George James

Program to Treat Opioid Use and Mental Health Disorders Expanded to Include St. Clair County

People who are struggling with an opioid use disorder and other health problems and who receive Medicaid benefits will now be able to have their healthcare needs met by a coordinated team of healthcare providers.

The plan is called the Opioid Health Home Initiative. The area of service has been expanded to include PIHP Region 10, which includes Genesee, Lapeer, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties.

It is possible that the Opioid Health Home could reach thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries with intensive care management and care coordination.

MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said, “The expansion of Opioid Health Home program will help address the complexity of physical and behavioral health conditions in Michigan and improve access to essential services. For enrolled beneficiaries, the Health Home will function as the central point of contact for directing patient-centered care across the broader health care system.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says that half of Medicaid recipients have an untreated mental health disorder. Two-thirds have an untreated substance abuse disorder. Participation in the Opioid Health Initiative is voluntary.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Local Quilters Donate 700 Quilts to Salvation Army

Every holiday season, the Salvation Army delivers gifts to over a thousand kids in the community. This year, many of those kids will be receiving an extra special gift.

Over 700 quilts have been donated by a network of quilters throughout the area. They will be given to children along with the usual donated toys and clothing and food.

Jacki Bennett, who co-owns RMC Quilts in Port Huron, said that the quilts were constructed by quilters from St. Clair, Macomb, and Lapeer counties and that while some people constructed entire quilts from beginning to end, some worked on just the tops, and others took home kits to work on. They got started at the end of June and just sent in the final quilts this week.

Bennett said that there was collaboration from Port Huron’s Sew Elegant store as well as quilting groups in the area. The quilt batting was donated by a supplier. All of the efforts are meant to “wrap the families in love”.

Kelley Herber, the Christmas Angel and Toy Warehouse coordinator for the Port Huron Citadel said the quilt donation has been a true blessing.

For more information about helping the Salvation Army with this year’s Christmas project:

https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/db6ec80e-aa1f-4cb6-8f51-ad11e02b03bc?fbclid=IwAR3wo-b_fR47IamwEPAbvYNq6EUG98PBpaitA3mzXeTPf4HRgb1kx0KSjRE

https://www.amazon.com/registries/holiday/QO2NR2DLVFL/guest-view?ref=gr_search_page_result&fbclid=IwAR1axuvQWTKmWvNQoSRFojWznfJ_rQXFZ-ndQUryH8kQdyk2L-LVPdszj0w

Call the Salvation Army at 810 984-2679

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MDHHS Updates Nursing Home Visiting Guidance

It’s the time of year when more people than usual visit loved ones in long-term care facilities like nursing homes. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued visitation guidance.

The guidance is updated based on recommendations from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.

Routine testing for COVID-19 is part of the guidance, but not a requirement. Mask wearing is required with some exceptions. Unlike last year, when visits were conducted through glass windows and over iPads, this year’s guidance calls for physical touch like hugging if the resident wants it.

Eighty-four percent of Michigan’s long-term care residents are fully vaccinated. As long as they are aware of the risks, and no other residents are put at risk, in-person visits are allowed and can not be restricted.

MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said, “Long-term care residents receive physical, emotional and spiritual support by visiting with their family and friends, particularly during the holiday season. Our updated guidance provides key steps to take to make these visits as safe and fulfilling as possible.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Fort Gratiot Light Station to Undergo Restoration

The Fort Gratiot Light Station in Port Huron is getting spruced up over the winter. The property, which is part of St. Clair County Parks, is seeing improvements to the Light Tower’s Watch and Lantern Rooms and the Fog Signal Building.

The Lantern Room restorations are made possible by a Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program Grant. The grant is for $16,667 and will be matched with an $8,333 grant from the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light.

The repairs will restore the lantern room to how it looked in the 1930s, which includes new glass windows, metal and masonry repair, paint, and a glass floor.

A new pedestal will be installed to hold the modern LED light that is still used as a navigational aid.

The fog signal building will be getting some repairs to the lower two feet of bricks on the structure.

A candlelight tour of the Light Station is offered on some weekends in December, with more information at phmuseum.org.

The Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light host Sandfest to raise funds for Light Station restoration projects. Sandfest is scheduled for August 5th through 7th of 2022.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Makes Significant Progress with Funding Retiree Plans

The City of Port Huron is making major progress in addressing unfunded retiree benefits. Changes to retiree health plans have resulted in significant cost savings and have moved the funding level from 39% to 74%.

The pension system for city employees has also made great improvements in its funding levels. In just the past two years, the pension plan has moved from a 49% funding with an $83 million liability to 86% with a $23 million liability.

In a letter to the Mayor and City Council, Port Huron City Manager James Freed said that healthcare plan reforms and the pension restructuring have achieved a combined savings of nearly $89 million. 

Freed said, “These dollars saved can now be used over the coming decades to allow our children the freedom to build their own future, free from the unfunded liabilities of the past generation.”

A report from CBIZ Retirement Plan Services said that investment returns were nearly four times what was expected for the fiscal year ending June 30th of 2021.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Tunnel Tragedy 50th Anniversary Memorial Planned for Dec. 11

It has been fifty years since the Lake Huron Water Tunnel Explosion in which 22 men died in a tunnel beneath Lake Huron. A memorial will be held on Saturday, December 11th at 2:30 p.m. at Fort Gratiot County Park off of Metcalf Road in Fort Gratiot.

There is a permanent memorial at the park commemorating the lives lost in the tragedy in 1971. The memorial will be a solemn event intended for those who were affected by the tragedy as well as the general public. An effort was made to contact the surviving family members.

The tunnel tragedy occurred while the men were working on the water line that was built to distribute water to Detroit and Flint. An enormous explosion occurred on one end of the tunnel, sending shockwaves to workers four miles from the initial spark, killing 21 workers immediately and one worker dying from injuries later.

The memorial is sponsored by LiUNA, the construction trades union. Most of the victims of the tragedy were union tradesmen.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland