U.S. water utilities are starting to curtail fluorosilicic acid additions and lower fluoride levels in water.  This situation will be aggravated as we get to the high water consumption periods of summer.  The fluorosilicic acid will also crimp solar panel output in China, which will affect RPS electricity generation here as well:

https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-teeth-decay-dentist-iran-israel-cavities-cc1127d5278674498fe580be9f88a243

https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-03/Fluorosilicic%20Acid%20Supply%20Chain%20Profile.pdf

Iran war has some US water utilities facing a fluoride shortage
By Devi Shastri - April 13, 2026

It’s not just gas prices: Some U.S. water utilities are reporting the Middle East war is disrupting their ability to maintain recommended fluoride levels in the drinking water.

Over the past few weeks, a few water utilities have said their supply had been disrupted, according to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. Fluoride is used in water systems as a public health measure to prevent tooth decay.

Here’s what to know.

What’s driving the fluoride shortage?

Israel is one of the world’s top exporters of fluorosilicic acid, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA data also shows the U.S. is among the world’s top five importers of the product.

At least one Israeli supplier has been facing workforce challenges because many employees have been called into active military service, said Dan Hartnett, chief policy officer for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.

“That has led to decreased production, and supply shortages for the U.S. market,” he said.

Not every water system is affected

The number of water utilities affected so far is small, but the shortage is affecting hundreds of thousands of people. As the conflict continues, “there will likely be additional stressors placed on the supply chain, leading to shortages in additional communities,” Hartnett said.

The country’s eighth largest water and wastewater utility, WSSC Water in Maryland, is among those facing a shortage. On April 7, utility officials said they were lowering the level of fluoride in the water to 0.4 milligrams per liter, down from the recommended 0.7 milligrams per liter.

Chuck Brown, spokesperson for the utility serving 1.9 million customers, said officials did not know how long the shortage would last, “but we feel confident that we’ll be able to stretch that out for a couple more months.”

In Pennsylvania, the borough of Lititz told its water customers it had to halt fluoridation for a couple weeks last month because of supply issues.

What dentists say you should do

Water utilities add fluoride voluntarily to improve communities’ oral health, so lower levels have no effect on drinking water safety.

A few months’ drop in fluoride levels is probably not a cause for concern for most people, said Dr. Scott Tomar, an American Dental Association community water fluoridation expert.

Research from places that stopped fluoridating their water — Calgary, Canada; Juneau, Alaska; and Israel — has found that lower levels can have an impact over the span of years.

“Based on the best available information we have, below about 0.5 milligrams per liter, you’re probably not going to see effective preventive exposure,” he said.

Tomar said younger children would be the first to experience tooth decay, because the fluoride strengthens enamel as their teeth are developing and once they’ve grown in.

He recommends people in shortage areas brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and keep up with their routine dental appointments. If people are concerned they aren’t getting enough fluoride, they should talk to their dentist before taking a fluoride supplement or other treatment.

What else should I know about fluoride in the water?

Research shows water fluoridation is beneficial even when it is also available through toothpaste and other means. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data.

The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. The American Dental Association credits it with reducing tooth decay by more than 25% in children and adults.

However, misinformation about fluoride’s safety has proliferated. Last year, Utah became the first state to ban public water fluoridation. And Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly sown doubt about its safety and restricted the use of fluoride for dental health.

“The levels we use in the United States is perfectly safe,” Tomar said. “Despite a lot of the misinformation, there are no adverse health effects associated with the levels we use in our drinking water.”

___

My response, after the Allegan County News' report. 

Clipped for length.

https://wilcoxnewspapers.com/senior-meal-switch-has-fallout/

Senior meal switch has fallout

Scott Sullivan    |   March 27, 2026

Arms are up in the precincts after the Allegan County Commission dumped 20-year senior meal provider Community Action for Allegan County in favor of Grandville-based Meals on Wheels for $8.50 per meal, compared to CAAC’s $12.27). CAAC’s 3-year contract was set to expire April 1 but came earlier.

The elected county board of commissioners pulled the plug March 9, awarding it MOW effective immediately

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The county board made its choice Feb. 26. Why did members cut CAAC’s contract early?
“It’s a power and control issue,” said Jim Storey, the lone COA member to vote “no.” Before then he was a 2013-2024 county board member who served five terms as the body’s chair..
He and 13-year CAAC executive director Lisa Evans believe early severance came as reprisal — “out of spite,” Storey told this newspaper — for the agency making clear it would take its case to the cities and townships countywide.
So far, Evans said as of March 20, she and/other CAAC representatives have spoken at Saugatuck, Allegan, Otsego, Plainwell and Wayland city council meetings, plus Saugatuck, Laketown, Leighton, Gun Plain, Trowbridge, Watson, Heath, Salem and Dorr township boards. “More are coming,” she said, “including Douglas.”
To date, Gun Plain Township, Otsego city and last Friday, March 20, Saugatuck Township officials have passed similarly-worded resolutions asking the county to reinstate daily hot meals and wellness check services for eligible county seniors.
Saugatuck Township first heard from Evans March 11, but had no action item on its agenda for the late-breaking county item. That had to wait nine days till the county could call a special meeting with senior meals as the single agenda item.

Saugatuck City

March 9 council meeting minutes show current District 3 county commissioner Brad Lubbers, backed by county administrator Rob Sarro, got out in front of matters by laying out some details.
They also note Storey and U.S. Congress candidate Diop Harris (D-Battle Creek) were on hand. Since 2020 the former has independently written and circulated an “Allegan Storey” blog.
Also CAAC board member Lubbers told council the county had “followed its standard process by issuing an RFP (request for proposals), evaluating bid options and voting.”
Why the sudden severance was not addressed
“Under the new model,” Lubbers conceded, “instead of five days a week of hot meals, seniors would receive one to three days a week of frozen meals based on factors including cost and logistics.”
He acknowledged mixed reactions among seniors — some preferring hot meals and frequent visits, others preferring frozen meals and fewer visits — and that MOW drivers will be new people to most clients.
But he stood firm that “the county’s goals include fiscal responsibility with millage funds and ensuring that anyone needing more frequent wellness checks can be connected to other Senior Millage.”
Some in council felt less assured. Mayor pro-tem Joe Clark that night voiced ,concern about changes being made with scant regard to those most affected and the abruptness of the decision.
Councilman Scott Dean echoed Clark’s concerns, adding he would like to look into the matter further to ensure the community is raising, not lowering, the bar on services for vulnerable seniors.
Peer Gregory Muncey concurred, saying he found it “odd that council has just been informed of a significant shift that will take effect very soon.”

Saugatuck Township

At the township’s March 11 board meeting, Storey called his ex-county board peers’ action “mean-spirited.”
“The county pulled a fast one on us,” said CAAC driver Elizabeth Engels. “My heart goes out to our seniors.”
Daily checkups matter too.
“We are the eyes and ears of our clients,” said Evans. “We have found and helped seniors we’ve found fallen. It’s important we check on them every day.”
Township trustee Stacey Aldrich called these stories “heartbreaking” and helped set up last Friday’s special meeting.

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“CAAC,” Storey’s March 18 account went on, “was mocked for its 20-year-record of superior senior service. It was accused of not fixing some poorly-maintained homes discovered by MOW following its sudden take-over of the meals program.
“The comment was in apparent ignorance of a proposal CAAC recently presented to the COA for a home repair program funded by the senior millage. That proposal was rejected by the county and COA.
“The meals program does not fund home repairs. CAAC has funded some repairs for seniors using federal and state grants, but not all senior meal recipients qualify for the income-restricted fed and state programs.
“Allegan taxpayers,” Storey wrote, “fund the meals program through a special millage, funds that will now go to the Kent County outfit.”

Wait, there was more: three anecdotes culled from CAAC records by Storey, without giving last names for confidentiality reasons, included:

Anita from Pullman wrote “… daily meals from (CAAC) is my only real source of having one balanced meal daily. I am bedridden and can no longer shop or cook for myself.
Nell (no home city pr township given) wrote, “I enjoy the hot meals. Without them every day sometimes I’m not sure what I would do.” Nell’s son added, “When I’m at work, it (hot meals 5x a week), helps her a lot because she has dementia and forgets how to use the oven and even sometimes the microwave.”
Linda wrote, “I have multiple sclerosis diagnosed 56 years ago. My life is very difficult. I would like to have meals fresh and not frozen.”
Fred and Candice wrote, “My husband has dementia. We are homebound. We had an emergency where I needed an ambulance. Meal delivery came and Faith (meal driver) made sure my husband was cared for.”

County Response

Sarro, addressing the Dorr Township board Thursday, March 19, appeared to have moved the goalposts, telling trustees MOW would now offer 5-day-a-week meal delivery options.
He clarified that in a letter to all municipalities Friday:

“Dear Local Unit Leader,
“I am following up on the communication I sent to you March 5, attached for your reference. The county’s focus remains on serving our seniors throughout the transition to a new service provider for home-delivered mail, and there are no plans to deviate from the service change.
“The needs of clients continue to be monitored through direct client assessments. Flexibility and varying needs are a common theme. As such, I am pleased to announce this Breaking News:
“The County and Meals on Wheels (MOW) have amended their agreement to allow delivery to occur as little as one day a week if the client requests such and their assessment supports it, up to five days a week (every weekday, excluding holidays) with the option of a hot meal (heated in-home by the driver with the client’s permission).
“If your local unit has questions about Home Delivered Meals or any County-supplied senior service, please contact me (Sarro’s phone is (269) 998-3386) and I will be happy to meet with you.

“Sadly,” Sarro went on, “the county is observing significant misinformation being released by other parties. While we have taken the position not to debate or defend against such information, the county understands local units may need factual information …

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I'm grateful to The Allegan News for publishing my response today.

"Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are the “unhealthiest” Medical Technician profession.  They have the highest turnover rate among Technician occupations at 42 percent and the lowest Wage rank with only 19.5 percent growth from 2013 to 2023. EMTs are the only type of Medical Technician that makes less than Michigan’s median hourly wage ($17.34 vs. $22.57), and Paramedics, despite having the highest Wage rank of the Medical Technician occupations, barely earn more than Michigan’s median hourly wage ($22.98 vs. $22.57)."

The resultant Emergency Medical Services (EMS) shortages are most acute in rural areas of Michigan:

https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/providers-face-extreme-shortage-of-paramedics-emts-in-rural-michigan/

https://www.mhc.org/_files/ugd/24abcc_06a02541eebb4735b526ea5d9af2e294.pdf

Providers face ‘extreme shortage’ of paramedics, EMTs in rural Michigan
By Eli Newman - March 27, 2026

• Michigan’s EMS agencies face a staffing crisis driven by low wages, high burnout and a training pipeline that can’t keep pace with vacancies
• Industry experts estimate more than 500 vacancies in the state
• Investment in training programs varies with economic conditions, an expert says

Paramedics and emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, face a harsh reality in Michigan — shrinking revenue has left emergency medical service agencies grappling with multiple financial issues at once, with staffing being their top expense.

Despite the state investing millions of dollars in grants to train workers, staff shortages that began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to strain EMS agencies, especially in rural communities.

“The fact that they exist is only due to the need and the willingness of people to get involved in this line of work,” said state Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, who volunteers as a paramedic on a rescue squad that covers 1,000 square miles of the Upper Peninsula.

EMS is not considered an “essential” service in Michigan, just like most of the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Without the designation, funding becomes discretionary — local governments have the option whether or not they want to fund their ambulances.

The state has more than 29,000 EMS providers working across nearly 800 life support agencies statewide, according to the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services. Industry experts say there are more than 500 vacancies for paramedics and EMTs.

Low wages, high turnover

The field is notorious for burnout. Paramedics and EMTs regularly handle the state’s worst medical traumas and receive wages similar to fast-food workers.

EMTs are considered to be in the “unhealthiest” medical technician profession in the state, by the Michigan Health Council, a health care research nonprofit — below dental hygienists, surgical technologists and occupational therapy assistants. The ranking reflects the profession’s low wages and high turnover rate.

The health council said paramedics, who receive more advanced training than EMTs and are ranked as the most paid medical technician, “barely” earn more than Michigan’s median hourly wage.

Stress is cited as a primary reason for leaving the profession for both EMTs and paramedics. First responders are at higher risk than the general population for suicide.

Time and energy

The training of EMTs and paramedics is tied to the boom and bust cycle of the economy, according to Angela Madden, executive director of the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services.

Investment in education goes up when the “economy tumbles,” she said, but in a boon, people are more likely to take an hourly job with decent pay that forgoes the extra effort — factory and restaurant workers can begin working immediately without spending “money and time and energy” training to be a first responder.

EMS agency leaders describe a steady attrition rate of paramedics and EMTs quitting for better pay, pursuing careers in nursing or as other health care professionals, if not leaving the field altogether.

The state had roughly 4,700 employed EMTs and 3,250 employed paramedics in 2024, according to a Michigan Health Council workforce index.

Going to work

Tri-Hospital EMS in St. Clair County has worked to address a lack of first responders in its communities by integrating its own in-house training through the support of state grants and local millages. The scholarship program covers tuition and provides a wage for enrollees to come to class.

Without outside support, those seeking careers in EMS are on their own to fund their education and find jobs.

EMTs require several weeks of training. Paramedics can take anywhere from 10 to 14 months to get licensed and state lawmakers have recently worked to lower the cost for accreditation exams. Courses can cost thousands of dollars.

Cummings said he learned that people are not willing to go through that first responder training “just for the sake of going to school” — they want clear outcomes.

“If you take one of our programs, you’re pretty much in line to be hired by us and work in the field and actually earn an income,” he said.

While Tri-Hospital EMS has developed a sustainable model of recruitment and retention in St. Clair County, Cummings said other agencies elsewhere in the state are still reeling from the ongoing staff vacancies that began in the years after the pandemic.

“There’s still a pretty extreme shortage of paramedics across the state of Michigan, in particular in the rural areas,” he said. “Those areas lack sufficient training programs in which to produce those paramedics. That’s one of the reasons why there’s such a shortage in the rural market.”

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/03/mother-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-murder-in-sons-2019-cancer-death.html

Mother sentenced to life in prison for murder in son’s 2019 cancer death
By Dylan Goetz | March 24, 2026

LAPEER, MI – Elizabeth DuBois, a 43-year-old convicted in the 2019 death of her son Austin Raymond, is to spend the rest of her life in prison.

She was found guilty of murder and first-degree child abuse after a seven-day trial before Judge Michael J. Nolan on Jan. 23.

Nolan on Monday, March 23, sentenced DuBois to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court documents.

DuBois was accused of neglecting to seek medical treatment for her son despite his pleas. Raymond originally testified against his mother at a preliminary examination in the case.

When he was 15 years old, Raymond said he noticed something was wrong with his throat in July 2016. The symptoms continued to get worse, and eventually he had trouble eating and speaking, according to his testimony.

By November, Raymond couldn’t eat solid foods. He continued to ask for medical attention, but he testified that DuBois said he “was fine,” according to his testimony.

Raymond weighed just 86 pounds near the end of 2016. Child Protective Services began investigating around that time.

A CPS investigator told DuBois to take her son to get medical treatment. Instead, Raymond’s stepfather did. A physician told them to follow up with a specialist about possible polyps.

Family members later took Raymond to a local hospital, and he was referred to the University of Michigan Hospital, where he was diagnosed with chordoma, a form of cancer, according to his testimony.

Raymond eventually died from complications from his cancer just after the child abuse case was bound over to circuit court for trial. He was 19.

After an appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court, Lapeer County prosecutors had a felony murder charge added to DuBois’ case.

Raymond enjoyed fishing, hunting, and watching baseball, according to his obituary.

Typical sewage sludge contaminants:

• Inorganic and organic heavy metals & compounds such as cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, mercury, and chromium
• Organic pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, including PFAS/PFOS compounds and recreational drugs
• Harmful bacteria and viruses.

Is this adversely affecting the health of rural Michigan residents?

https://brownstone.org/articles/the-sludging-of-rural-america/

The Sludging of Rural America
By Paula YockelPaula Yockel  - March 13, 2026

• Yes, sludge contains the nine regulated metals, plus 21 others. Many metals are individually classified as carcinogenic or neurotoxic, while inhalation exposure to multiple metals simultaneously has compounding health effects.
• Statistical analyses show that metals’ presence and concentrations in animal lung and liver tissues within our studied community closely correlate with metals in locally land-applied sludge, with associations exceeding what could be considered chance.
• Viable, culturable, bacterial pathogens were found in our federally compliant sludge with gram-positive cocci—staph and strep—being the most prevalent.
• Soon after sludge was applied, four of the six antibiotic-resistant pathogens—that are most prevalent among deaths from drug-resistant infection—were viable in the sludged soil; and 30 days after land application, three were still viable in the soil.
• Metagenomic sequencing conducted on our samples showed significant presence of antibiotic-resistant genes signaling resistance to critical drugs of last resort.
• RNA and DNA evidence indicate that human viruses and zoonotic parasites (which infect both humans and animals) can become airborne from sludge and infect neighboring families. (This medical episode could’ve taken my life.)
• In a 44-minute headspace study, sludge released 100 organic compounds into the air. Inhalation of SVOCs and VOCs is associated with leukemia, bone and other cancers, liver and kidney disease, immune and reproductive disorders, gender dysphoria, central nervous system damage, and other illnesses.
• PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in the sludged topsoil we tested were in excess of 75,000 ppt. Topsoil becomes dust in homes. For comparison, the maximum contaminant level for PFOA in drinking water is 4 ppt.
• Dioxin is among the most toxic substances known to mankind. More than 140 dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs were detected. Dioxin was also detected in animal lung tissue in our studied community, indicating plausible inhalation exposure for nearby families.
• DNA shows sludge becomes airborne and travels into the homes of neighbors.
• The relative risk of disease in our studied community—where my family lived for many years, and where sludge has been land-applied for decades—shows more than 125 diagnoses with statistically significant greater risk compared to our State of Oklahoma, including myeloid leukemia, bone cancer, infection, mental health and cognitive disorders, birth defects of the limbs, heart and lung disease, reproductive disorders and many other life-altering conditions.
• And remember, for land application, the federal rule ignores all pollutants except nine metals and a fecal indicator.

• Referring to sewage sludge as “organic” is deceptive. In the context of sludge, organic simply means carbon-containing. Our samples were approximately 65 percent organic carbons. PFAS are organic. Benzene is organic. Both are in sludge.
• Yes, there are plant nutrients commingled in toxic sludge, such as nitrogen—and very high levels of phosphorus, which the rule doesn’t disclose. Excess nutrient is also pollution.
• If Truth in Advertising and fertilizer disclosure laws applied to the marketing of “biosolids,” toxic sewage sludge wouldn’t be used as fertilizer.

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/medtech/stryker-hit-international-cyberattack-linked-pro-iran-group

Stryker hit by international cyberattack linked to pro-Iran group

Conor Hale     |    Mar 11, 2026 1:22pm

The hack began affecting Stryker’s Microsoft-powered servers and mobile devices shortly after midnight Eastern time. (Stryker)

Stryker has fallen victim to a global cyberattack, with many of its enterprise systems having their data remotely wiped and leaving employees unable to log in to their computers and smartphones.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the pro-Iran group Handala has publicly taken credit for the incident on social media, in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country, with claims of deleting and extracting information from more than 200,000 systems.

The hack began affecting Stryker’s Microsoft-powered servers and mobile devices shortly after midnight Eastern time. The Wall Street Journal reported that employees were told to disconnect all company-issued hardware from the internet or not power it on, and to delete work profiles from smartphones. At the same time, a Handala logo began appearing on login pages.

Related
Masimo reports cyberattack slowing manufacturing, sales

The local West Michigan TV station, FOX 17, said that Stryker's global headquarters in Portage, located outside Kalamazoo, has been closed as a precaution, citing a sign posted on the door urging employees to stay off the company network as well as an empty parking lot.

And in Ireland, home to Stryker’s largest manufacturing hub outside the U.S. and about 5,000 employees, the Cork-based Irish Examiner reported that some medical device production systems have been shut down.

In a public statement, Stryker said it has found no indications of ransomware or malware and that it believes the incident is contained.

“Stryker has business continuity measures in place to continue to support our customers and partners,” the company wrote. “We are committed to transparency and will keep stakeholders informed as we know more.”

Globally, Stryker counts about 56,000 employees operating in 61 countries.

Following the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran and its retaliation against countries and U.S. bases across the Middle East, multiple international drugmakers have been evaluating the safety of their workforces and their supply chains.

https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2026/03/msp-part-of-response-to-shooting-at-henry-ford-hospital.html

MSP part of response to shooting at Henry Ford Hospital
By Sam Jane | March 6, 2026

DETROIT, MI - Police are investigating a shooting altercation that happened Thursday night between a suspect and security staff at a hospital parking lot near Detroit.

The Grosse Pointe Woods Police Department is investigating the incident at Henry Ford St. John Hospital on Moross Road, according to Michigan State Police. State troopers said they arrived at about 12:10 a.m. Friday to provide a K-9, evidence technicians and other investigative assistance.

A Henry Ford Health spokesperson told CBS Detroit that one its security officers was looking into suspicious activity in the parking lot when a person opened fire towards them. The officer fired back and struck one of the suspects, who is receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

MSP said “several suspects” were involved. Henry Ford Health said that the hospital remains open.

“The safety and well-being of our team members, patients and community is our top priority, and we are grateful our officer was unharmed,” the hospital said in a statement, according to CBS Detroit.

https://detroitmi.gov/news/mayor-sheffield-appoints-ali-abazeed-mph-mpp-citys-new-chief-public-health-officer-tasks-him

Mayor Sheffield appoints Ali Abazeed, MPH, MPP, as City’s new Chief Public Health Officer; tasks him with incorporating public health into all aspects of City government
March 2, 2026

• Abazeed served as the founding director of Dearborn’s highly respected Health Department, building it from the ground up and establishing innovative, high-impact approaches to public health programming and communication
• Also brings years of experience at the federal level at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, including substantial work within The National Institutes of Health
• Abazeed to lead key focus areas of the Sheffield Administration, including widely integrating public health concepts within City departments, strategies and operations to benefit the health and well-being of all Detroiters

Unstated in this report is what all the armchair experts would actually have done, had they been ordered to face down the psychotic with a sword. Even a masterful "care based response" tends to fall apart when confronted with cold steel.  By the time an unmedicated psychotic reaches this stage, "care based responses" are futile.  The damage done in this incident may have been caused by the Ypsi PD, but the necessity to do such damage was inevitable, given the failure of the psychotic's court ordered mental health treatments. 

The original photographs in this Bridge Magazine report are worth a view.  The damage which occurred during this police action is simply breathtaking:

https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/how-a-sword-and-swat-standoff-sparked-fury-over-michigan-mental-health-crisis/

How a sword and SWAT standoff sparked fury over Michigan mental health crisis
By Lauren Gibbons - February 23, 2026

• A Jan. 4 911 call became a 30-hour standoff between a Ypsilanti man experiencing mental health symptoms and several police agencies
• Neighbors and community advocates are calling for leniency for the man, who faces eight felonies and remains in psychiatric hold
• Police have defended the response, but critics see “systemic failure” of law enforcement struggling to deal with mental health situations

Ruben Peeler’s downstairs neighbor and landlords knew he needed help — help they couldn’t provide.

So they did what they thought they were supposed to do, calling 911 on multiple occasions as the Ypsilanti man’s behavior grew more erratic and their efforts to break through weren’t working. They called again on Jan. 4, reporting to dispatchers that Peeler, 53, was pounding on his neighbor’s door with a “large, long wooden stick.”

They had no idea that call would trigger a more than 30-hour standoff involving multiple law enforcement agencies, a SWAT team, tear gas, a fire hose, a long-range acoustic device, flash-bangs, utility shutoffs and a demolition crew that ripped a hole through the brick exterior of what had been Peeler’s second-floor apartment on West Cross Street before he was subdued and taken into custody.

Police said Peeler, a man with a well-documented history of severe mental health conditions, spent most of those 30-plus hours barricaded in his bedroom, armed with a katana sword. He’s been charged — but not yet arraigned — with multiple felonies, including assault with a dangerous weapon.

The overwhelming response has sparked a debate over how law enforcement should respond to mental health crises in Michigan. Critics call it a “systemic failure” that underscores how police too often resort to force — even in areas like Washtenaw County, which funds unarmed mobile crisis teams designed to work in tandem with law enforcement during mental health emergencies.

In this case, it resulted in “the torture of our friend Ruben and the destruction of the home that I purchased for my mother,” Samantha Danek, who co-owns the house with her husband, told the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in public comments last month.

The incident sent shock waves through Ypsilanti, a politically progressive college town southeast of Ann Arbor where city and county law enforcement leaders have publicly endorsed community-focused policing and nontraditional approaches to handling mental health emergencies.

Though there have been growing calls statewide for alternatives, experts say a 911 dispatch often remains the go-to option in situations where a person experiencing a mental health crisis is in danger of hurting themselves or others.

But if an already unpredictable situation turns volatile when law enforcement arrives, there’s no guarantee of a positive outcome — and in situations like Peeler’s, how the situation plays out can impact trust in the process, said Marianne Huff, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan.

“People are told if your loved one is in the throes of a psychiatric crisis, you call law enforcement,” Huff told Bridge Michigan, later adding: “The flip side is that you could have a bad result if you do that.”

The Ypsilanti Police Department and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office declined to speak with Bridge Michigan about the Cross Street incident, citing an ongoing internal investigation.

But in a Jan. 8 statement, the sheriff’s office applauded responding officers’ handling of the matter, citing “their unwavering dedication to service” as the reason why no one was seriously injured or killed.

In the weeks since, neighbors who witnessed what happened, public officials and other community members have insisted that law enforcement did not handle the situation appropriately.

“They just took somebody who…needed clinical intervention, and they turned him into a criminal,” said Dawn Keech, who serves as president of the Normal Park Neighborhood Association where the incident transpired.

“There’s just nothing about how any of this turned out that makes me feel like anybody deserves a pat on the back or congratulations.”

‘A total loss’

Many residents have called for leniency for Peeler, who currently faces eight felony charges related to the standoff for assault with a dangerous weapon and resisting police officers. An online fundraiser for Peeler’s legal fees has raised close to $10,000.

More than a month later, Peeler still hasn’t been arraigned on the charges and remains in court-ordered psychiatric treatment, court records show.

In a Jan. 9 statement, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners implored police and the county prosecutor’s office to drop the charges, arguing the decision to pursue criminal charges “risks further harm to someone who needed support, not punishment.”

Peeler has lived in Washtenaw County for decades, where he’s worked as a gas station clerk, produced his own music and video projects and designed footwear, according to his personal website, social media accounts and other available public records.

Prior to the January incident, Peeler had been detained and hospitalized in Washtenaw County several times since 2004 due to symptoms of bipolar disorder, a Bridge Michigan analysis of publicly available criminal and probate court records found. His most recent court-ordered hospitalization was in June 2023.

Court records show Peeler at times disagreed with doctors about the characterization of his condition and the course of his treatment plan, at one point appealing a judge’s order that he receive additional treatment recommended by his attending physician. That appeal was dismissed by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

In testimony to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners last month, Danek, Peeler’s landlord, said he’d been living in the Cross Street house for years when her family purchased the house as a permanent residence for her mother.

Peeler “quickly became part of our family,” Danek told commissioners, looking after her mother and handing out Halloween candy with her family. When he showed signs of struggling, she said her family offered what support they could and tried to direct him to relevant services, but noted “he was very skeptical of the system.”

Even as the situation escalated to calling 911 in January, Danek told the commission her mother wanted to stay and advocate on Peeler’s behalf. In the ensuing chaos, Danek said, the water damage, chemicals and partial demolition destroyed her mother’s apartment, too.

“Everything is a total loss,” she said. “She did the right thing. She lost everything.”

From house call to ‘full force’

When local law enforcement first responded to the Cross Street call on that chilly Sunday afternoon, several neighbors who spoke with Bridge or shared their experience in local government hearings said they initially didn’t think much of it.

As the hours ticked by, though, more police from multiple law enforcement agencies continued to arrive. An armored vehicle and fire truck showed up. The street was blocked, and multiple neighbors have said they were told they couldn’t enter or exit their homes without police escort.

Greg Woodring, who observed much of the standoff from his yard down the street, said he and other observers witnessed tear gas and flash grenades get thrown into the house periodically for hours and heard hours’ worth of negotiators’ attempts to connect with Peeler via a loudspeaker, efforts Woodring said were “completely undercut” by other law enforcement activity.

Woodring said he was shocked when a fire hose sprayed water repeatedly into the home, especially considering how cold it was. When responders punched a hole through the wall and began dismantling the front of the building, “I was just screaming, trying to get them to stop,” he said.

“It just felt like the military state had just decided to come down into my little neighborhood and show its full force,” Woodring said. “It makes you feel helpless…it’s terrifying.”

At one point during the standoff, Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer spoke with Woodring and other residents about the situation, which Woodring recorded on video. Dyer told them the response from multiple agencies was necessary because Ypsilanti police didn’t have the resources to handle the situation alone.

“The reason it takes so long is we don’t rush in, we wait, we talk, we negotiate…our goal is to get this person safely into custody so the person does not hurt themselves or hurt someone else,” Dyer said.

Asked by community members why the joint response involved use of tear gas and other tactics, Dyer said police “tried for hours and hours without all this…it wasn’t working.”

Annie Somerville, a Washtenaw County commissioner representing the city of Ypsilanti, said in her view, the tactics that were used far exceeded what was necessary.

“When has a local SWAT team used a water hose to get somebody out of a home, who had not committed a crime or harmed anyone, in the middle of winter after turning the heat off?” Somerville said. “He could have died.”

Responding to crisis

Washtenaw County is no stranger to conversations surrounding how best to respond to mental health needs.

In 2017, county residents voted 2-to-1 in favor of a millage funding a 24/7 mental health line and related services aimed at connecting residents in need with care providers and other support, as well as crisis response programs and expanded education and training for first responders.

Much of that work is housed in Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, which runs the hotline and has unarmed mobile crisis teams that can be dispatched, as well a crisis response unit and crisis negotiation team that can work with law enforcement to de-escalate high-risk mental health situations.

Local law enforcement leaders have also previously expressed openness to improving how mental health emergencies are handled.

Dyer, who took office in 2025 and has a background in social work as well as law enforcement, told the Eastern Echo in a January 2025 interview that improving mental health services for officers and decriminalizing extenuating circumstances like mental health conditions and poverty was a priority for her.

“Law enforcement is so militaristic, and it oftentimes creates an environment where people feel like they’re walking on eggshells when they work in policing,” she told the student newspaper at the time.

“We have co-response, but also, there’s so many times when there may be something going on when the police are not needed, and it’s really a better fit to have a mental health responder or an unarmed responder show up to help address those needs,” she continued.

In a Jan. 8 statement, agency officials said Washtenaw County Community Mental Health was not contacted by law enforcement or anyone else about Peeler’s situation in the months prior to the Jan. 4 incident. They found out through the crisis negotiation team’s eventual involvement.

Somerville, the county commissioner, said clearer cross-communication between 911 dispatch and the county’s mental health hotline would be a good start towards getting mental health professionals involved sooner to prevent similar escalations.

Considering the mental health resources at the county’s disposal, Somerville said residents who might not know those resources exist or how to access them should be told about it if they contact another agency.

“There should never be a reason where somebody contacts our 911 dispatch or a local law enforcement agency and they don’t even get informed about the fact that we have a 24/7 crisis line,” she said. “There’s just no system that currently exists that requires that information to be shared.”

Statewide, Michigan has a mental health court system designed to keep people living with mental health conditions out of criminal courts, as well as a variety of jail diversion programs.

There are limitations to who can participate, however, particularly when a person is charged with violent crimes. Experts say outcomes can also vary widely based on where the incident takes place, the individual circumstances of the case and whether judges offer leniency in order to divert people with diagnosed mental health conditions to treatment instead of jail.

Law enforcement actions

Complicating Peeler’s case was the presence of a katana sword, which police say he wielded repeatedly as he evaded police efforts to communicate with him and convince him to exit the house.

A partially redacted copy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office report of the incident indicates Peeler at one point “took up a defensive position with his sword and used a door (that was unhinged) as a shield.”

Another officer on the scene reported that they “observed the blade of a sword plunge … in a stabbing motion multiple times” in the direction of law enforcement.

In comments to the local radio station WEMU shortly following the incident, Ypsilanti Police Chief Tim Anderson said the incident was a “terrible situation all around” but defended the actions of his responding officers.

“I don’t know that mistakes were made,” he told the outlet. “He was armed with a sword…I think officers were acting in good faith.”

At city and county government hearings since the incident, crowds have poured in to express their distaste with the situation and concerns that something similar could happen again.

Additionally, more than 100 community members have signed onto a letter demanding accountability and changes in how local law enforcement agencies handle mental health emergencies, calling what transpired a “systemic failure” caused in part by treating care-based crisis response as an afterthought.

“What we witnessed was a systemic failure, with inadequate frameworks and resources for responding to what was in fact a mental health emergency,” the letter reads.

Citing Denver’s STAR program and other US cities that send mental health workers and medics instead of police to respond to low-risk 911 calls, the letter suggests Washtenaw County has a similar opportunity to make unarmed mental health professionals primary responders in mental health crises.

The letter also called on local law enforcement to eliminate the use of several tools used during the standoff in future mental health emergencies, including tear gas, flash-bangs, battering rams, power tools, fire hoses, long-range acoustic devices, drones, assault rifles, snipers, and prolonged sensory tactics.

Yodit Mesfin Johnson, a community leader who led drafting of the letter, has researched and supported alternatives to policing for years.

She said she’s relieved that Peeler got out of the situation alive, but wants local law enforcement and government leaders to understand that a realistic alternative where Peeler, his neighbors and the community at large weren’t subjected to destruction and trauma in the process was possible.

“This is not an anti-police stance,” she told Bridge. “To me, this is a lack of imagination and an expectation of police to provide a care-based response that is unrealistic when they are trained to kill, not trained to help heal.”

The aftermath

The Cross Street house where the standoff took place remains boarded up, with sheets of plywood and house wrap covering broken windows and the hole law enforcement drilled into the front of the building.

In front of the decimated house, there’s now a large heart-shaped board filled with handwritten messages of encouragement for Peeler and his downstairs neighbor — a visual reminder that the community hasn’t forgotten what transpired there.

Both the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and the Ypsilanti City Council are considering opening independent investigations into the incident, which could come up for votes as soon as March.

At the council’s Feb. 3 meeting, members postponed further discussion on whether to do so to March 3, based on city officials’ words of warning that starting an investigation before the criminal trial concludes could expose the city to legal liability and interfere with ongoing police work.

Some council members feared the possibility of indefinite delay based on that rationale.

“At what stage in this legal process will you come before us and say, ‘OK, now you can do this?’” council member Patrick McLean said at the meeting. “Because I have great worry that the answer is two years from now.”

Woodring, one of Peeler’s neighbors, said he’s concerned by the “extravagant use of resources” that were used when dealing with one person with a sword, noting that he can’t imagine a situation where local law enforcement needs to have or use that type of equipment.

And Keech, the neighborhood association president, said the situation has shattered her trust in local police, because what she and her neighbors saw diverged widely from what law enforcement agencies described. If she needs help in the immediate future, she said, “I’m not calling for help.”

With few questions answered in the nearly two months since the incident, Keech said she’s concerned the multi-day terror her community experienced will fade into the past without any meaningful change.

“I just want to hear somebody say, ‘You’re right, this shouldn’t have happened like this, we should be able to do better,’” she said. “(Law enforcement) not only didn’t protect us, but…caused intentional damage to other humans into a home and into a neighborhood.”

https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/oakland-county-diverts-mental-health-patients-to-ers-amid-crisis-center-takeover/

Oakland County diverts mental health patients to ERs amid crisis center takeover
By Eli Newman - February 17, 2026

• Law enforcement is Oakland County is being asked to divert individuals in severe psychological crisis to hospitals rather than a designated facility in Pontiac
• Critics say the practice burdens both emergency departments and police officers, who lack specialized training and resources
• The Michigan Mental Health Association says the action is having a “chilling effect” on network providers

TROY – Mental health advocates are worried that a transition in crisis care in Oakland County is causing major service disruptions for adults in psychological emergencies.

Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN), which manages a behavioral health provider network that serves about 30,000 county residents, notified local law enforcement last month to request “individuals in crisis be diverted to the local Emergency Departments” rather than be admitted to the county’s Resource and Crisis Center in Pontiac.

Using the ER to care for mental health patients in crisis is a controversial practice sometimes called “psychiatric boarding.”

The decision pushes out Oakland County’s timeline to fully absorb adult mental health services as it pivots away from contracting out some of that work. Until recently, a nonprofit provider, Common Ground, operated a 24/7 residential crisis center in Pontiac that serves all of Oakland County.

Oakland Community Health Network assumed responsibility for the Pontiac Resource and Crisis Center in late January following the acrimonious end of the county’s relationship with Common Ground.

Some operations are temporarily paused at the center, leaving Oakland County unable to take in severe mental health cases brought in by police for crisis stabilization, as well as run the center’s short-term, voluntary crisis residential program that serves as an alternative to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

Officials say nine individuals receiving care at the center were discharged on Jan. 29, when OCHN assumed responsibility for all adult crisis center crisis services.

“We don’t have the full staffing needed to operate that unit safely,” Trisha Zizumbo, chief operating officer for OCHN, told Bridge Michigan.

Executives at the public agency estimate they have about 50 positions left to fill before normal operations can resume, having brought on about 100 employees, many from Common Ground, during the transition.

Dana Lasenby, OCHN’s chief executive officer, said the agency is awaiting a state license to operate its residential crisis program, and that there are “contingencies in place that are working” that allow the site to continue providing 24/7 walk-in crisis services and other types of support.

Pontiac General Hospital and other local emergency departments are being used as a resource, Lasenby said. Pontiac General is facing a precarious future itself, after it declared bankruptcy in 2024 and was removed from Medicare.

She estimates the Pontiac Resource and Crisis Center will have “everything up and running” by April 1.

“It was not our ideal to cease those services by the previous vendor in the way in which it happened or in the timeframe in which it happened,” Lasenby told Bridge.

Common Ground, which has provided behavioral health services in Oakland County for more than 50 years, ceased adult crisis services at the Pontiac center last month citing a contract dispute.

While leadership at OCHN say the nonprofit was overpaid for its work, Common Ground CEO Heather Rae said the public agency failed to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments, causing her organization to run an “unsustainable financial deficit.”

The split occurred over several months as OCHN broadcast its intent to absorb more crisis services amid a shifting mental health care landscape in Michigan.

“It’s definitely problematic,” Rae told Bridge. “It was the only comprehensive crisis center in the state for a very long time.”

Common Ground served 1,300 individuals who were dropped off by police at the Pontiac Resource and Crisis Center in 2025, according to Rae, with about 8,000 visiting the location annually.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to Bridge’s request for comment.

An ‘unfair and impractical’ decision

Mental health advocates say they are concerned about the “problematic transition” occurring in Oakland County and the “unnecessary confusion” it will cause the community, law enforcement and hospitals.

“Unlike hospital emergency departments, crisis centers are specifically designed and staffed with experienced professionals to aid people in crisis,” said Marianne Huff, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan, in a statement.

“To expect hospital emergency departments to be ready to assume responsibility for an unknown number of additional individuals that are brought to hospitals by law enforcement is unfair and impractical.”

Huff told members of the OCHN board Tuesday that the agency’s actions are having a “chilling effect” on the statewide network of service providers who are navigating changing dynamics with their community mental health agencies.

Crisis care advocates maintain that designated facilities with a specialized workforce who can assist in mental health emergencies are more cost-effective than diverting those responsibilities to others, while keeping individuals close to their support systems.

MIchigan hospital leaders say they are “hopeful” that community mental health agencies like OCHN will quickly bring services back online quickly.

“The community mental health system is designed to support crisis response for patients with behavioral health needs,” said Lauren LaPine-Ray, vice president of policy and rural health with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, in an email. “When these services are taken offline and emergency departments are used for mental health patients, capacity for medical emergencies is limited.”

‘Troubling’ changes for police

The pause of crisis care services returns Oakland County to a baseline experienced by many in Michigan.

Most counties do not have a crisis care facility for law enforcement to use, according to James Tignanelli, president of the Police Officers Association of Michigan.

That lack of resources can be “troubling” for law enforcement personnel, Tignanelli said, as officers have to spend hours escorting individuals in a mental health crisis while they wait for treatment, which takes them away from their primary duties and personal life. He said departments often have to issue mandatory overtime to cover staffing shortages caused by the increased time spent in hospitals.

“It’s a real draw on manpower, and it’s not a setting that is easily secured,” Tignanelli told Bridge. “Ultimately, it’s our job, but it’s not one that we’re really trained for.”

Daniel Pfannes, deputy director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, said a “staggering” number of incarcerated individuals are on psychotropic medication. He said “pre-arrest diversion resources” such as mental health facilities can help keep them away from the criminal justice system.

“If the law enforcement doesn’t have those options available to them, then that individual is going to go to jail,” Pfannes said. “We warehouse too many people that are mental health consumers in the jail systems right now.”