Supporting Early Childhood Mental Health and Stopping Invasive Speices Entering the Great Lakes

April 11, 2024 ~ Alissa C. Huth-Bocks, director of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and professor at the Department of Psychology at Wayne State University, joins Michigan Voices to talk about the Infant Mental Health Program at Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and the Early Childhood Support Clinic. These programs provide infant and early childhood mental health services and maternal/caregiver mental health services to parents and children in the community. It is designed to identify those parents who would benefit from mental health services as well as other support services.

Fishing is one of Michigan's great outdoor sports, but there is a threat to the Great Lakes waterways that could stop the sports fishing industry in Michigan. Researchers are working to keep invasive species out of the Great Lakes, with FishPass is the culmination of an effort to reconnect the Boardman/Ottaway River in Traverse City with Lake Michigan. The state of Michigan recently earmarked $1 million in its budget to support the GLFC efforts. Once FishPass is complete, the goal is to create replicable technology that can be used worldwide as a model for invasive species control. Michigan State University researcher Michael Wagner joins Michigan Voices to discuss the project and research.