McLaren Port Huron will offer a four-week program to help individuals quit smoking. Fresh Start to Quit Smoking takes place Mondays, April 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2:30- 3:30 p.m., in the McLaren Port Huron Jefferson Building. The Jefferson Building is located at 1320 Washington Avenue, Port Huron.  Are you ready to make a fresh start and quit smoking? This program will provide you the tools to help you quit. You will select your quit day during the third class. This is a four-session program. Participants must attend all four sessions and new participants cannot join after the first class.  This program is free, but registration is required.  To register or for more information call HealthAccess at 1-800-228-1484 or visit www.mclaren.org/phevents.

More than 100 volunteers, hospital employees and local emergency responders will took part in a mock disaster drill on Friday, March 15, 2019 at Lake Huron Medical Center. The drill tested the preparedness and response of local, regional and state agencies should a real crisis occur. The event staged by Lake Huron Medical Center’s Trauma Services, Betty Falecki, focused on response plans for an actual disaster which would trigger a sudden surge of patients, media, concerned community members and the “worried well” to the hospital.  The full-scale mass-casualty drill was conducted in collaboration with multiple partner agencies including Lake Huron Medical Center, Port Huron Police and Fire Departments, Tri Hospital EMS, and St. Clair County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.  “The goal of this exercise is to enhance working relationships and collaboration between the agencies and organizations involved,” Falecki said. “It’s a mock exercise, but it’s also a very real test of our ability to respond to an actual disaster. We appreciate the cooperation of everyone involved.”  The scenario for the practice event is a simulated active shooter, who has targeted administration.  Normal hospital Emergency Department operations and patient care was not affected by the drill in any way.  While hospitals are required by the Joint Commission to have disaster response plans in place and conduct periodic drills for improvement and training purposes, Lake Huron Medical Center takes the healthcare safety of the community very seriously and is devoted to providing the highest quality care available in the Blue Water Area.

For more information on the programs and events at Lake Huron Medical Center, please visit  www.mylakehuron.com.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office hosted an open house on Monday which served as the grand opening of a permanent history exhibit. The exhibit is lodged at the Sheriff’s Office, at 1170 Michigan Road in Port Huron.   There are pictures and items on display from as far back as the turn of the 20^th century.  Also on display are items from the shootout with Herbert Youngblood in 1934 that ended with the death of Youngblood and Undersheriff Charles Cavanaugh.  Sheriff William Van Antwerp was wounded in the exchange of gunfire.   Youngblood and then Public Enemy number one John Dillinger had earlier escaped from an Indiana jail.   The exhibit includes bullets from the exchange of gunfire as well as the shirt Cavanaugh wore during the shoot out and the notebook that saved his life.   According to Sheriff Tim Donnellon, the history exhibit will be available to the public free of charge during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

After a two-year hiatus due to hospital construction, McLaren Port Huron will host its popular Children’s Fun & Fitness Festival Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the hospital. This free event gives children the opportunity to become familiar with the hospital environment in a way that is fun, active, and geared to them.   Several interactive stations will be set up throughout the first floor lobby areas, including a chance to test drive a daVinci surgical robot, a mock operating room tour, pet therapy, and a challenging obstacle course. Other stations include health screenings, educational materials, and other fun activities for children. Each child present can enter to win one of two bicycles donated by the Noon Optimist Club of Port Huron. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  This event is free, and registration is at the door only. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. Please enter through the Wismer Main Entrance. Free valet parking is available.  For more information about the Children’s Fun & Fitness Festival, call HealthAccess at 1-800-228-1484, or visit www.mclaren.org/phevents.

A St. Clair County Drug Task Force investigation closed Tuesday night with the seizure of heroin and cocaine.  According to Sheriff Tim Donnellon, members of the DTF were conducting the investigation into sales of heroin and cocaine in the Port Huron area.  The investigation led to a traffic stop at 9^th Street and Pine Street in Port Huron at about 8:30 p.m.  During the stop, the driver of the vehicle, a 44 year old Port Huron man, was found to have a small quantity of cocaine and heroin with him.  He was placed in custody and a search warrant was executed at his residence in the 1800 block of Water Street.  During the search, approximately $3000 worth of heroin and $500 worth of cocaine was located and seized by the DTF.  The suspect faces charges including possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, maintaining a drug house and being a habitual offender.

The KidSAKE Foundation of St. Clair County will present creative writing workshops to each fifth and sixth grade student in the Marysville School District March 13th and 14th. Workshops will be led by international scholar Dr. Darlene Leifson. The workshops are made possible through a generous grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs as well as sponsorships and advertising from area businesses and organizations. Designed as a curricular enrichment activity, the workshop themes connect to the play The Boy at the Edge of Everything, by award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, which students will see on Friday. The performance will be presented by the Eastern Michigan University Children’s Theatre touring company. KidSAKE will also present each school library with the two volume set: New Visions/New Voices, 25 Years/25 Plays, which contain the script for the play and other works developed at The Kennedy Center festival of the same name.   Dr. Leifson designed participatory workshops that give students the opportunity to tap into their creative side through writing, creative exploration and dramatic processes. Dr. Leifson received her BA in English from Brigham Young University, an MA in applied drama and theatre from Eastern Michigan University and a PhD in humanities from the University of Texas-Dallas, with emphasis in the philosophy of creativity, dramatic literature, and theatre and performance theory.   This program is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and numerous community businesses and organizations, including: The Community Foundation of St. Clair County, Pollock-Randall & Marysville Funeral Homes, Marysville Lions, Marshall E. Campbell Company, SEMCO Energy, TP Logos, Blue Water Habitat for Humanity, Raymond James, and Chef Shell’s.   Since 2000, the KidSAKE Foundation has been serving youth and communities through arts-based and other initiatives that encourage service, promote leadership and build self-esteem. To customize a camp or workshop for your students, please contact Jenny Rogers at kidsakefoundation@gmail.com.   For more info about the KidSAKE Foundation, visit KidSAKE’s website at www.thekidsakefoundation.org.