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How to Become a Volunteer Vaccinator in St. Clair County

Port Huron, MI — As vaccine eligibility and supply increases in St. Clair County, a new shortage is revealing itself: the vaccine effort needs volunteers.

Jim Kaski, President of the St. Clair County Pharmacists Association and head of the Blue Water Immunization Partnership, said his main focus right now is encouraging the community to volunteer to help with COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

The county is particularly in need of vaccinators which could be active or retired RNs, LPNs, Medical Assistants, Phlebotomist, Pharmacists, EMTs, and doctors, but Kaski also said non-skilled individuals are needed as well.

“Anyone that feels they can dedicate some time to do temperature checks, help direct people at the holding areas, that would be fantastic!” said Kaski.

Volunteers will be trained, and even those who have been credentialed to vaccinate in the past but haven’t used their skills in awhile will receive a refresher before working with patients.

For those concerned about their skills, Kasksi said, vaccinating isn’t a skill you typically lose. “Freshen up on the basic things like CPR, first aid, and blood born pathogens, and then we’ll give you tutorials and make you feel comfortable before you actually do some vaccinating.”

Potential volunteers can start by registering with the MI Volunteer Registry at mivolunteerregistry.org. This state of Michigan portal serves to register, notify, and inform individuals who are interested in volunteering in the event of a natural or public health emergency.

When registering, select St. Clair County as the organization, create a username and password for the site, and fill out your personal and contact information. Once registration is complete, you will need to complete your profile on the site to become eligible for potential deployments. The entire process takes around 20 minutes, and it doesn’t obligate you to volunteer.

Once you’ve registered and completed your profile with the MI Volunteer Registry, a health department official will retrieve your information from that site and contact you with further instructions.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Port Huron Police Youth Academy is Looking for Applicants

The Port Huron Police Youth Academy is accepting applications for the 2021 session. The Academy is a great way for high school students to get a taste of a career in criminal justice and public service.

The Academy will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. from June 28th through July 2nd at Port Huron High School. It is open to current 8th-12th graders who attend schools in St. Clair County.

Participants need to be in good physical condition and pass a health physical. Attendance is mandatory for the entire Academy and a graduation will be held on the last day of the session.

Tuition for the Academy is $50 with meals, uniforms, and equipment provided. Tuition assistance is available.

Participants in the academy will get hands-on training in the daily operations of a police department along with participation in physical training. They will build search scenarios, learn defensive tactics, and study traffic stop scenarios.

There will also be time to check out the K-9 operations and the Special Response Team as well as learning how evidence is processed.

Link to the application: https://tinyurl.com/ymkthjmk

Officer Dennis Huisman: 810-984-2671, phpdya@gmail.com

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Op-Ed from Dr. Mercatante – Let’s Get to Work

St. Clair County, MI — With the alarming surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, we are left with only a few options in how we can respond: (a) ignore it and take your chances (not advisable), (b) panic and make up our own rules, or (c) follow evidence-based guidance. I hope you are all in line with option “c”. I understand how difficult it is to keep up with the latest science and recommendations so here is what we know at this point:

  • Masks: They work …they really do. Wear one all the time in public and at home if you are with vulnerable people who are unvaccinated.
  • Physical Distance: The virus cannot fly or move on its own…it hitches a ride on respiratory droplets that can only go so far to water droplets that can only go so far. Distance is your friend.
  • Handwashing/Sanitation: This germ dies with soap and water.
  • Stay Home if Sick: Isolate for 10 days if you know, or think, you have COVID19. Before you go out again, make sure 10 days has passed AND you are feeling better. The SARSCov2 virus can be transmitted up to 48 hours before you get sick and even if you are not having symptoms (tested positive only).
  • Testing: Regular testing helps everyone. By no means is it perfect, but frequent testing can reduce the time people go out while infected and help us at the Health Department identify where the outbreaks are. Choosing NOT to test does not eliminate the risk…it just prevents people from knowing.
  • Quarantine: A basic tenet of public health that has been used for centuries to control the spread of infectious disease. Quarantine means staying away from other people after an exposure to someone who is sick or has tested positive for COVID-19, which ensures you do not unwittingly pass it on. The SCCHD is advising those exposed to complete a full 14-day quarantine period due to high rates of transmission and a growing number of variant cases. Remember, testing at any time does not alter your quarantine time. The 7-day option (with testing) has NOT been adopted by MDHHS nor SCCHD and should not be considered at this time of elevated risk.

And finally, vaccines. Those that are currently available are safe and effective. Get the first one that is available to you. The sooner we disrupt the transmission of this virus, the sooner we can spend more time with the people we love and do the things we want to do. Vaccines protect the community even more than they protect you so I urge everyone to make a plan to get vaccinated when you are eligible and to continue employing all the mitigation strategies outlined above until we reach herd immunity.

That’s a lot to take in, but much more likely to work than doing nothing or doing the wrong thing. It’s going to take everyone doing their part to beat this virus…let’s get to work!

Yours in Health,
Annette Mercatante, MD, MPH
Medical Health Officer
St. Clair County Health Department

Michigan Learning Channel Launches to Teach Conservation

The Michigan Learning Channel has been launched to teach lessons about understanding and preserving Michigan’s natural resources. The channel is the result of a collaboration between public television stations and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

The content is aimed at children in grades Kindergarten through third grade and is available over the airwaves and on digital devices.

EGLE Director Liesl Clark said the purpose is to “get young students excited about the environment and instill in them at an early age a sense of stewardship of the state’s air, land and water resources.”

Clark said, “As this generation’s children grow up, they will be key to finding solutions to tough ecological problems and shepherding Michigan toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 in a manner that is equitable for all communities.”

The content will include videos that explain complex issues such as geology, recycling, and climate change in easy-to-understand ways, according to EGLE.

All public television stations in Michigan have established special on-air channels. The content is also available at MichiganLearning.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Spadafore Named St. Clair County Undersheriff

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office has announced some personnel changes. Matt Paulus has retired as Undersheriff and Jim Spadafore has been promoted to the job. Matt Pohl has been promoted to Captain of the Road Patrol.

Undersheriff Jim Spadafore has a Criminal Justice degree from Ferris State and started working for the Sheriff’s Office in 2001. He has served as Lieutenant in the Drug Task Force and Captain of the Road Patrol.

Sheriff Mat King said, “I am excited to name Jim as our new Undersheriff. With his knowledge and skill set, I know he will do a tremendous job in serving the citizens of St. Clair County.”

Reflecting on Matt Paulus’ retirement, Sheriff King said, “Matt has worn many hats throughout his career at the Sheriff’s Office. I was pleased when he agreed to stay in a transitional capacity after I was elected Sheriff. He has been a great help in making the transition from Sheriff Donnellon to myself seamless.”

Matt Paulus’ retirement as Undersheriff comes after 35 years of service. After a brief retirement in 2017, Paulus was called back to serve as Undersheriff with former Sheriff Donnellon after the retirement of Tom Buckley.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Vaccine Survey Scams Circulating

The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about a new email scam that could be coming to your text or email inbox: a fake vaccine survey.

The surveys look like they are sponsored by vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna. They ask participants to take a limited-time survey about their vaccine experience and promise a reward in exchange.

When the consumer takes the survey, they are asked for credit card or banking information to cover the cost of shipping and handling for their reward. This is simply a way for scammers to receive your personal information and access your money.

For those who want to share their vaccine experience in a legitimate way, the V-Safe app is smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to inform the CDC of any side-effects experienced after the vaccine.

More information about the legitimate vaccine reporting tool is available at cdc.gov/vsafe

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand