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Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative Continues Focus on mental wellness

WMUK host Brian O'Keefe on left in studio with Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative reporter Natasha Robinson on the right
WMUK News
WMUK host Brian O'Keefe in studio with Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative reporter Natasha Robinson

In late October the coalition released a new series of stories.

Since 2021 the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative has covered the challenges facing people with mental illness and the programs and treatments designed to serve them. WMUK’s Brian O’Keefe spoke with SWMJC freelance reporter Natasha Robinson.

This conversation is part of The Science and Art of Well-being: Innovations and best practices in mental health care, a solutions-focused reporting series of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative. The collaborative, a group of 12 regional organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism and reporting on successful responses to social problems, launched its Mental Wellness Project in 2022 to cover mental health issues in southwest Michigan.

Brian comes to WMUK after spending nearly 30 years as News Director of a public radio station in the Chicago area. Brian grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Western Kentucky University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting. He started working in public radio while at WKU; and has worked in radio news for more than 35 years. Brian lives on a quiet lake in Barry County with his wife and three dogs. Thanks to his Kentucky roots, he’s an avid collector of bourbon and other varieties of whiskey. Above all else, Brian considers himself a story teller and looks forward to sharing southwest Michigan stories with WMUK’s listeners.