St. Clair County

Food Giveaways Coming to Yale, Capac, and Algonac on August 3rd

Port Huron, MI — Three more food giveaway trucks have been added to the St. Clair County Community Impact Day roster by the United Way of St. Clair County and Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The distributions are planned for August 3rd.

Yale Community Food Bank, the C3 Connection, and Community First Health Centers are partnering with the United Way and the Food Bank to stop hunger in the outlying areas of the county.

A pop-up pantry with free drive through giveaways will be at Yale Middle School, located at 1 School Drive in Yale, at 9:00 a.m. on August 3rd. Another Popup Pantry will be at St. John Lutheran Church, located at 109 E. Kempf Court in Capac, also at 9:00 a.m. There will be a third pop-up pantry at Community First Health Center located at 555 St. Clair River Drive in Algonac at 11:00am, also on August 3rd.

Food supplies are limited and are available completely free of charge on a first-come-first-serve basis. More food resources can be found at uwstclair.org/healthfirst.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Master Gardening Training Program Offered Online

The Master Gardeners of St. Clair County are inviting community members to become part of the MSU Extension Master Gardener Program. This horticulture education and volunteer training program is taught by Michigan State University Extension horticulture experts. No prior knowledge or experience in gardening is required. All classes will be offered online except for the required last class – Volunteer Orientation – which will be held face-to-face when it is safe to do so, physical location yet to be determined.

Extension Master Gardener volunteers start by completing a 14-session training course grounded in university research. This training consists of approximately 45 hours of training with classes on plant science, soil science, integrated pest management, diagnostics, annuals and perennials, woody ornamentals, lawns, vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, household and nuisance pests, indoor plants and gardening practices to protect water resources.

The training will be online starting in August on Tuesdays, from 9 AM to 1 PM.  It runs from August 18th through December 1st, 2020, (including a makeup date and no class on November 3, 2020).  Cost is $325, which includes $25.00 for Volunteer Selection process which includes the background check; $300.00 for training course, including 1,000-page training manual. There are no other out-of-pocket costs.  You can make payment using check or credit card.  Deadline for application and credit card payment is due August 4, 2020, payment by check is due by July 27, 2020.  Register online <HERE> .

Nursing Home Visiting Restrictions Extend into 5th Month

An Executive Order was signed late last week mandating continued temporary restrictions on visitors to health care facilities, residential facilities like nursing homes, congregate facilities, and juvenile justice facilities. 

It has been a long time since Michigan residents could freely visit loved ones in long term care facilities. This new order gives the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services the authority to gradually re-open visitation according to circumstances. The order lasts until August 31.

Nursing homes have been hit especially hard by infection in the state overall, as well as in St. Clair County.Long-term care providers are expected to have an action plan submitted to the Governor’s office by August 31 explaining their plan for stopping any future outbreaks of COVID-19 in their facilities. There is also legislation in the state legislature calling for tighter regulations of long-term care facilities. 

Currently, visits to nursing homes are restricted to special circumstances that support “activities of daily living” and are closely monitored. The restrictions began on March 13th. The latest order is the 156th order issued in 2020.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 and Health Department Create Health Clinic on Campus

Port Huron, MI — The creation of a health clinic on the campus of St. Clair County Community College was approved by the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners. The clinic is designed to be a bridge between pediatric and adult care.

The new clinic will have a full-time nurse on staff and will be linked to the St. Clair County Health Department’s Teen Health and Personal Health clinics.

Students are often in class during traditional office hours. The SC4 clinic idea hopes to increase accessibility for busy students while providing preventative services to the college-age population.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer of the St. Clair County Health Department, said, “This type of community collaboration is a win-win for everyone. Health is a team effort, and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with our local college and this population.”

The clinic is expected to open this fall. The location is still being determined. SC4 has agreed to reimburse the Health Department in the amount of $90,000 for staffing the clinic.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Bridge to Bay Trail Gets a $1.9 Million Boost

A $1.55 million dollar grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Fund along with funding for renovations to Lighthouse Park and a trails maintenance grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan will boost efforts to complete the Bridge to Bay (B2B) Trail system in St. Clair County.

A coalition of local stakeholders including the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, St. Clair County Parks & Recreation, St. Clair County Metropolitan Planning Commission, Friends of the St. Clair River and several local municipalities have been working together since 2018 to address the major remaining gaps in the B2B Trail.   

Randy Maiers, president & CEO of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, which is the fiduciary of the grant funding, said, “This is a tremendous boost to our regional efforts. Both our Blue Meets Green coalition and our Community Foundation recognize the Bridge to Bay Trail system as one of the critical projects our region needs to complete.”

The funding will activate Phase One of the project which includes closing key trail gaps in St. Clair, Marysville, and Port Huron. A new pedestrian bridge over the Black River Canal is an exciting feature of Phase One which will connect Port Huron Northern High School and Holland Woods Middle School. New trails in St. Clair and Marysville will connect existing trails to commercial areas in those cities and to trails in other communities.

The Bridge to Bay Trail project has been a key initiative for the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation because it encourages recreation and increases  the walk-ability and bike-ability of local communities.

J.J. Tighe, Director of Parks & Trails Initiative for the Foundation said, “Parks and trails add greatly to the quality of life in a community.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

United Way Supports Local Family With Hospice Care

The Visiting Nurse Association & Blue Water Hospice partners with the United Way of St. Clair County to provide funding for families who need financial assistance for special health care needs and hospice care.

Recently, they were able to help a local family receive financial aid for room and board at the Blue Water Hospice Home.

Brian Jackson started experiencing heart attacks at the age of 34. Due to complications from diabetes, his health declined and he continued to suffer several strokes, mini-strokes, and heart attacks until he lost his battle at the age of 43.

Because of the support he and his family received from The United Way of St. Clair County and the VNA & Blue Water Hospice, Brian was able to spend his last days surrounded by family and friends while getting the special care he needed.

Brian’s wife, Vickie, is extremely grateful for the care provided by the hospice home and the support from the United Way. “We didn’t even know this home and type of care existed locally,” Vickie said.

The United Way focuses on several areas of physical and mental health through their “Improving Quality of Life Through Health & Advocacy” impact area. Funded programs include mental health counseling, accessibility ramp construction, medication assistance, and hospice care. For more information visit their website <HERE> .

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand