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Local News

Local Company Creates Web App to Help Businesses With COVID Compliance

St. Clair County, MI — Business owners have had to adjust and readjust their practices since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Executive Orders from Governor Whitmer require employers to provide safeguards for their workers to mitigate the spread of the virus in workplaces.

One of the requirements businesses must implement if they ask their employees to report to work is a daily health screening questionnaire. The information must be stored for later reference because the record offers proof that employees were’t sick  which could provide a legal defense in a potential lawsuit from a customer or employee.

Daniel Squires, President of Vincent’s Heating & Plumbing, said, “Until Congress provides liability release for COVID related lawsuits, every entity is at risk of being sued by customers or employees.”

He also noted that the daily record keeping “ puts a real burden on all Michigan businesses. Not only do we have to deal with daily screening and record keeping, but also potentially thorny privacy questions. Unfortunately, it’s what we have to do to stay open.”

Squires is addressing these problems with a new app created by Online Access, a locally based internet marketing and development company run by his brother David Squires. The app, called CertiClear, is an online service that simplifies COVID compliance and bolsters employee privacy.

Vincent’s Heating & Plumbing has partnered with Online Access to provide the service to St. Clair County businesses at half-price: only $1 per employee per month plus a $25 sign-up fee.

Daniel Squires explains, “David and I are lifelong residents of the community, and we want to give-back.  It is critical that we get our local economy going again as soon and as safe as possible.  Vincent’s Heating & Plumbing is sponsoring CertiClear to help local businesses and organizations overcome the hurdles of COVID compliance in a cost-effective way.”

More information about CertiClear is available at CertiClear.net

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

American Red Cross Critical Need for Blood Donations

Spike in COVID-19 Cases Leads to Emergency Blood Plasma Shortage

The American Red Cross was already struggling to keep blood banks stocked when the coronavirus pandemic began. Now, with a spike in cases nationwide, there is an emergency shortage of convalescent plasma.

Convalescent plasma is blood plasma collected from patients who have recovered from an infection and have antibodies that might help fight that infection. The Red Cross is urging individuals who have received a verified COVID-19 diagnosis and fully recovered from the virus to donate convalescent plasma. COVID-19 survivors who donate plasma have a unique ability to help up to three other patients recover from the virus with their donation.

Red Cross blood drives follow the highest standards of safety and infection control, and they have implemented additional precautions to protect donors including temperature checks, social distancing, and face coverings for donors and staff.

A list of St. Clair County blood drives is available <HERE>, and a full list of blood drives searchable by location is available at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

New Cancer-fighting Equipment Donated to McLaren Port Huron

Port Huron, MI — Men battling prostate cancer have a new weapon for fighting the disease, thanks to the generosity of the community. A new BK 3000 Ultrasound machine has been purchased for McLaren Port Huron Hospital by the Betty Kearns Cancer Foundation, the Thomson Family, and the Tee It Up to Beat Cancer charity.

The innovative new equipment allows for safer treatment of prostate cancer using the SpaceOAR procedure. This new machine enables brachytherapy, a type of cancer-fighting radiation therapy, while protecting other organs which were susceptible to damage without the BK 3000.  

The Betty Kearns Cancer Fund helps men and women in the community who are fighting cancer. Their major fundraiser is the “Little Black Dress” fundraiser which hosted over 850 guests and raised $55,000 in March of this year. Tee It Up to Beat Cancer is a grassroots charity that raises money through golf outings at Lakeview Hills Golf Resort in Lexington. Both charities are committed to assisting all types of cancer patients in the Blue Water area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Food Giveaways Coming to Yale, Capac, and Algonac on August 3rd

Port Huron, MI — Three more food giveaway trucks have been added to the St. Clair County Community Impact Day roster by the United Way of St. Clair County and Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The distributions are planned for August 3rd.

Yale Community Food Bank, the C3 Connection, and Community First Health Centers are partnering with the United Way and the Food Bank to stop hunger in the outlying areas of the county.

A pop-up pantry with free drive through giveaways will be at Yale Middle School, located at 1 School Drive in Yale, at 9:00 a.m. on August 3rd. Another Popup Pantry will be at St. John Lutheran Church, located at 109 E. Kempf Court in Capac, also at 9:00 a.m. There will be a third pop-up pantry at Community First Health Center located at 555 St. Clair River Drive in Algonac at 11:00am, also on August 3rd.

Food supplies are limited and are available completely free of charge on a first-come-first-serve basis. More food resources can be found at uwstclair.org/healthfirst.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Master Gardening Training Program Offered Online

The Master Gardeners of St. Clair County are inviting community members to become part of the MSU Extension Master Gardener Program. This horticulture education and volunteer training program is taught by Michigan State University Extension horticulture experts. No prior knowledge or experience in gardening is required. All classes will be offered online except for the required last class – Volunteer Orientation – which will be held face-to-face when it is safe to do so, physical location yet to be determined.

Extension Master Gardener volunteers start by completing a 14-session training course grounded in university research. This training consists of approximately 45 hours of training with classes on plant science, soil science, integrated pest management, diagnostics, annuals and perennials, woody ornamentals, lawns, vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, household and nuisance pests, indoor plants and gardening practices to protect water resources.

The training will be online starting in August on Tuesdays, from 9 AM to 1 PM.  It runs from August 18th through December 1st, 2020, (including a makeup date and no class on November 3, 2020).  Cost is $325, which includes $25.00 for Volunteer Selection process which includes the background check; $300.00 for training course, including 1,000-page training manual. There are no other out-of-pocket costs.  You can make payment using check or credit card.  Deadline for application and credit card payment is due August 4, 2020, payment by check is due by July 27, 2020.  Register online <HERE> .

State Continues Lawsuit Against Opioid Distributors

Lansing, MI — Attorney General Dana Nessel is representing the State of Michigan in a lawsuit against several major drug distributors for their lack of oversight in handling opioid products.

Nessel said the actions and inactions of Cardinal Health, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen, and Walgreens put them on the wrong side of Michigan’s Drug Dealer Liability Act. “These companies knowingly and deliberately used their licenses to distribute drugs in our state without controls, and the opioid crisis has been exacerbated as a result of that, leaving behind a litany of grieving families and grave concerns,” said Nessel.

The state charges these companies with a list of wrongdoing including distributing and selling opioids in ways that facilitated and encouraged their flow into the illegal secondary market and choosing not to investigate, monitor, or report suspicious orders.

The state feels that because the companies knowingly participated in the illegal distribution of prescription opioids purchased by Michigan residents, they are liable to the state of Michigan under the Drug Dealer Liability Act for damages caused by opioids acquired from their distribution channels. Those damages include the State’s expenses for increased law enforcement and prosecution efforts, added health care expenses, drug treatment programs, and incarceration.

The court is expected to rule in the case in the coming days or weeks.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand