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Local News

SONS Recruiting for Talented Tenth Internships

Port Huron, MI — The next generation of community leaders can get a jump start on their future success as Talented Tenth interns. Port Huron’s youth outreach organization, SONS, or Save Our Neighborhoods and Streets, is recruiting for its Talented Tenth Summer Extension Program.

The program is for high school students and is intended to help them develop habits that lead to success in academics, relationships, and spirituality. Community professionals make presentations to the interns and prepare them for leadership.

Like most things in 2020, a Zoom meeting will get things started. The first meeting is Thursday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. Interns will be involved with weekly training and then take part in a community service project.

Interns will have an opportunity to take part in field trips and gain hands-on experiences. Parents can sign their kids up for the Zoom meeting kick-off by calling 810-334-6710 or sending an email to Tyrone.burrell@sonsoutreach.org. The program is free to the interns, and space is limited.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lake Huron Medical Center Updates Visitation Policy for non-COVID-19 Patients

Port Huron, MI – Lake Huron Medical Center has updated its visitation policy for non-COVID-19 patients. Effective Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Lake Huron Medical Center will permit limited visitations to non-COVID-19 patients as following:

  1. All visitors will be screened at the entrance for symptoms of COVID-19. Visitors with a respiratory infection, including but not limited to fever, cough or shortness of breath, will not be permitted to enter the facility.
  2. No visitors are allowed for patients in any form of isolation.
  3. All visitors are required to wear a mask or other cloth face covering for the duration of their visit, non-compliant visitors will be asked to leave the facility.
  4. All visitations are allowed through the main lobby entrance between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm Monday-Friday and through the ER entrance on the weekends.
  5. We are restricting the number of visitors to two per patient per day, 1 hour or less, to minimize the risk of exposure for all visitors.
  6. We strongly discourage people who are at high risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19, including older adults, those with underlying medical conditions and children under the age of 16 to visit.
  7. Visitors will be restricted to the patient’s room only.
  8. Alternatives to in-person visits are available to all patients, including video and audio calls.
  9. No visitation is allowed during aerosol-generation procedures or during collection of respiratory specimens.

“Our top priority remains to maintain a safe environment for our patients, families and staff,” stated Jose Kottoor, Chief Executive Officer, Lake Huron Medical Center. “We are taking all necessary measures and precautions to protect the safety and well-being of our patients and staff.”

Visitation guidelines are subject to change based on changes to state guidelines regarding the COVID-19 situation and/or the condition of the patient. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation at this time as we protect the health and safety of our patients, community and staff. 

For more information about Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com.  

County Courthouse Grounds Get a Makeover from Armstrong Campaign

Port Huron, MI — The St. Clair County Courthouse grounds got some sprucing up on Tuesday, compliments of volunteers from the “Keep Judge Mona Armstrong” Campaign. While billboards and pamphlets may be the norm in judicial campaigns, the Armstrong committee has added gardening to the mix.  The supporters planted marigolds, petunias, and geraniums in a neglected garden near the entrance of the courthouse. Judge Armstrong said that her election committee decided “it would be worthwhile to ‘beautify’ the front of the building. The County Building is an integral component of our community.”

Armstrong said that the courthouse is where she met her husband of 21 years, Todd, so it is personally significant, but it is also important as she has watched thousands of people visit the courthouse “to find justice and seek help”. The idea for the gardening project came from a county employee who noticed the empty flowerbed on her daily walks.

Armstrong was appointed to the 72nd District Court Judge position by Governor Whitmer in March, following the resignation of Judge Cynthia Platzer. Armstrong is seeking to retain the seat in the November 3rd election, being challenged by Port Huron attorney, Caryn VanderHeuvel.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan’s Voting by Mail Process Called into Question

Blue Water Area COVID-19 Update for June 12, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of June 12, 2020 at  9:30 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 59,496 confirmed cases; 5,738 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 454 confirmed cases; 44 deaths
  • Ontario: 31,544  confirmed cases;  2,487 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 274 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

There was only one new COVID-19 case in St. Clair County over the last week, and there were no additional deaths in the county attributed to confirmed COVID infection. There are currently 23 active cases of COVID-19 reported in St. Clair County, and 1% of all hospital beds are being used for COVID-19 patients.

There are many positive trends in the county including an increase in testing (around 500 tests were performed last week),  the percentage of positive tests results is around 5% (12% or less is considered good),  and the percentage of total cases in the county is at .29%.

The St. Clair County Health Department continues to offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing every Tuesday. Testing will take place during regular business hours in the parking lot of the main office located at 3415 28th Street in Port Huron. Testing is by appointment only and registration is required.

 Testing is free and available for any Michigan resident, age 18 years old and older, regardless of symptoms. A doctor’s order/referral is not needed. Health Department staff will contact individuals with results.

 For questions or to schedule an appointment contact (810) 987-5300.

There are 16 active cases of COVID-19 in Sarnia. There is currently 1 outbreak reported in a long term care facilities in Lambton County, and 16 of the 25 total deaths related to COVID-19 in Sarnia were related to outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

The Government of Ontario confirmed that effective Friday, June 12, 2020, the Province will increase the limit on social gatherings from five to ten people, regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2 for reopening. 

All places of worship in Sarnia-Lambton will be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30% of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers. 

At this time, the Government of Ontario has excluded Sarnia-Lambton from Stage 2 re-opening.

Drive-through COVID-19 testing is available in Sarnia – Lambton at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre, in the Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. Additional information is available:

https://www.bluewaterhealth.ca/news/drive-through-testing-comes-to-
sarnia-lambton

*** It is important to note that WGRT is continuing to report confirmed cases from each area, not total cases which are a combination of confirmed and probable cases. We have chosen to approach the data this way to simplify our reports and to create uniformity in the numbers we are reporting for each region, St.Clair County, Lambton County, Michigan, and Ontario.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

United Way Grant Help Mid City Nutrition Provide Meals

St. Clair County, MI — The United Way of St. Clair County’s (UWSCC) Emergency Services Fund – COVID-19 relief Aid provided a grant to Mid-City Nutrition to help cover the costs of food and meal packaging.

Mid City Nutrition has made many changes in response to the COVID-19 situation to ensure their guests are being served safely. The biggest change has been a transition from dine-in services, where clients could visit the soup kitchen and fill the room for meals together, to carry-out services, where visitors must stay safely distanced and take their meals to go.

The soup kitchen has been committed to providing meals for their clients even though the changes increased their expenses. The funds provided by The United Way of St. Clair County will offset those costs and enable Mid City Nutrition to continue their commitment to their client’s safety and nutritional needs.

The UWSCC has received many contributions to their COVID Relief Fund, including recent donations from Chemical Bank (TCF), MI Association of United Ways,Ms. Sharon Walby, and Mr. Scott Nill. The funds are designated to help address the emergency needs of organizations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and future recovery efforts.

UWSCC is focused on maintaining accountability by utilizing the volunteer COVID-19 Emergency Response Committee to review COVID-19 funding proposals that are submitted through an online process. To learn more and apply for funding, visit:

uwstclair.org/EmergencyServicesFund-Covid-19-ReliefAid.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

McLaren Port Huron Begins Search for New President and CEO

Port Huron, MI —

McLaren Port Huron Hospital will soon be looking for new leadership as President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery has accepted a position elsewhere. Her tenure at McLaren Port Huron will end on July 31.

Montgomery has been with the hospital for 25 years serving in various leadership roles and gaining regional recognition. She oversaw a major expansion at McLaren Port Huron and set the path for national verification as a Level III Trauma Center.

In her announcement of resignation, Montgomery said, “Together, we have made significant strides toward growing our footprint over the last five years to provide greater access to high-quality health care in the Blue Water community.” Montgomery has accepted a position as President and Chief Executive Officer at St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, which recently joined McLaren Health Care.

When asked about the search process for finding a new leader, Mona Armstrong, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, said that the Board, together with McLaren Health Care, is in the initial stages of the executive search process. Armstrong said, “This is an extremely important position that greatly impacts our community.” She said that they “are committed to finding the individual best suited to continue the phenomenal work happening here at our hospital.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland