By Kara Berg The baby court program functions as a combined problem-solving court and a typical family court, where most neglect, abuse and custody cases are handled. Judges handle cases and decide what services parents need, and when parents are able to regain custody of their children. The program is for parents of children up to age 4 who are either already in foster care or are at risk of going into foster care due to abuse or neglect. The 0-3 age group is overrepresented in Michigan's child welfare system; 27% of kids in foster care for abuse and neglect are aged 0-3 years old, despite making up 14% of the state's population. Michigan received a $3.125 million, five-year federal grant in December to add baby court programs in two counties and continue funding Wayne County's program, bringing the state's total number to four, including Wayne and Midland counties, said Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Bob Wheaton. The two new counties have not yet been chosen. Wayne County has had a baby court docket for more than a decade, said Wayne County Juvenile Referee Kathleen Allen, who oversees the program. The program has been funded by many sources, including a federal grant through Wayne State University; the Flinn Foundation, which focuses on improving mental health services; and a Michigan Health Endowment grant.  

By Bret Jaspers  It’s been about three months since Sophia Lewis’ son Shamond died after being arrested and taken to the Dallas County Jail. She wants answers. For now, she only has questions. Medical records say Shamond came to Parkland Hospital unresponsive. That was about thirteen hours after Dallas Police took him to the jail. He died six days after arriving at the hospital. Sophia wants to know what happened between his arrest and his arrival at the hospital. She was at the scene of the arrest. While he appeared to be having a psychotic episode, Sophia said he was otherwise physically fine. Shamond’s severe mental illness is at the heart of his story. The 24-year-old had struggled with schizophrenia for about five years, sometimes landing in law enforcement custody and other times in the care of a mental health facility. The conversation around how law enforcement responds to patients with mental illness often focuses on that first, unpredictable interaction on the street. Wayne State University professor and dean Sheryl Kubiak said there’s been an increased push for training and awareness that must go beyond the initial arrest. Kubiak researches the intersection of the criminal and legal systems and behavioral health. “We have to expand it not only to law enforcement officers on the street, but we also have to do it for law enforcement and corrections officers who are working in institutional settings,” Kubiak said. Kubiak says 20 to 25% of people in jails nationally are like Shamond Lewis — folks with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and serious depression. And jailers don’t always know that that’s what’s going on. “Because of confidentiality, it may be that just the medical staff has that information,” she said. “And I think that, unfortunately, jail administrators and jail staff aren’t generally trained in understanding mental illness or mental health.” 

Wayne State University is leading a project, called Recovering from Expected Flooding Under Residential Buildings (REFURB), which will use technology to improve recovery from and preparation for ongoing flooding in homes in eastside Detroit neighborhoods. The research team will focus on sewer systems that are undersized and poorly maintained. “Our focus will be in neighborhoods with older homes connected to again sewer systems that are undersized and poorly maintained due to racially-driven development policy and investment decisions,” said Richard Smith, REFURB principal investigator and associate dean for research and professor in the School of Social Work. The grant comes from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the Civic Innovation Challenge. Researchers will gather data, research what support is needed and develop systems to put in place for Detroiters. 

A Michigan State University professor will help lead a newly established suicide prevention research center focused on reaching people in the jail system who are at risk of taking their own lives. The National Center for Health and Justice Integration for Suicide Prevention will be funded for five years with a $15 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. The data gathered will be used to notify administrators at three Michigan jails taking part in the studies when someone who is being held is identified as at-risk for suicide and in need of further assessments or support, said Sheryl Kubiak, dean of social work at Wayne State University and director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice. Kubiak, who will oversee the study, said the jails involved aren’t yet finalized. She’s hoping it presents another tool for jail staff in identifying people in crisis and addressing that. “Most of the mechanisms that jails have when people come in are self-reporting,” she said, and while staff at every jail ask people during intake if they are suicidal, there are many things that stop people from being honest about their mental state.  

Data show that Generation Z youth are coming out at earlier ages than previous generations of sexual- and gender-diverse individuals. However, little is known about LGBTQ youth’s perspectives on how or if parent-child discussions at home about health and sexuality sufficiently meet their sexual education needs. A new study led by Dalmacio Flores from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, co-authored by Lloyd Allen of Wayne State University’s School of Social Work and Jacqueline A. Bannon of Northwestern University, has explored the perspectives of gay, bisexual, and queer cisgender males about inclusive parent-child sex communication. It underscores the importance of inclusive sexuality conversations between parent and child for closeted, questioning, or even heterosexual youth.