Local News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and St. Clair County Health Department have identified a chickenpox (varicella) outbreak at Marysville High School. Marysville school district officials have been working closely with the Health Department to identify approximately 37 susceptible, unvaccinated students. Letters from the Health Department were given to the district to help with parent notification.

In accordance with Michigan Public Health Code, exposed susceptible students who cannot provide documentation of vaccination or immunity history will be excluded from attending school, work or extracurricular activities until 21 days after the last identified case (date to be determined and dependent on cases). Immunity is defined as:

• Documentation of two valid doses of any appropriate live varicella vaccine at or after 12 months of age
• Lab evidence of immunity or confirmation of the disease

Students will be re-admitted to school upon getting vaccinated or providing the Health Department with acceptable documentation of immunity. If this is the student’s first varicella vaccine dose, the student may be conditionally re-admitted back to school; if it is the student’s second dose they will be immediately readmitted after vaccination.

Chickenpox is a vaccine-preventable disease that spreads in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters.  A person can spread the disease from 1 to 2 days before they get the rash until all their chickenpox blisters have formed scabs (usually 5-7 days). It can take 10-21 days after exposure to develop chickenpox, which is why unvaccinated students are susceptible.

Symptoms may include:

• An itchy rash of blisters
• Fever
• Headache
• Feeling tired

In some cases chickenpox can cause serious problems, especially in vulnerable populations like infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems:

• Skin infections
• Dehydration
• Pneumonia
• Encephalitis

Dr. Annette Mercatante, St. Clair County Health Department’s Medical Health Officer stated “The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is the best protection from chickenpox. It is important to make sure you and your children’s vaccines are up to date to help prevent outbreaks and protect people who can’t be vaccinated.”

Vaccinations are available at your private physician’s office or at the St. Clair County Health Department and Teen Health Center. Walk-in vaccine clinics are available Mondays from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Wednesday’s 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; also available by appointment at the main office located at 3415 28^th Street in Port Huron, call (810) 987-5300. The Teen Health Center, located at 2215 Court Street offers vaccinations by appointment for those 10-21 years of age, call (810) 987-1311.

For more information, visit www.scchealth.co or call (810) 987-5300.

This information was provided through a press release from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on 9/24/2019.

The SC4 Foundation recently held a reception to thank the college’s donors and honor students. Harold Burns, Chairman of the foundation, said, “For 56 years, the foundation has worked with the college to help students achieve their goals.” 

A highlight of the event was when one of the recipients of a scholarship, Jessica Bohm, a three-sport athlete, spoke and thanked the group for being awarded the Ellen Kean Scholarship. She said, “I am incredibly honored and grateful to have been selected as a scholarship recipient of the SC4 Foundation.” She continued, “[the scholarship] has eased the financial burden my family and I face as I pursue my degree.” 

One of the donors also spoke at the event. Dave Sheldon, donor and faculty member, said the Jinny and Bill Sheldon Endowed Scholarship for Education was founded in honor of his parents, and their lifelong support of education. He added, “Providing financial assistance and support to students is so important…a degree from SC4 can transform a life.” The reception took place at the SC4 Experience Center’s Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Natural Science Museum.

Reporting for WGRT – EBWtv

Operation Transformation (OT) hosted a series of events last week including a Friday workshop that included 60 business and community leaders. The purpose of the one-day workshop was to gather community leaders to talk about and improve diversity efforts. Terry Kuhns, Associate Director for OT, said in light of recent events in the community, the group wanted to do something that was positively focused.  

The group invited Anthony Jones, President of RBD Management Consultants, to lead the discussion. Jones, a former Port Huron resident, spoke to the group. He said, “People, both customers and staff, make the bottom line grow [for companies]”.  When describing the program, Jones said, “The ability to gain insight into what is happening in the background of individuals and the context of their lives, and to have a deeper understanding of the people in an organization, or in your client and customer base – that’s powerful information.”  

St. Clair County Medical Health Officer Annette Mercantante said it was a very important training, and she was delighted to see so many community leaders at the event. She also said, “[diversity] is something that does not intuitively come to a conscious discussion, but yet it has a profound impact on our well-being our profitability, our economic well being, and the health of our community.”

Reporting for WGRT – EBWtv

Earlier this summer, Port Huron Schools wanted to give stakeholders in the school system a better communication tool to provide feedback. Students, staff, parents, and community members were introduced to a service called Thoughtexchange. The online forum provides a platform for feedback about Port Huron Area Schools to be shared anonymously. 

In the most recent use of Thoughtexchange, Port Huron Schools asked for feedback about what the district is doing well and what areas of improvement they should consider. Over 500 individuals shared thoughts through the system. The results are enabling the school district to better understand the needs of the community. Eleven different themes surfaced that may require attention including class offerings, support, behavior, teachers and staff, facilities and safety, curriculum, and administrative support. The facilitating team at Thoughtexchange said the Blue Water area outperformed many other communities in terms of participation.

We had a great visit from Andy Bakko, owner of Wolverine Market and chairman of the Port Huron Beer Fest! Listen as Andy shares what you can expect from this year’s Beer Fest which is coming to Keifer Park on Saturday, September 28th. You can find even more information about the event by clicking <HERE>

The Miss Michigan USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants came to Port Huron over the weekend and showcased some of the growth and beauty in the Port Huron Area. The event has made Port Huron home for the past 18 years, and Southfield’s Chanel Johnson was crowned Miss USA Michigan. Aneesa Sheikh of Bloomfield Hills was the Miss Michigan Teen USA winner.

In addition to the show being in town, the area benefits economically. Blue Water Convention and Visitors Bureau’s President, Marci Fogal, said that with practice and interviews, the parents of contestants often head to area restaurants or shopping experiences.  Fogal said she talked to a few of the parents that were in Port Huron last year, and have returned this year. Their feedback was that they were amazed at how different the downtown area is, and how much more there is to do. 

State Executive Director for Miss Michigan USA, Melissa Proctor-Pitchford said, when she went on site visits throughout the entire state for different locations, the Blue Water area was captivating to her. She said the criteria for selecting a location is that it is a tourist destination and a place where contestants and their families will have a good time.

Reporting for WGRT – Karly Hurley