want to develop new inpatient mental health facilities in Kent County.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive order allowing gyms and pools statewide to reopen on Sept. 9 while also greenlighting competitive sports with caution.

KALAMAZOO — Bronson Healthcare Group plans to develop a new inpatient psychiatric center in Battle Creek by 2022 that would more than double its licensed inpatient beds for behavioral health care.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to have a disproportionate effect on Black Michigan residents, state officials have declared racism is a public health crisis requiring intentional programs and policies.

An updated state estimate on the need for more nursing home beds has led operators to propose dozens of projects in Michigan that call for hundreds of new beds.

Metro Health can now begin performing angioplasty on an elective basis after earning state approval.

A joint venture between Spectrum Health and Holland Hospital expects to begin construction this spring on a $50 million medical campus in the Grand Haven area.

At $271.2 million, the expansion and renovation at Mercy Health’s Hackley Hospital campus in Muskegon stands as one of the largest health care projects in Michigan today.