The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is seeking public comment on its Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan, which will be a focal point of the second annual Maternal Infant Health Summit, March 12-13, at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing.  The 2019 Mother Infant Health Equity and Improvement Plan is a comprehensive statewide population health plan. It was developed by MDHHS in collaboration with a broad range of maternal and infant health stakeholders and the guidance of the Maternal Infant Strategy Group. The Improvement Plan’s vision is: Zero preventable deaths. Zero health disparities.  The plan promotes health equity as a priority throughout its initiatives by identifying marginalized populations and addressing persistent health disparities. Its grassroots approach incorporates direct feedback from communities, including mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, faith-based organizations and other community groups.  A critical intervention to help prevent maternal mortality included in the plan is Michigan Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (MI AIM) safety bundles. Safety bundles help fully equip hospitals with actionable protocols, necessary equipment, staff education and drills to prevent and adequately treat severe maternal events. MI AIM designated hospitals will be recognized at the March Summit for implementing safety bundles at their facilities.  Comments on the plan must be received by 5 p.m. on March 11, and can be submitted to MDHHS-FamilyHealthServices@michigan.gov.

For more information about the Summit and the Improvement Plan, visit Michigan.gov/MIHEIP.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 2nd the St. Clair County Animal Control at 3378 Griswold Road in Port Huron, will host a special animal adoption event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  According to St. Clair County Administrator Controller, Karry Hepting there will be discounted rates on the cats and dogs for adoption.  Hepting said they have some long-timers as well as some senior animals, and they will be offering different discounts and specials on various pets that they have available in an attempt to move them into homes.  In the past, at the empty the shelters events, people needed to apply and be pre-qualified prior to the event, and that is NOT the case for this event.  Applications can be filled out at the shelter, no need to make an appointment or pre-register.

The Master Gardeners of St. Clair County are proud to present their 12th annual Spring Gardening Symposium on Saturday, March 16th 2019 at the St. Clair Middle School, 4335 Yankee Road, in St. Clair, Michigan. Tickets are $95 which includes breakfast, lunch and snacks.  Late registration after February 24th is $105.  Listen to world-renowned gardening experts present on topics ranging from spring flowering bulbs, optimal cultivars of landscape trees and shrubs, sustainable plants for the modern garden, and how to transform your yard into the garden of your dreams! Peruse an array of handpicked gardening vendors offering wares to help you enjoy a day of dreaming about and creating your own private sanctuary: your garden!  For more information contact Sandy Billings at 810-367-3399.  To learn more, visit our website at mastergardenersofstclaircounty.net or find us on Facebook at Michigan Master Gardeners of St. Clair County.

Operation 4-H Cares Task Force is heading a service project called Feeding Our Community and is collecting nonperishable food items for Mid-City Nutrition Soup Kitchen located in Port Huron.   Their goal is to collect 4,000 items to meet the soup kitchens need.

Some wish list items include:
Paper products – (paper towels, toilet paper etc.)
Dish soap
Bottled water
Sugar
Fruit snacks

Please consider helping with this community service project by dropping your items off at the MSU Extension Office in the County Administration Building at 200 Grand River Avenue Suite 102 during the workday hours Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm, closed for lunch from noon to 1 pm.  For more information contact Lori Warchuck at (810) 989-6935 or lwarchuck@stclaircounty.org

To celebrate the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO and the Red Cross have partnered to ask fans and blood donors to Bleed #ForTheThrone this March. This is the largest blood donation promotional effort by an entertainment company in Red Cross history – with six days of coordinated giving March 7-12 from fans and blood donors at blood drives in 43 states across the U.S., including an immersive blood drive experience at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.  As part of the partnership, fans who come to donate blood or platelets with the Red Cross now through March 17 will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five trips to the season 8 world premiere of Game of Thrones. The trip includes travel for two, up to two nights hotel accommodations and a $250 gift card for expenses. Terms and conditions apply and are available at RedCrossBlood.org/HBOGameofThrones.*  Additionally, those who come to donate March 7-12 will also receive exclusive Game of Thrones swag including a T-shirt, stickers to unlock a unique Snapchat filter and other items, while supplies last.  Blood drives are scheduled for March 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at, Anchor Bay High School, 6319 County Line Road in Ira; March 5 from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at  Port Huron Northern High School, 1790 Krafft Rd. in Port Huron and March 7 from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at St. Clair High School at 220 Clinton in St. Clair.

Tax season is underway and to get a read on how Americans feel about filing their taxes — and how and when they plan to complete this annual obligation — Offers.com surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers. So, how are Michigan citizens filing this tax season?

Michigan’s Top Tax Season Trends:

• 52% of Michigan consumers would rather give up Netflix (or Hulu) than pay their taxes this year. 13% are willing to give up sugar and 11% would shave off their eyebrows.
• 44% of Michigan consumers are planning to file their taxes through an accounting firm. 16% will use a paid tax software and a further 13% will file using a free tax software, with 45% voting Intuit TurboTax their preferred brand.
• Let’s talk about spending that refund. 60% will save their tax return or use it to pay off debt, while 11% will use their refund for regular expenses. Only 3% will splurge on a luxury purchase.
• In terms of timing, 43% of Michiganians say they will file their taxes in February, with the majority having filed by March. However, 18% will leave filing their taxes until April.

Note: Offers.com has compared pricing, customer support and key features of this year’s leading e-filing services, including TurboTax, Credit Karma Tax, H&R Block, TaxSlayer and more.
You can see the full writeup on national and state trends here: 2019 Tax Season Survey.