Michigan's Women, Infants & Children program, providing supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding information, and other resources for healthy mothers & babies.
Information on the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance, SSI, Refugee, and other cash assistance.
If you cannot afford child care, payment assistance is available.
Children's Special Health Care Services information and FAQ's.
Information on assistance with home repairs, heat and utility bills, relocation, home ownership, burials, home energy, and eligibility requirements.
Information on the Food Assistance Program, eligibility requirements, and other food resources.
Information about the health care programs available through Medicaid and how to qualify.
Our migrant program works with a number of organizations to provide services for Michigan’s migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
A federal program which helps persons admitted into the U.S. as refugees to become self-sufficient after their arrival.
Universal caseload, or task-based processing, is a different way of handling public assistance cases.
Information on the Children's Protective Services Program, child abuse reporting procedures, and help for parents in caring for their children.
Information on adoption programs, adoption resources, locating birth parents and obtaining information from adoption records.
Information on Adult Protective Services, Independent Living Services, Adult Community Placement Services, and HIV/AIDS Support Services.
Information on child support services for participants and partners.
Programs for healthy children & families, including immunization, lead poisoning prevention, prenatal smoking cessation, and many others.
Information on the Children's Foster Care program and becoming a Foster Parent.
Information about the Michigan law that requires certain information be made available to a woman who is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure.
Information on treatment and services for juvenile offenders, success stories, and more.
Child Welfare Medical and Behavioral Health Resources
MDHHS and partners support a continuum of prevention services. The continuum is inclusive of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities. Visit this page to learn more.
Information about injury and violence prevention programs in Michigan
Information on Safe Sleep for your baby, how to protect your baby's life.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Environmental Health Bureau (EHB) uses the best available science to reduce, eliminate, or prevent harm from environmental, chemical, and physical hazards.
Resources and information to assist in assuring firearm safety for families in the state of Michigan.
The Division of Victim Services (DVS) provides a voice advocating for and responding to all victims of crime in Michigan. Learn more about DVS-funded programs and services, including Michigan’s 24/7, free, confidential, and anonymous domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines.
Medical Resources for Child Protection
Serves as liaison and provides funding to Michigan’s 45 local health departments.
Adult Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Services
Multicultural Health
Prevention of diseases & conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many others.
Information on communicable & chronic diseases.
Home to an array of public health programs, initiatives and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women, infants, families and communities.
Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records
Boards and Commissions
Bridge Card Participation Information on Electronic Benefits for clients and businesses, lists of participating retailers and ATMs, and QUEST.
Provider Payments Information on the direct deposit of State of Michigan payments into a provider's bank account.
Information on How to Bid, Requests for Proposals, forms and publications, contractor rates, and manuals.
Information & resources for Community and Faith-Based partners
Information on DHS Applications and Forms grouped by category.
State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)
Health Care Providers
Licensing information for Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged, Child Day Care Facilities, Child Caring Institutions, Children's Foster Care Homes, Child Placing Agencies, Juvenile Court Operated Facilities and Children's or Adult Foster Care Camps.
Michigan Statewide Systems of Care
Information on the grant awarded for the State Innovation Model Proposal
Protect MiFamily -Title IV-E Waiver
Offers resources for agencies who operate the Weatherization Assistance Program in the state of Michigan
Information on resources in your community and volunteer recruitment and training, and services provided at local DHS offices.
Information is collected to monitor the general health and well-being of Michigan citizens.
Equal Opportunity, Legal Base, Laws and Reporting Welfare Fraud information.
A variety of reports & statistics for programs and services.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
July 30, 2007
July 30, 2007
In an effort to promote greater awareness on the benefits of breastfeeding, Governor Granholm and the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) are recognizing August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month in Michigan. Nationally, World Breastfeeding Week is being recognized as August 1 to 7.
In 2005, 67.4 percent of Michigan infants were breastfed, and only 33 percent of 6 month olds were receiving human milk. Healthy People 2010, a program managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have set a goal of having 75 percent of mothers breastfeeding in the early postpartum period and for 50 percent of mothers to continue breastfeeding for at least 6 months.
The benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and baby are widely acknowledged by MDCH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and various health organizations worldwide.
A recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) confirms that breastfeeding is associated with fewer episodes of diarrhea during infancy, decreased incidence of childhood leukemia, and fewer cases of sudden infant death syndrome. The findings also conclude there is good evidence that breastfeeding reduces infants' risk of ear infections by up to 50 percent and serious lower respiratory tract infections by 72 percent. Children with a family history of asthma who have been breastfed were 40 percent less likely to have asthma. The risk of developing both Type I and Type II Diabetes is also reduced by breastfeeding. Furthermore, evidence suggests that women who do not breastfeed their infants have an increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes, Ovarian Cancer, and Breast Cancer.
Michigan's Women, Infants, and Childrens (WIC) Program, which helps pregnant moms, babies, and children less than age 5 receive nutritious foods, will help heighten awareness through their 2007 Breastfeeding Awareness Month theme of "Michigan Families…Breastfeed With Pride." The awareness effort will encourage families to embrace the optimal health benefits of breastfeeding and will strive to increase public support and acceptance of breastfeeding as a cultural norm and a fundamental cornerstone of promoting wellness in Michigan.
For more information on the Healthy People 2010 program in regards to breastfeeding, please visit http://www.healthypeople.gov/data/midcourse/html/focusareas/FA16Objectives.htm.
For more information on Michigan's WIC Program, please go to www.michigan.gov/wic.