PAAdvisory Briefs

Hospitals Saving Money and Saving Lives

The Michigan Health and Hospital Association announced an improvement in patient care has not only attributed to saving lives, but has also saved money. An estimated $100 million was saved in 2014 by reducing patient readmissions in over 10,000 cases. From 2010 to 2014, hospitals reduced the number of early elective births by 60 percent, meaning healthier moms and newborns in approximately 2,900 cases. From 2012 to 2014, the use of catheters was reduced by 27 percent, lowering the overall risk of infection.

Oakland Circuit Court Named

Governor Rick Snyder announced Hala Jarbou and Jerry Matis to succeed to the Oakland Circuit Court. Ms. Jarbou is replacing new Court of Appeals Judge Colleen O’Brien. Ms. Jarbou is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Drug Task Force for the U.S. Department of Justice, and will run in 2016 for the full term as judge. Jerry Matis will succeed Judge Rudy Nichols. Mr. Matis is in private practice and is vice chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Mr. Matis will also run in 2016 for the term that ends in 2020.

Elizabeth Gorz to Join MAC

Elizabeth Gorz, former lobbyist at Capitol Affairs, is joining the Michigan Association of Counties as a governmental affairs associate. Ms. Gorz was previously a staffer for former Senate Majority Leader and current U.S. Representative Mike Bishop (R-Rochester). She has also served as an aide to Senator Tory Rocca (R-Sterling Heights) and former Senator, current U.S. Representative John Moolenaar (R-Midland).

Michigan 14^th Most Energy Efficient

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy announced that Michigan is the 14^th most energy efficient state in the nation. On the scorecard, Michigan received 23.5 of a total 50 points. This is a drop from a previous 12^th place ranking, likely due to not having an energy efficiency standard for state fleets and adopting federal efficiency standards for commercial and residential buildings. The American Council did praise, however, the loan programs for small businesses for energy efficiency and pollution prevention, the energy efficiency standards for state buildings, and energy efficient measures included in PA 295 of 2008.

Candidates for Wayne County Treasurer

With current County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz retiring, several candidates have applied for the position. Candidates include: Senator Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park); former Representative Phil Cavanagh of Redford Township; Etta Wilcoxon, a former candidate for Detroit city clerk and mayor; David Szymanski, former chief deputy county treasurer; Richard Hathaway, chief assistant to Prosecutor Kym Worthy; Beverly Kindle-Walker, previous county treasurer candidate; James Williams IV, former Wayne County Commission candidate; and Jerry Paffendorf of Loveland Technologies, a Detroit data firm. A three-person committee has been created for the election. Interviews are currently slated for early November.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, October 23, 2015 10:45 AM
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