Over the last decade and a half, Michigan has lost specialty crops at nearly twice the rate of the U.S. on average, according to a report released in March by the Michigan State University Extension. More than 1,700 Southwest Michigan farms ceased operation between 2012 and 2022, the most recent year for which data is available.
As local governments use regulations to protect against the impacts of a changing climate, several new efforts in Kalamazoo show how going green can boost local economies while keeping people most susceptible to the harm of climate change safe in their own homes.
About 450 St. Joseph County households are behind on their rent, averaging about $800 in rent debt per household. Many of them are one emergency away from becoming one of the 40,000 Michigan households removed from their home by eviction each year.
"Anxiety will take as much room as you give it," says Patti Criswell, who has spent her career listening to and helping young people through mental health struggles.
"Trial and error is the hallmark of prescribing mental health medication. This test can help minimize, or even eliminate in some cases, that trial-and-error process." — Anna Langerveld, president and CEO of Kalamazoo's Genemarkers
Trained in the treatment of both physical and mental health needs, PMHNPs serve as a bridge between those worlds.
Michigan is repaying student loans for some mental health workers, a financial boost that keeps mental health workers on the job, caring for children.
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