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DHD#10 to provide monthly profiles
District Health Department #10 announces the launch of monthly COVID-19 County Profiles to our website to provide individuals insight into how COVID-19 has impacted each of our counties individually and jurisdiction-wide. These county profiles include monthly case data, known source of exposure, confirmed cases by week, a symptomatic versus asymptomatic case breakdown, common symptoms, and age data. The jurisdiction-wide profile highlights this data across all the counties as a whole and also includes data on race and ethnicity. “As COVID-19 continues to spread across our 10-county jurisdiction, we receive many questions about the characteristics of the cases in each county. While our Data Dashboard provides a great deal of information, there are still details the public wants about the cases in their counties,” said Jeannine Taylor, Public Information Officer for DHD#10. “Our hope is that these monthly summaries provide the public with additional information regarding cases referred to the health department over the past month and demonstrate the need behind practicing proper hand hygiene, wearing a mask, social distancing and staying home if you've been exposed to COVID-19.” District Health Department #10 is the largest geographic local public health department in the state, covering ten counties and approximately 64 zip codes. Developing the processes for pulling and analyzing the data took time, primarily because of the sheer size of the jurisdiction. The data is pulled from the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS) and covers only individuals who reside in a county served by DHD#10, including Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Missaukee, Newaygo, Oceana, and Wexford. DHD#10’s County Profiles can be found at www.dhd10.org/coronavirus/covid19-county-profiles/
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 Kathy Sather, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Family Health Care (FHC), headquartered in Baldwin, Michigan, recently announced her plans to retire effective September 1, 2020. “I have enjoyed my time as CEO and will always treasure the fond memories of this organization and the great work staff does here every day, especially during this recent pandemic challenge,” said Sather. “The mission and vision of Community Health Centers and specifically FHC is what makes them successful in overcoming challenges and reaching so many successes in treating our communities’ health issues.” Sather, a Registered Nurse licensed for over 45 years, retires with 32 years of experience in Community Health Center work and served as Family Health Care’s President and CEO since January of 2011. Prior to that time, she served as the Chief Operations Officer of Cherry Street Health Services, a Grand Rapids-based Federally Qualified Community Health Center. Sather has served on various boards such as the State of Michigan’s School-Community Health Alliance (SCHAMI) and Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA) in earlier years as a clinical advisor as well as holding an officer seat as the board secretary and a member of the Executive Committee. She began her career in a community health center with experience in migrant health as a nurse manager of clinical services in Sparta, Michigan. She earned her master’s degree in business at Davenport University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Grand Valley State University. “We will certainly miss Kathy’s leadership, and are grateful that she and her Leadership Team have positioned the organization to further a safe environment for both staff and patients and that patients will continue to receive the quality care they need,” said Bob Fisher, Chair of the FHC Board of Directors. Plans are in place for Julie Tatko to join FHC on August 7, 2020, to help with the responsibilities of CEO. Julie most recently has been the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Cherry Health in Grand Rapids. Her duties there included the administrative and operational oversight of the organization with an emphasis on medical and behavioral health programming. “It has been a pleasure working with the staff at FHC. And I’m confident Julie will do a great job leading the organization one step at a time toward further accomplishments while our Board searches for a new CEO,” continued Sather. For the month of August, Tatko will be working with Sather on a part-time basis as an Administrative Consultant. Julie has many years of experience with the operations of Community Health Centers. Before joining Cherry Health, she was director of operations and enabling services at (MPCA). She has a Master in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College. Upon Sather’s retirement, Tatko will assume the role of Interim CEO while the Board of Directors makes further search decisions.  Drive through testing was performed at White Cloud in mid-June Free Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing at Newaygo HS parking lot on Thursday; Baldwin HS parking lot Friday
August 7, 2020 – District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) is offering free drive-through community testing for COVID-19 on Thursday, August 13, in Newaygo and Friday, August 14, in Baldwin. In collaboration with the National Guard, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Local Law Enforcement and Emergency Management, Newaygo Public Schools and Baldwin Community Schools, testing information is as follows: COVID-19 Drive-Through Community Testing Site Newaygo High School Parking Lot 200 East Street, Newaygo, MI Thursday, August 13, from 1:00 to 6:00 PM Baldwin High School Parking Lot 524 4th Street, Baldwin, MI Friday, August 14, from 2:00 to 6:00 PM
In addition to COVID-19 testing, DHD#10 is offering free Hepatitis A vaccines to interested community members during the COVID-19 testing clinic. For questions, email [email protected] or call 231-305-8659. There are also other options for getting tested for COVID-19. Check out the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website to find no-cost COVID-19 testing sites across the state.  Certified health education specialist Caitlin Mitchell-Schucker facilitating a tobacco cessation class. Gerber Memorial’s quit tobacco program gets top statewide award
FREMONT, Mich., Aug. 6, 2020 – Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial has been recognized with a statewide award recognizing outstanding community health programs in the state, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association’s Ludwig Community Benefit Award. Gerber Memorial’s Tobacco Cessation Program is one of only three hospital-based community health programs to receive the Ludwig Award. Gerber Memorial’s team is made up of Tobacco Treatment Specialists Michelle Klochack, RN, and Caitlin Mitchell-Schucker, a certified health education specialist. Gerber Memorial’s program seeks to decrease tobacco and nicotine use; prevent youth from starting tobacco and nicotine use; and advocate for policy change related to availability and use of nicotine products. The Ludwig Award recognized Gerber Memorial for reducing high tobacco and nicotine use rate within Newaygo County in 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerber Memorial is offering its Tobacco Cessation “Quit 101” and one-on-one classes virtually or by phone. For more information, contact Klochack at SHGM Community Programs, at (231) 924-3275. To sign up for the “Quit 101” class, go to www.spectrumhealth.org/vaping, and click on the “Quit 101” box near the bottom of the screen. Gerber Memorial’s unique approach includes a strong community, collective-impact partnership; complete integration into the electronic medical record during medical visits; and a client-centered cessation program. The tobacco cessation team includes two certified tobacco treatment specialists who co-chair the Breathewell Coalition in Newaygo County, which focuses on tobacco and nicotine use education and prevention. They collaborate with organizations such as the district health department, Aging Well Coalition, Newaygo County Juvenile Court, Headway Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Newaygo County public schools and many community stakeholders who influence prevention policies. The partnership has aided schools in developing stronger vaping policies, helped youth plan health awareness activities, and influenced passage of local tobacco-free park ordinances. Using evidence-based practices and a flexible range of classes to promote maximum participation, the program engaged 68 people in one-on-one appointments and 13 in four-week classes in 2019. Compared to a 7 percent national quit rate in 2018, 25 percent of program participants quit smoking and 37 percent reduced tobacco use.  Exploring the wetland trail Newaygo-After months of unpredictability and constantly changing plans, parents are now facing the challenging decision over what school format is best for their children. Amidst caution with COVID, virtual options are appealing but often a barrier for parents with full time jobs or other responsibilities. To meet the needs of the local community, Camp Newaygo is launching a great solution, their Outdoor Learning Center! Jane Vitek, Camp’s Executive Director and a retired teacher, shared “We know how difficult it is to make the right choice for your child’s education this year. We hope the Outdoor Learning Center is a helpful, local option.” Students enrolled in any virtual school option can spend their school day out at Camp! Half of their day will focus on academic virtual learning through their school’s selected platform. Camp Newaygo staff will be on hand to supervise and encourage students’ self-guided learning. The rest of the day will focus on embracing all of the outdoor adventures Camp Newaygo has to offer like canoeing, wetland walks, climbing the rockwall, and other outdoor learning. The Outdoor Learning Center day camp program is open to children entering 3rd through 7th grades, but space is limited. Students will participate in learning pods of no more than 8 for both virtual learning and active outdoor adventures. Small learning pods and other COVID careful practices utilized successfully during Camp’s summer season will continue to minimize risk and provide peace of mind to parents. The Outdoor Learning Center was developed with Camp Newaygo’s mission of service to local children and families in mind. Parents can get additional information at campnewaygo.org/outdoor-learning-center/ |
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