Local News

Pharmacists may now dispense emergency refills of prescriptions for up to 60 days worth of supply for patients as part of a new Executive Order signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The order takes effect immediately and ends on April 22, with potential for renewal if needed. 

The order requires insurers to cover the emergency refills and allows pharmacists to dispense treatments to those suffering from COVID-19 infection, according to government approved protocol. The order does not include controlled substances. The purpose of the order is to “ease a burden on seniors and families worried about maintaining a supply of medication for themselves or their children,” according to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Health at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. 

The effort is part of the state’s Stay Home, Stay Safe mandate and is aimed at patients and their caretakers who may be forced to go out to get medications, possibly increasing their likelihood of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The order also allows pharmacists to use their discretion to substitute therapeutically equivalent medications without prescriber approval if there are critical shortages.

Now is the time to rescan your TV if you use an over-the-air antenna to get access to local television stations, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Many local stations are changing frequencies to help free up airwaves for new high-speed wireless service. They are required by law to make the change. 

Antenna users in the local area need to rescan now to continue receiving free programming from the Detroit market of television stations. You may need to rescan more than once to get all the stations, according to tvanswers.org, which is an initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters to provide information about the scan to antenna users. No new equipment is needed to update the frequencies, and no scan is needed for cable or satellite TV users.

 Once the rescan is done, local TV viewers are likely to find that they get more channels, including some Canadian channels. Antennas are used by 72 million Americans, many of whom will be impacted by the switch of nearly 1,000 stations. For additional assistance in rescanning, contact the FCC’s consumer hotline at 1-888-225-5322 and press prompt number 6.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Way of St. Clair County’s (UWSCC) Board of Directors has made additional funds available through the organization’s long-standing Emergency Services Fund.

The fund will be used for a multitude of efforts to help with recovery, including food, housing, utilities assistance, operational funding gaps for health and human service agencies and access to services for vulnerable populations.

During this time of great concern, the local United Way attests it seen businesses, organizations, and residents join together and stand united for the benefit of all. This has partly been seen in the form of financial donations to UWSCC’s Emergency Services Fund. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Meijer, and The Stebbins Family have already contributed significantly to the fund. 

In accordance with Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order, the United Way’s office will be closed at least through April 13. As always, 211 is a three-digit phone call available 24/7 to connect residents with information and referrals to help them through the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 4 PM today, the state of  Michigan has  2,856 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 60 deaths. 

St. Clair County: (13) confirmed COVID-19 cases; three additional cases since yesterday:

·         78 y/o female; hospitalized

·         39 y/o female; hospitalized

·         54 y/o female; recovering at home

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer at the St. Clair County Health Department stated, “The message has not changed; stay home, stay safe and don’t go out unless absolutely necessary. If you do have to go out, take the necessary precautions; stay six feet away from others, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, cover your cough, and other prevention tips. If we all make this a priority, we will keep our hospitals, first responders and front line staff safe. This is a temporary inconvenience and with everyone’s help we will get through it together.”

Deb Johnson, Executive Director at St. Clair County Community Mental Health, reminds residents to stay connected and avoid isolation as we shelter in place. “We are free to go outside so long as we exercise social distancing. There is no reason to stay indoors every day. Stay connected with family, friends, and loved ones by phone, text and email. Like you, they probably need someone they trust that they can talk to about their concerns and feelings. If you are having extreme difficulty or are in crisis, call the CMH Access Line at 888-225-4447 or the Mobile Crisis Unit, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 810-966-2575.”

The St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center is functioning as a centralized coordination of emergency resources to provide overall policy and guidance for strategic objectives related to the COVID-19 situation. Please follow reputable sources for information:

• • Centers for Disease Control:  cdc.gov/coronavirus
  • State of Michigan: Michigan.gov/coronavirus  or Info Hotline  1-888-535-6136 Daily 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or email questions to COVID19@michigan.gov
  • St. Clair County Health Department: COVID-19 Info Hotline (810) 966-4163 Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm or email questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org

FEMA spokesperson Michael Hart told the media on Wednesday that Governor Whitmer has not yet asked the federal government for a disaster declaration.  WGRT spoke with Michigan House member and Appropriations Chair, Shane Hernandez, who confirmed that governor Whitmer has not signed the $125 million coronavirus spending bill that’s been sitting on her desk since last week.  

Shane Hernandez issue the following statement, “This is exactly why you don’t play politics during a pandemic. Priorities get muddled and mistakes get made. Michigan’s hospitals are filling, doctors and nurses can’t find medical equipment and our local residents are going without crucial tests. But in all the time Gov. Whitmer was on national television over the past week attacking President Trump for not sending funding, she apparently never found a few minutes to actually put in the request or sign the bill. We have to do better than this. People are counting on us.  Gov. Whitmer needs to get her priorities in line and take care of our sick people here at home before she tries to capitalize on this virus for national attention. Mistakes like this cost lives. Her entire political future isn’t worth a single one of them.”

Media reports further indicate that Governor Whitmer’s staff is is now working on the declaration.

This week is National Agriculture Week. Now, more than ever, the importance of local farmers as essential workers is highlighted as many are hard at work feeding the world. According to Croswell area farmer, Dennis Gardner, it looks like an early spring. Gardner, the Treasurer of the East District Sugar Beet Board and Director of the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, said that there are about 6,000 acres of sugar beets planted in the Thumb area. He said farmers are hoping for a better year this year than last, as weather conditions had a major impact. Gardner said crop yields last year were about 25-40% less than normal. However, Gardner also said most farmers are optimistic about this year, but a concern is the availability of truckers to get seed and fertilizer delivered. 

National Agriculture Week is intended to bring together all of the stakeholders in the industry to recognize the contributions of agriculture and the American farmer. Ag Day is usually celebrated on March 24 at schools around the country. The event didn’t happen this year, but according to the Agriculture Council of America, the hope is to continue reminding people that “Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis…Each American farmer feeds more than 165 people.”