News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena are off the air. Click here to learn more.

Caro Residents protest reduction of psychiatric center

Flickr User cmh2315fl
/
https://flic.kr/p/cEQdrJ

Residents of a small community in the Thumb rallied at the state capitol Tuesday.

They urged state leaders to reconsider a plan to scale back a planned psychiatric facility in their town.

The Caro High School band played its fight song as supporters of their home town’s century old psychiatric center rallied on the state capitol steps.

The Caro Center was in line to get a new 200 bed facility. But state health department officials now want to pare down those plans and provide more psychiatric beds statewide.

Republican State Senator Kevin Daley isn’t giving up on a new facility in Caro.

“We have basically played our hand already said we could live with a 150 bed facility. Just replace what’s there already.”

Daley expects talks between the legislature and the governor’s office to continue into the fall.

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005.