St. Clair County Community College received $954,739 as part of the Federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act recently approved by Congress. They added some emergency scholarship funds to that pool and created a $1 million emergency aid fund to assist current students.

The money is available to help existing students who are experiencing additional financial need caused by the COVID-19 crisis. It provides relief for housing, transportation, basic living needs, and other college-related costs that may affect a student’s ability to attend SC4. Students experiencing hardships due to unemployment or reduced financial support from their families are encouraged to apply. The application is available online at SC4.edu/CARES/.

Registration for fall classes at SC4 opened up on April 15th. Fall semester begins on Monday, August 24, 2020.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, local health departments and staff from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services are reaching out to Michiganders who have tested positive as well as to the contacts of those individuals.

These public health staff officials are calling to check on health status, provide information about COVID-19, and share actions people should be taking to improve their health. They will also provide help for locating needed services. Officials are also collecting information to track the spread of the infection in the community.

Many people do not like to answer the phone if they don’t recognize the number, but Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health, said, “We ask Michiganders to please answer these calls and return voicemails from the local health departments or the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.”

Local health departments and MDHHS will not offer medication for treatment or prevention of COVID-19.  They will not ask for Medicaid or other insurance information for billing purposes, and they will not request personal financial information such as a social security number or driver’s license number. If you are concerned or have a question about a call you received please contact the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

 

When Bluewater Health requested Sarnia’s Office of Emergency Management establish a secondary site for patient care, they were likely unaware of how many people would work to accomplish the project. The field hospital needed space and beds, but it also required fabrication and installation of industrial stainless steel dividers, a sufficient power source, and many ancillary items such as curtains and bedding.

The generosity of the President of Labour Council, Jason McMichael and a multitude of helpers got the job done. Toolrite Engineering and Rock Technical Services designed and fabricated the steel dividers, and their installation was coordinated with in-kind support from LiUNA Local 1089 tradespeople. Rick Perdeaux of Toolrite Engineering says it was a team effort, “We expedited the design and work for this project, and it all came together thanks to so many caring and generous people in our community.”

If a field hospital needs to be deployed in the future, it can be mobilized quickly. Two enclosed tractor trailers were purchased for storage and transport. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says mobilizing the field hospital is a great example of community collaboration, “It shows that together we can do so much. We hope we will not have to use this facility, but we take comfort in knowing it is available and on standby.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

With airline travel plummeting more than 90% during the Covid-19 pandemic, airports have been hit hard. The good news is that Michigan is on the receiving end of $256 million in airport grants through the CARES Act.

The Federal Aviation Administration funding will support airports experiencing severe economic disruption caused by the pandemic. The grants will be distributed to airports to prevent, prepare for, and respond to impacts from the crisis. In total, more than 90 airports in Michigan will receive funding from the CARES Act.

Some of the airports receiving significant funding include Detroit Metropolitan slated to receive $141.8 million, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International receiving $19.1 million, Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids receiving $16.2 million. Closer to home, Bishop International in Flint will receive $7.2 million.

St Clair County International Airport was not included in the grant funding. Based on preliminary assessments, the COVID-19 outbreak will cost U.S. airports at least $13.9 billion in the 2020 calendar year. This estimate is based on projections that traffic at U.S. commercial airports is expected to fall by 73% during the March to June period of this year.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 16th at 5:30 PM are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 29,263 confirmed cases; 2,093 deaths
• St. Clair County: 256 confirmed cases; 8 deaths
• Ontario: 8,961confirmed cases; 423 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 128 confirmed cases; 11 deaths

A press release from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s office confirmed a total of 7 inmates have tested positive for the Coronavirus at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center. Those inmates have been isolated from the general population in the facility.

In addition, two corrections deputies and one nurse at the IDC have tested positive. All three are off duty until they are recovered from the virus. “We continue to monitor inmates and staff for Coronavirus symptoms per the guidelines laid out by the CDC and the St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center,” said Sheriff Tim Donnellon. “Unfortunately, no location is immune from this virus. Our medical staff, which is on hand 24/7, will continue to work to ensure the safety of our employees and inmates.” As of today, none of those infected have needed hospitalization.

Sarnia is reporting more than one outbreak at institutions caring for the elderly. The first at Landmark Village has 23 confirmed cases, including seven staff and 16 residents. At this time, six of the eleven deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Sarnia are linked to the retirement home. An
additional institutional outbreak at Lambton Meadowview Villa located in Petrolia has also been confirmed.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

• 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
• St. Clair County Community Mental Health COVID-19 Support Line (810) 985-8900, available Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Lambton Public Health: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
• City of Sarnia COVID-19 Hotline: 1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642)

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron – chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee – today reaffirmed the Legislature’s oversight role of state government during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Following Senate Appropriations Chair Jim Stamas’ call earlier this week for layoffs of non-essential state employees, Hernandez sent letters to state department heads seeking information about how they are managing workloads and evaluating staffing needs during Gov. Whitmer’s mandated statewide shutdown. With tax revenues to the state falling, Hernandez said tough state budget decisions must begin now, and this is a step toward making sure the Legislature has looked into every option to find savings going forward.

“The Legislature’s job does not stop during COVID-19,” Hernandez said. “We continue to look out for the taxpayers we represent, and part of that job is oversight of how state government is operating during this critical time.

“Many state employees are working hard, putting in overtime and making great sacrifices to fight COVID-19 and its repercussions. We are grateful and thank them for their incredible efforts. We also know not every state department is directly involved in the fight against COVID-19, and that is where tough decisions must be made – just like the governor’s shutdown orders are forcing Michigan families and job providers to make tough decisions every day in every part of our state. Many parts of our economy are shut down and many state services are closed. It is important to know how the state employees overseeing these affected areas are continuing to work and what services they are providing.”

Hernandez is seeking answers from state departments by April 27 to the following questions:

1)    What new methods are you using to help your employees fulfill their duties while working from home, and have you had to address any issues of employees not fulfilling their duties?

2)    How are you monitoring employee work hours and have you seen an increase or decrease in hours worked?

3)    What metrics are being used to measure performance and have you seen increases or decreases in productivity?

4)    Have you seen a reduction or increase in service demand and has there been consideration of reducing workforce due to potential revenue declines?

5)    Has there been any consideration of repurposing some of your employees to other duties within your department to manage the new workflow created from the stay at home order?

Hernandez said there could be opportunities to reassign some non-essential state government workers to help deal with overwhelming demand in the state’s failing and overburdened unemployment filing system, among other projects.

“The governor has decided who is ‘essential’ within the entire Michigan workforce, but has neglected to make those same decisions within her own administration,” Hernandez said. “Is the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy able to do field inspections? Is the Liquor Control Commission issuing permits? What is the Michigan Department of Education’s role as schools are shut down statewide with limited at-home instruction? We need to find out, and ask questions about what is happening with state employees sidelined due to the economy.”

Submitted by Tim Martin