The hazards of winter include the snow, ice, and sleet that can cause damage to our homes and lead to accidents on our highways. They also include the bitterly cold air and winds that threaten frostbite and hypothermia for anyone caught without shelter. The cold in Michigan can be deadly according to the National Weather Service.  They say Michigan residents are always susceptible to the cold weather common every winter. The temperatures do not have to plummet below zero to create a life-threatening situation. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, 35 people in Michigan died due the exposure to the cold in 2015. This makes cold weather the number one weather-related killer in Michigan.  It is especially important to remember to avoid exposure to cold, wet weather for lengthy periods of time. As colder air invades the state later in the season, the dangers will increase. Always dress for conditions and do not stray too far from shelter for any extended period of time.  Look for the warning signs of hypothermia such as uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. If medical care is not available, begin warming the person slowly, warming the body core first. Get the person into dry clothing, and wrap him or her in a warm blanket covering the head and neck. Do not warm the extremities first. This drives the cold blood toward the heart and can lead to heart failure.  For more information on cold weather safety, please visit the Michigan Winter Emergency Preparedness Page.

The Port Huron Police Department investigated a robbery at the Marathon Gas Station at 1301 Military Street, in Port Huron.  On Monday, October 29, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Central Dispatch received a call from a witness who had walked in the store and found the clerk, a 29 year old Port Huron resident, fighting a man with a ski mask covering his face.  The confrontation, according to Port Huron Police Captain, Marcy Kuehn moved from the store into the parking lot.  The clerk was assisted by another person who held the suspect to the ground until police arrived to take him into custody.   The clerk told police the suspect came into the store with a bag and demanded money.    On Wednesday October 31, Joel Edward Parker, a 22 year old Port Huron resident was arraigned on one count of Unarmed Robbery, a 15 year felony.  The case is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Tuesday November 13 at 9 a.m. in front of the Honorable Judge Platzer.  A $50,000 cash bond was set.

Based on the bestselling Meat Loaf 1977 albums, Jim Steinman’s rock opera –  jukebox musical which was scheduled to be performed over the next two weeks at the Fox Theater in Detroit, has cancelled all the Detroit performances.  Authorities say if you purchased a ticket at the box office, or another point of purchase, you need to go to the box office for a refund.   Internet & Phone orders will automatically be canceled & refunded.   If you won tickets from WGRT for the Thursday, November 8 at 7:30 pm or any other of the performances, those tickets, unfortunately are non-refundable.  We, at WGRT apologize for any inconvenience, and hope you will continue to enter our contests.  This is the first time a situation such as this has occurred with our contests.  No clear reason was offered by the theater as to why the show has cancelled.

Lake Huron Medical Center is 5-star rated for hip fracture treatment outcomes according to a study released by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Lake Huron Medical Center is a member of Prime Healthcare, one of the nation’s top health systems for clinical quality. “Clinical quality varies significantly between hospitals, so it’s important for consumers to use information about outcomes to assess where to receive care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Healthgrades. “This 5-star rating for hip fracture treatments showcases the expertise and commitment of Lake Huron Medical Center to their patients.”  Lake Huron Medical Center received the Women’s Choice Award in recognition of being among “America’s Best Hospitals in Emergency Care,” certification from Health Stream for “Excellence in Emergency Care” and earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The hospital has also made significant investments in its infrastructure, expanding and enhancing its services to include a TrueBeam linear accelerator – the most advanced radiation therapy treatment technology available; 80-slice CT scanners that sharpen imaging and advance diagnostic capabilities; a new urgent care and walk-in clinic located at Lake Huron Medical Center’s North Campus, a new pulmonary rehabilitation program and wound care center. This past spring, LHMC also began offering 3D mammography. “Lake Huron Medical Center is focused on taking care of our patients and their path to healing, both of which continue to be the driving force behind implementing advanced technology and remaining focused on positive patient outcomes,” says Sridhar Reddy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Lake Huron Medical Center. These Healthgrades achievements are part of new findings and data featured in the Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation. The new report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals regionally and nationally. Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at almost 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions, as well as tracking outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia.* Variation in care has a significant impact on health outcomes. For example, from 2015 through 2017, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5 stars as a group, then on average 222,210 lives could potentially have been saved and 157,210 in-hospital complications could potentially have been avoided.* A 5-star rating indicates that Lake Huron Medical Center’s clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.  Additionally, from 2015 through 2017, patients treated for Hip Fracture Repair in hospitals with 5-stars have, on average have 45.7% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated by hospitals with 1-star and on average are 1.8 times more likely to experience one or more complications than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars.*    For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for almost 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia. Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected) and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected) categories. The complete Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality/.

As we turn back the clocks on Sunday and temperatures continue to fall, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) wants to remind residents to take steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.  “As temperatures drop, we start getting increased reports about carbon monoxide poisonings,” said Nick Lyon, MDHHS director. “Now is the time for Michigan residents to make sure their heating sources and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order.”  Each year in Michigan about 29 people die and 145 are hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning. To protect yourself and your family from carbon monoxide, follow these safety tips:

• Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors. Detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores for $20-50. Daylight Savings Time is a good time each year to replace the batteries and push the “test” button to be sure it’s working properly. Replace detectors every five years or according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have your furnace or wood-burning stove inspected annually. Hire a professional to make sure it is functionally sound and vents properly outside the home.
• Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or garage. Any heating system that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Use a battery-powered detector where you have fuel burning devices but no electric outlets, such as in tents, cabins and RVs.
• Generators should be run at a safe distance (at least 20 feet) from the home. Never run a generator in the home or garage, or right next to windows or doors.
• Never run a car in an enclosed space. Even with a door or window open, carbon monoxide levels can still build up to an unsafe level.  At high levels, carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide include headache, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea and confusion. If you think you may be experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, or your detector sounds an alarm, go outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.

Visit Michigan.gov/carbonmonoxide for more information about carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Port Huron Police Department investigated an armed robbery at the Marathon Gas Station at 1301 Military Street, in Port Huron.  On Monday, October 29, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Central Dispatch received a call from a witness who had walked in the store and found the clerk, a 29 year old Port Huron resident, fighting a man with a ski mask covering his face.  The confrontation, according to Port Huron Police Captain, Marcy Kuehn moved from the store into the parking lot.  The clerk was assisted by a good Samaritan who held the suspect, a 22 year old Port Huron resident, to the ground until police arrived to take him into custody.  The clerk was treated at Lake Huron Medical Center for minor injuries.  He  told police the suspect came into the store with a bag and demanded money. The suspect was treated at Port Huron McLaren Hospital for minor injuries and was lodged in the St. Clair County Intervention Center.