Blue Water Safe Horizons Raising Awareness at Oct. 9 Event

Blue Water Safe Horizons is hosting the first ever Domestic Violence Awareness Resource Event for St. Clair County. It will be held at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 9th. 

Blue Water Safe Horizons will have information available to help the community recognize the warning signs of domestic violence. There will also be activity tables where the community can earn SURVIVOR, ADVOCATE, or ALLY t-shirts. 

Elizabeth Sawielski, Blue Water Safe Horizons Executive Director, says, “The event is designed to increase awareness of intimate-partner domestic violence in our community and help others understand the resources that are available in St. Clair County. One in three women and one in four men in the U.S. have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner and the work that we do is so important to our community.” 

Blue Water Safe Horizons operates Carolyn’s Place, a 26-bed facility for time-limited emergency needs for women and children. Just last year, Blue Water Safe Horizons provided more than 5,000 nights of stay to victims, answered 500 crisis hotline calls, and served more than 500 women and children. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Sick? Don’t Kiss the Baby: RSV is on the Rise in Infants

While COVID gets all the attention, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is showing up earlier than normal and at higher rates than expected. RSV is a respiratory virus that hits very young children particularly hard.

The virus usually peaks in the heart of winter, but it is running rampant right now. The respiratory virus is highly contagious and spreads through droplets in the air after a cough or sneeze.

Adults and older children usually get through RSV like they would a mild cold, but if it spreads to infants, the infection can be much more serious. Preventing transmitting RSV is the best way to keep babies safe.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive, said, “Avoid close contact with people who are unwell, wash hands often, cover sneezes, avoid touching your face with your hands and frequently disinfect surfaces.”

It is also important to keep children home when sick, avoid close contact actions like kissing, handshakes, sharing cups and utensils, and clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, toys, and mobile devices.

It’s important to call your child’s health care provider right away if your child has any of the following signs or symptoms:

  • A cold and is less than six months of age or at high risk for RSV.
  • Difficulty breathing:
    • Short, shallow and fast breaths.
    • Skin between ribs or under the neck pulls with each breath.
  • Lips, tongue or skin color turns blue or gray.
  • Trouble eating, drinking or sleeping.
  • Gets dehydrated (decreased number of wet diapers).

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

COVID-19 Booster Shots Available at Health Department

The CDC is now recommending COVID-19 booster shots for some individuals. To be eligible, at least 6 months must have passed since a second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals must also be at increased risk of severe illness or exposure because of age, underlying health conditions, employment, or living in an institutional setting, such as a long-term care facility. COVID-19 vaccine is free and local health care providers, pharmacies, and the St. Clair County Health Department.

“Vaccination remains our best protection against severe COVID illness and death,” says Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer with the St. Clair County Health Department. “We have prioritized making COVID vaccination as easy as possible, but also want to remind everyone that vaccination is now widely available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies. We continue to use multiple strategies to ensure equitable access to vaccine and booster doses. Please get vaccinated or boosted wherever is most accessible for you.”

At this time, the Pfizer booster authorization only applies to people whose primary series was Pfizer vaccine. People in the recommended groups who got the Moderna or J&J/Janssen vaccine will likely need a booster shot. More data on the effectiveness and safety of Moderna and J&J/Janssen booster shots are expected soon.

Pfizer Booster Eligibility

The CDC recommendation for Pfizer booster doses 6 months after the second dose includes:

  • Older adults (65 years and older)
  • Adults in long-term care or other institutional settings
  • People aged 18-64 years with certain underlying health conditions
  • Adults working in certain jobs where they are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19

o   First responders (healthcare workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff)

o   Education staff (teachers, support staff, daycare workers)

o   Food and agriculture workers

o   Manufacturing workers

o   Corrections workers

o   U.S. Postal Service workers

o   Public transit workers

o   Grocery store workers

o   This list could be updated in the future.

To schedule an appointment at the St. Clair County Health Department call (810) 987-5300.

Email COVID-19 questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org or call the informational hotline (810) 966-4163. Visit the website www.scchealth.co and follow us on social media @scchdmi.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

SC4 Continues Arts Rebirth with David Fisher Concert 

St. Clair County Community College is experiencing a rebirth of their community arts effort. One example is this week’s Noon Concert Series featuring SC4’s own David Fisher. 

Fisher is an adjunct faculty member in the music department at SC4 and will be sharing his piano talent at the concert. Fisher will be playing Schubert’s first set of Four Impromptus and music from four other composers. The concert is free to attend in-person at the SC4 Fine Arts Theatre or to watch through the live-streaming service. There are performances at both noon and 7:00 p.m.

Ethan J. Flick, Community Arts Director at SC4 said, “The Noon Concert Series epitomizes the inseparable link between the College and the surrounding community that sustains it. “

Flick said, “While the core mission of the College is, and always will be academic in nature, the broader purpose of SC4 is to enrich lives and expand opportunities. The Noon Concert Series plays an instrumental part toward that larger purpose by providing free community access to a variety of musical genres and performance groups. The ultimate goal of the series is to enrich, educate, and entertain.”

 A link to more information: https://sc4.edu/campus-life/arts/free-thursday-concert-series/

 Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

PHS Strongly Encourages Quarantining if Exposed, Despite Rescinded Orders

The signing of the State Budget last week brought some confusing legislation into reality. Because of the threat of lost funding if local health departments issue COVID-19 mitigation mandates, the St. Clair County Health Department reluctantly rescinded quarantine orders out of fear of losing over a half-million dollars in state funding.

This order left school districts in limbo. Port Huron Schools Superintendent Theo Kerhoulas met with the Health Department and issued “strong recommendations” where possible and reinforced CDC mandates such as mask-wearing on buses.

Quarantine orders are the major issue for the district and Kerhoulas said that positive cases are still required to quarantine, but close contacts are now strongly recommended to quarantine. Mask wearing is encouraged and sick kids must stay home.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer at the Health Department, encouraged quarantining as an effective way to slow the spread of the disease, saying, “Our concern is that failure to comply with public health guidance will disproportionately affect those unable to get vaccinated and our most vulnerable. Taking care of our weakest will make us all stronger.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland