Metro Detroit is home to both a large medically underserved inner-city population and world-class medical centers and universities engaged in cutting edge research and therapies. The challenge in 2013 was to cover both, while also educating the public about health care reform. Informing consumers about the Affordable Care Act was the top priority, but attention was also paid to public health issues such as Michigan’s school nurse shortage, and new treatments like a hospital’s clinical hoop house for brain injury patients. The reporter also studied Detroit child deaths for a story published in late January, and also collaborated on a future project with Kaiser Health News.
