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Michigan News

5 Michigan health centers get $2.5M to expand hours


A handful of community health centers in Michigan will soon expand their hours to serve patients before and after traditional work hours and on weekends.


Federally-funded health centers in Hamtramck, Grand Rapids, Pontiac, Traverse City and Calumet Township have each been allocated $500,000 from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund the additional hours of service, the Biden-Harris Administration announced Wednesday, Jan. 15.


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One Detroit and The Detroit News examine potential solutions to decrease maternal deaths in Michigan


There are 80 to 90 maternal deaths in Michigan each year, state data shows, numbers first reported by The Detroit News in July. The problem is further exacerbated for Black women, who are three times more likely to die from complications related to childbirth as compared to white women, according to Dr. Sonia Hassan, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University. 


Nationally, a report from the March of Dimes gave Michigan a C-minus grade, which has risen slightly from a D-plus grade since this summer, showing marginal improvement. However, other data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services provides a different perspective — a 33% increase in maternal deaths from 2019 to 2020. 


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Infant death rate dips to new low in Michigan


The state reported 607 infant deaths within their first year of life, compared to 99,178 live births, for a rate of 6.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births


While still higher than the provisional national average (5.6), it’s a slight improvement for Michigan from 6.2 in 2021 and 6.4 in 2022, according to the latest provisional data from the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).


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AAP News

CDC: 16 children have died of flu during 2024-'25 season 



Five pediatric influenza-associated deaths were reported in the week ending Jan. 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bringing the total number to 16 for the 2024-’25 season.


Four of the deaths were associated with influenza A viruses that had subtyping performed; three were A(H1N1) viruses and one was an A(H3) virus. One death was associated with an influenza B virus with no lineage determined.

Seasonal flu activity remains elevated across most of the country, which is expected to continue for several more weeks.


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AAP: Global commission’s new obesity criteria could have unintended consequences for children 


A new definition and diagnostic criteria for clinical obesity from a global commission of experts does not translate well to children and adolescents, according to experts at the AAP. 


The commission of 58 people representing multiple medical specialties and countries “sought to define clinical obesity and identify objective and pragmatic criteria for its diagnosis,” according to a consensus statement published Jan. 14 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. It recommends against using body mass index (BMI) as the sole determinant of obesity and suggests classifications of clinical obesity and preclinical obesity. 


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Pediatricians in the News

Dr. Christensen enhances pediatric care with new home visit service


Christensen explained that he was inspired to start his own private practice from a fellow doctor who specializes in internal and pediatric medicines that recommended this new model of seeing patients. 


"Out of all the other models of providing care to patients, he said this was better," Christensen said. "Both for your mental health and your experience with the patient."

Now, Christensen is expanding to provide at-home visits to better serve his patients and their families. He is looking to serve families in a 30-mile radius from Port Austin, however patients living within a 10-mile radius to Bad Axe's hospital do not currently qualify for Christensen's at home visits. 


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Charlie Christensen, DO


Bloomfield Hills Pediatrician Opens Clinic


Pediatrician Jaime Taylor, DO is opening her own clinic in Bloomfield Hills. Her clinic will be focused on eating disorder recovery.


"Through my years working with young people struggling with eating disorders, I realized it’s not just the eating disorder that makes recovery difficult, it’s the treatment as well. Families become overwhelmed, patients get tired and it’s tough to find a team that meets them where they are and supports them when it is all too much. 

Our team came together because we were tired of the hard.  We are here to ensure every patient and their family receives the skills needed to beat this illness in the easiest hard way possible."


Dr. Taylor is inviting the community to a grand opening reception at the clinic. Details in the image below. More about the clinic at the link.


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Jaime Taylor, DO

Partner Programs

We want your opinion! Please complete this 5 minute survey on teen mental health and screen time.

 

The relationship between screen time and mental health remains unclear. This anonymous survey was created by medical students and faculty researchers at Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine and Hurley Medical Center in order to understand pediatric provider perspectives of the relationship between screen time and adolescent mental health following COVID-19’s onset. There is no financial benefit to us as researchers from this project, nor is there monetary compensation for taking part in this survey. Survey findings will shape future screen time advocacy efforts and guidance for pediatric providers around adolescent screen time. Please ensure your perspective is accounted for by completing this survey today! 


CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

Updated Newborn Screening Cystic Fibrosis 139 Mutation Panel

 

The State of Michigan Newborn Screening (NBS) Program is working to establish infrastructure and framework to expand second-tier molecular analysis for cystic fibrosis (CF) screening. These efforts are supported by funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Health Resources Services and Administration (HRSA).

 

Screening for cystic fibrosis in Michigan utilizes a two-tiered approach. In the 1st tier, immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) is measured in every infant’s NBS specimen. Elevated IRT levels are associated with CF. For infants identified with elevated IRT, a 2nd tier mutation analysis of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene is performed. This two-tiered approach is the consensus standard for NBS and has been in place since Michigan began CF NBS in 2007. Currently, 2nd tier testing in Michigan is performed using the FDA-cleared Luminex xTAG CFTR 60 v2 kit, which tests for the presence of 60 CF-causing CFTR variants. Beginning early 2025, the Michigan NBS laboratory will switch to the next generation sequencing (NGS) based Illumina TruSight Cystic Fibrosis 139-Variant Assay, more than doubling the number of detectable CFTR variants.

 

The use of the 139-variant assay will greatly improve equity of cystic fibrosis screening, as most additional CF-causing variants are more prevalent in non-white populations. However, the 139-variant panel does not cover every possible CF-causing variant and the Michigan NBS laboratory’s transition to a 139-variant panel is the start of a long-term process to expand the variant panel to continuously improve CF screening quality and equity.

 

Updated educational materials, including the list of CFTR variants included on the 139-variant panel, can be found on the NBS website at: Hereditary Disorders (michigan.gov)

 

For direct email updates, sign up for the NBS list serv at the following link: https://forms.office.com/g/rFHkMvSc2a

 

For questions or comments on this change, please contact the Newborn Screening Program via email at newbornscreening@michigan.gov or via phone at 517-335-4181.


MI Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
106 W. Allegan, Suite 310, Lansing, MI 48933
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