St. Clair County

Lake Huron Medical Center Honors June Employee and Volunteer of the Month

Port Huron, MI – Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) is pleased to announce its June 2020
Employee of the Month, Holly Hendershot, and its June 2020 Volunteer of the Month, Margaret
Langolf. LHMC is honored to have a strong team of staff and volunteers working hard to deliver high-quality care to the Blue Water Area.

Holly is Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department and has been with LHMC since 2018.
She was nominated by a peer who commented, “On a hot day in May a patient’s brother and
children were waiting outside in their vehicle because visitors were asked not to enter the
building, per the Governor’s Executive Order. Holly took it upon herself to take them popsicles to cool them off while they waited to hear from the doctors. This nice gesture is one example of how Holly goes above and beyond in trying to make families as comfortable as possible during a stressful situation.”

Margaret volunteers in various roles throughout the hospital and was nominated by an employee who stated: “This time of year is one of the busiest for Margaret, as she oversees the Lake Huron Foundation Volunteer Organization (LHFVO) Scholarship Program. This year, she was presented with a whole new slew of challenges – and she met them head-on! Margaret led a
remote review process with the LHFVO Scholarship Committee to select award recipients, guaranteeing students would be notified of whether or not they would be receiving an award in a timely manner. During some very unique and unprecedented circumstances, Margaret met the challenge with commitment, dedication and passion. She took the lead while remaining flexible and accommodating, keeping the end-goal of ensuring students would have the financial support they desperately need to continue their education in the healthcare field at the top of her mind.”

Lake Huron Medical Center is proud of each of its employees and volunteers; and extends a
special thank you and congratulations to all our team members, especially Holly and Margaret, as we celebrate their accomplishments.

To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit
www.mylakehuron.com.

McLaren Port Huron Recognized by Healthgrades with Patient Safety Excellence Award

Port Huron, Mich.— Healthgrades, the leading source that connects consumers, physicians and health systems, awarded McLaren Port Huron with a 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award. Released annually, Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award recognizes hospitals that have the lowest occurrences of 14 preventable patient safety events.

Inclusion on the list places McLaren Port Huron among the top 10 percent of acute care hospitals nationwide in patient safety.

“At McLaren Port Huron, excellence is about the constant pursuit of best practices. We participate in voluntary safety and quality initiatives to enhance patient outcomes,” said Jennifer Montgomery, president and CEO of McLaren Port Huron. “I am honored to have earned this award and would like to thank all of our physicians and staff who are committed to continuously providing high quality care in the safest environment possible.”

Data collected is tracked and measured to determine hospitals’ effectiveness in preventing injuries, infections and other serious conditions. Healthgrades considers 14 patient safety indicators and other measurements to create the list of recipients.

Specifically, McLaren Port Huron was recognized for:

  • Keeping patients safe from preventable complications
  • Delivering better-than-expected clinical outcomes
  • Placing patient care and safety first throughout hospitalization

McLaren Port Huron is one of five McLaren Health Care providers to earn the recognition, with McLaren Macomb, McLaren Oakland, McLaren Lapeer Region and McLaren Greater Lansing also included on the list.

To learn more about how McLaren Port Huron is providing safe care during COVID-19, visit mclaren.org/safecare.

McLaren Port Huron Names Employee of the Month

Port Huron, MI – Sophie Phillips, RN, has been named McLaren Port Huron’s Employee of the Month for May. Phillips has been employed with McLaren Port Huron for five years and currently works in the Cardiac Stepdown Unit.

Phillips was nominated by her peers because she demonstrates the hospital values every day. She is described as someone who has a positive attitude, contagious smile and always goes above and beyond for patients and their families.  Her peers added that she cares about her co-workers and always assists them without being asked.

This employee recognition is given to individuals who consistently live the values, mission and performance standards of McLaren Port Huron. Honorees are nominated by a co-worker, physician, volunteer, and/or customer.

To learn more about McLaren Port Huron, visit www.mclaren.org/porthuron.

Whitmer Allows Professional Sports to Return – No Live Audiences

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of June 26, 2020 at  10:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 62,306  confirmed cases; 5,886 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 473 confirmed cases; 48 deaths
  • Ontario: 34,316  confirmed cases;  2,644 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 285 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

St. Clair County currently has 48 confirmed active cases of the virus, and 1% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients.

Today, Governor Whitmer Signed an Executive Order allowing professional sports to return without a live audience. Major League Baseball said that a shortened 60-game season would being on July 24th with players reporting for spring training at their home ballparks by July 1st.


In Sarnia, there have only been 4 new cases since our report last week, and there have been no new deaths attributed to the virus.

Lambton County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ranade, confirmed that physical distancing is more important than wearing a mask to battle COVID- 19. However, if you find yourself in a situation where physical distancing is not possible, a mask may be considered useful. 

Sarnia-Lambton is currently in Stage 2, working towards Stage 3 of the Framework for Reopening our Province

*** It is important to note that WGRT is continuing to report confirmed cases from each area, not total cases which are a combination of confirmed and probable cases. We have chosen to approach the data this way to simplify our reports and to create uniformity in the numbers we are reporting for each region, St.Clair County, Lambton County, Michigan, and Ontario.

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Local Theater Announces Lineup of Upcoming Productions

Enter Stage Right, a Port Huron theatrical production company based in The Citadel building, has announced their plans for the next few months. On the heels of the successful production of “The Jungle Book – Live from Home”, the company is getting ready for two more socially distanced shows.

The Lost World will debut at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, and Charlotte’s Web will air on Saturday, July 25. Executive Director, Regina Spain, said that over 300 viewers tuned in for The Jungle Book on the Enter Stage Right Youtube channel. They are accepting donations from viewers to help with costs.

The theater company is looking forward to the return of in-person live shows in the near future, and they are hosting auditions on July 11th and 14th to prepare. New safety protocols are in effect for auditions.

Spain said, “If all goes well, we anticipate re-opening the theatre to a capped audience and new protocol for our 10th Annual “Will on the Water” Summer Shakespeare. This year’s production is The Tragedie of King Lear and is set to run August 7th -23rd.” Plans are in place for alternative venues if needed.

Full details can be found at enterstageright.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

One Dead, Others Stabbed in Port Huron Twp. Drug Deal Gone Bad

Port Huron Twp., MI — A 19 year old man from Mt. Clemens is dead and two others were injured in what is believed to be a drug deal gone bad in Port Huron Township.

Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office were called to the area of 25th and Dixon at about 4:15 this morning for a felonious assault complaint, and reports of a victim stabbed several times.  When deputies arrived, they located a 21 year old man from Port Huron Township lying on the ground with several stab wounds.  He was able to give information regarding his assailants before being transported to a local hospital by Tri-Hospital EMS.

A “be on the lookout” (BOL) was broadcast for a red Cadillac containing four or five subjects. Officers from the Port Huron Police Department located and stopped the car at Military Street and Reid Street at about 4:30 this morning. 

Once officers made contact with the people inside the vehicle, it was discovered that one of the passengers, a 19 year old man from Mt. Clemens, was dead from what is believed to be a stab wound. Another passenger, a 21 year old Washington Township man, was transported to a local hospital with lacerations.

Three people, a 19 year old man from Roseville, a 18 year old man from Burtchville Township, and a 18 year old woman from Warren were all transported to the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center for questioning.

Officers from the Marysville Police Department also assisted in the initial investigation, which has been turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.

UPDATE: 6/25/20

An autopsy was performed Wednesday on the victim, 19 year old Jovonte Thurman of Mt. Clemens. The St. Clair County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the death is a homicide and the cause of death is a stab wound.