Author

Brianna Nargiso

Brianna Nargiso is a graduate of the Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications with a major in media, journalism, and film, and a minor in political science. She also holds a graduate degree from Mercer University.

With a passion for social justice, education, and public health, Brianna has contributed to multiple publications, including Flintside, The Root, 101 Magazine, Howard University News Service, and many others. Her work spans profiles, event recaps, politics, and breaking news, earning her a nomination for a Hearst journalism award.

An active member of the National Association for Black Journalists, Brianna has worked with Teach for America and the Peace Corps. She is now a doctoral candidate at American University, committed to advancing her mission as an international change agent.

Brianna Nargiso's Latest Articles

Monica Smith, Yevgenia Gazman, and Christine Sauvé, MIRC Detroit Office.

Ataques a las familias inmigrantes y lo que eso significa para la educación temprana

By Brianna Nargiso

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Kids and Education

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August 5, 2025

En 2024, los educadores de la primera infancia en el suroeste de Detroit observaron una caída significativa en la inscripción preescolar tras el aumento de la actividad de control de inmigración. Aunque el descenso no fue documentado oficialmente en ese momento, las organizaciones comunitarias informan que aproximadamente el 15% de los estudiantes fueron retirados de los programas preescolares del área en cuestión de semanas.

Community mental health and hospitals partner to fill care gaps

By Brianna Nargiso

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Healthy Communities

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August 5, 2025

Michigan's hospitals and community mental health agencies are working together to address gaps in behavioral health care that contribute to long emergency department stays and delays in treatment. Several recent initiatives aim to improve care coordination and create new models of crisis response.

Attacks on immigrant families and what that means for early education

By Brianna Nargiso

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Kids and Education

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August 5, 2025

Community-based organizations report that approximately 15% of students withdrew from preschool programs within weeks due to immigration enforcement activity. Advocates and policy researchers attribute these shifts to the growing climate of fear among immigrant families in Michigan.

Head Start and similar programs build academic skills as well as social and emotional strengths.

60 years of Head Start. What’s next?

By Brianna Nargiso

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Diversity

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July 22, 2025

As Head Start marked its 60th anniversary this past May, the program’s legacy stands as more than a historical benchmark. It offers a powerful example of how early learning can drive equity, resilience, and long-term impact.

Community collaborations help coordinate shelter, food, clothing, and other basic needs alongside behavioral health services. Community Action of Allegan County home-delivered meals drivers.

Mental health agencies strengthen services through community collaborations

By Brianna Nargiso

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Arts and Culture

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July 15, 2025

Across Michigan, community mental health (CMH) agencies are expanding their reach through partnerships with local organizations that address housing, transportation, and other barriers to care. These collaborations aim to create a more coordinated and accessible mental health system, particularly for individuals with complex needs.

More than a stipend: Rx Kids is transforming childhood beginnings

By Brianna Nargiso

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Kids and Education

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July 8, 2025

Rx Kids, the country’s first universal and unconditional cash prescription program for pregnant people and infants, provides financial support to every eligible family within a geographic area, no income requirements, no strings attached. Families receive a one-time $1,500 payment during pregnancy and $500 per month during the baby’s first year of life.

Cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.

Community mental health partnerships with first responders a win-win for communities

By Brianna Nargiso

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Healthy Communities

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June 24, 2025

Across Michigan, community mental health (CMH) agencies are redefining crisis response through deep partnerships with EMS, law enforcement, and fire departments. These cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.

Shelley Roossien, Accessibility and Inclusion Specialist at KDL, leads children through a building exercise.

Inclusive Literacy Alliance fosters early reading in Kent County kids with developmental differences

By Brianna Nargiso

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Diversity

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June 24, 2025

The Inclusive Literacy Alliance is a collaborative, county-wide effort to improve early reading outcomes for children with developmental differences. Parents, educators, service providers, and advocates are piloting solutions that make early literacy more accessible and effective for children who are blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or autistic.

Protecting patient rights: How community mental health goes above and beyond

By Brianna Nargiso

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Healthy Communities

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April 22, 2025

MI Mental Health spoke with Wil Morris, CEO Sanilac County Community Mental Health about how local agencies help mental health patients navigate their rights.

Community mental health delivers care to Michigan’s schools

By Brianna Nargiso

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General

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March 11, 2025

Michigan's CMHs play a critical role in schools, providing counseling, crisis intervention, and case management to students who might otherwise slip through the cracks.