 From DHD#10 Epidemiologist Jordan Powell: Our jurisdiction’s daily cases per million and percent positivity have both increased since the last update. We continue to see an increase in cases (+4.8%) when comparing the most recent 7 days (11/17-11/23) to the 7 days previous (11/10-11/16). As of today, all of our counties remain in the high transmission level categories. There are currently 421 confirmed Delta variants in our jurisdiction: 42 in Crawford, 4 in Kalkaska, 12 in Lake, 9 in Manistee, 88 in Mason, 79 in Mecosta, 26 in Missaukee, 25 in Newaygo, 61 in Oceana, and 75 in Wexford. Our hospitals continue to experience elevated capacity levels, as there were 21 COVID-19 inpatients in Munson Cadillac, 20 in Munson Grayling, 7 in Munson Manistee, 16 at Spectrum Health Big Rapids, 13 at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, and 12 at Spectrum Health Ludington yesterday. 
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 Individuals 18 and over can now receive booster doses
November 22, 2021 – The CDC, MDHHS, and DHD#10 urge all eligible Michiganders to get a booster dose now that the FDA has approved Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson boosters for anyone 18 and up that already received their primary COVID-19 vaccines. Eligible individuals should get booster doses six months after their primary mRNA series or two months after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson. Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may prefer the vaccine type they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different type of booster vaccine. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots. Consult your healthcare provider if there is a question which vaccine is appropriate for you. Michiganders should bring their COVID-19 vaccine card or immunization record with them when getting their booster dose, which are available at any vaccine provider. Downloadable immunization records are accessible free at the Michigan Immunization Portal. To obtain their record, Michiganders must create a MILogin account at Michigan.gov/MiImmsportal and upload a valid government issued photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID or passport. If you do not have records in the portal contact your healthcare provider or local health department. As previously recommended, Michiganders with moderately to severely compromised immune systems should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This additional dose is intended to improve the response of people who are immunocompromised to their initial vaccine series. To date more than 5.6 million Michiganders aged 5 and up have gotten at least their first dose of one of the three safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines. Michigan is making good progress on boosters and third doses, with over 1.1 million administered to date, making the state 7th nationwide in booster doses. From January to November 5, unvaccinated Michiganders accounted for 88% of COVID cases, 88.2% of hospitalizations and 87.7% of deaths. Many Michiganders are still in need of the extra protection provided by booster doses, including residents of long-term care facilities where outbreaks can spread quickly, and extra protection is strongly recommended. To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, go to www.dhd10.org/schedule or call 888-217-3904. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine.  By Beth Keloneva Marine veteran Josh Guerrero is hiking all of the North Country Trail in Michigan (1,200 Miles) for Operation Wolverine Walk, raising funds for Veterans. He started August 22, 2021 in the Western UP, and after hiking for three months and 900 miles he passed through Newaygo County. I served as one of his trail “trail angels” as he passed through our county. Trail angels are people who assist hikers with transportation and supplies as they pass through an area and, on occasion, provide room and board. Josh usually hikes for three days then takes a day off, averaging 10-15 miles a day. He hikes at his own pace and tells everyone to “hike their own hike”. Raising funds for his fellow veterans was his first motivation, and secondly he wanted to inspire people to reach their goals “one step at a time”. Spending time in nature and walking alone for many miles, yet being assisted by many trail angels, has given Josh a new perspective on life. He realized how fortunate he is to be the recipient of goodwill from total strangers along the trail. Not only providing transportation, food and shelter at times, but also for the donations to Operation Wolverine Walk on his gofundme page. He has had 71 donors contribute $4675 toward his $10,000 goal thus far. When asked what he has enjoyed most on his journey Josh said, “All the people I have met and supported me along the trail.” I dropped Josh off on a chilly Saturday morning heading down Elm Road at M-82. This is a long road walk (about 19 miles) until he enters the Rogue River State Game Area. Thoughts of being picked up by his family for Thanksgiving danced in his head, so I think his motivation was good! Josh will hit the trail again after a brief reprieve with family and being refueled by Thanksgiving dinner. He is 2/3 done with Michigan, and hopes to finish mid-December. He has a new extra warm liner for his hammock and more trail angels anticipating his arrival. Soon he’ll be back on the trail to “hike his hike” feeling strong and refreshed. Josh can be followed on Facebook @ Josh Guerrero.  From DHD#10 Epidemiologist Jordan Powell: Our jurisdiction’s daily cases per million and percent positivity have both increased since the last update. We have observed an large increase in cases (+57%) when comparing the most recent 7 days (11/10-11/16) to the 7 days previous (11/3-11/9). As of today, all of our counties remain in the high transmission level categories. There are currently 349 confirmed Delta variants in our jurisdiction: 42 in Crawford, 4 in Kalkaska, 12 in Lake, 8 in Manistee, 79 in Mason, 51 in Mecosta, 22 in Missaukee, 21 in Newaygo, 46 in Oceana, and 64 in Wexford. Our hospitals continue to experience elevated capacity levels, as there are 15 COVID-19 inpatients in Munson Cadillac, 21 in Munson Grayling, 8 in Munson Manistee, 17 at Spectrum Health Big Rapids, 10 at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, and 14 at Spectrum Health Ludington today.   Oh mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child in my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?- Stevie Nicks, Landslide Indeed Ms. Nicks, what is love? From the more cynical view of the satirist Jonathan Swift who opined “Love is a word made up of 2 vowels 2 consonants and 2 fools,” to novelist John Galsworthy who penned “Love has no age, no limit and no death,” poems and prose, dedicated to the whole love thing have always been with us. There has long been a fascination with the concept of love. Most of it is associated with the beginning stages. After all, on first arrival it can lead even the most stoic souls to embrace romcoms and even take to listening to sappy love songs when in the early throes of it’s magic. The romance is a sizzlin’ and it is truly a fun and fabulous ride. So much fun that some punch a ticket for permanence. Then time goes by and the emotions associated with the relationship begin to evolve, preferably into a deeper and broader definition. Attraction is generally a necessity and not limited to those smoking hot beginnings of a committed relationship. Couples I know who have thrived in the long run remain physically attracted to one another while experiencing the kind of deep rooted connectedness a well nurtured and cared for loveship becomes. And it' that continual growth that will sustain a couple through those occasional curveballs life tends to toss our way. In her song the Fleetwood Mac singer speaks to the changes a relationship travels through, and questions her capacity to endure them. There’s a hint of her thinking perhaps not. Perhaps its time to move on. The couples below who have recently applied for a marriage license, have hopefully long ago put those questions to rest. And are ready for what hopes to be a wild and wonderful ride. Cody Arnold, Fremont & Katelynn Maring, Fremont Ashley Webster, White Cloud & Dillon Gehrett, White Cloud Joaquin Pozas Jr. White Cloud & Erica Primak, White Cloud Adrianna Huffman, Fremont & Phillip Weaver, Fremont  Michigan Promise Zones Association Honors Dr. Lori Tubbergen Clark
Lansing, MI - Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) held its 10th annual conference in Lansing this week, including an acknowledgement of 13 outstanding postsecondary education practitioners and advocates from across the state at the recent awards dinner. “The College Access Impact Awards honor the individuals and organizations who have made extraordinary efforts to improve postsecondary attainment in Michigan, especially among low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, MCAN executive director. “The award winners play a crucial role in helping us reach “Sixty [percent] by 2030” through their dedicated efforts to improve college readiness, participation and completion within their communities and across the state. By working to build inclusive college-going cultures, these award winners are helping to create a brighter economic future for Michigan’s students.” The Michigan Promise Zone Association bestows The Promise Keeper Award to individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to community-based programs using Promise Scholarships to expand educational opportunity and promote economic development. The 13 Promise Zones that comprise the Michigan Promise Zones Association were created through bipartisan legislation, first enacted in 2009. Each has established a broadly accessible scholarship program, to give students of all ages in their communities confidence that they will be able to afford education after high school. In recognition of their extraordinary contribution to community-based programs that are using Promise Scholarships to expand educational opportunity and promote economic development, the Michigan Promise Zones Association presented the Promise Keeper Award to Dr. Lori Tubbergen Clark, governing board chairperson of Newaygo County Area Promise, and Joyce Seals, governing board chairperson of Saginaw Promise. “It’s an incredible honor to receive the Promise Keeper Award and a privilege to serve Newaygo County students with this initiative,” says Dr. Lori Tubbergen Clark. “The greatest honor, however, goes to each donor, Promise Zone Board member and the entire team who has supported our efforts to keep our promise to Newaygo County students for a tuition-free path to college and career credentials, and to create a pipeline of talent for our local workforce.” The Newaygo County Area Promise Zone provides high school graduates with a tuition-free path to an associate degree from at least one institution. We believe every student, regardless of financial means, should have the opportunity to earn post-secondary credentials. The 2022 Newaygo County Promise Scholarship application will be available starting Monday, January 3, 2022, and can be found online at www.promise.zone. For more information call 231-924-8888.  From District #10 Health Department: Our jurisdiction’s daily cases per million and percent positivity have both increased since the last update. We have observed an increase in cases this week – there was a nearly 3% increase when comparing the most recent 7 days (11/3-11/9) to the 7 days previous (10/27-11/2). As of today, all of our counties remain in the high transmission level categories. There are currently 276 confirmed Delta variants in our jurisdiction: 25 in Crawford, 3 in Kalkaska, 6 in Lake, 8 in Manistee, 71 in Mason, 40 in Mecosta, 19 in Missaukee, 15 in Newaygo, 39 in Oceana, and 50 in Wexford. Our hospitals continue to experience elevated capacity levels, as there are 15 COVID-19 inpatients in Munson Cadillac, 14 in Munson Grayling, 5 in Munson Manistee, 16 at Spectrum Health Big Rapids, 9 at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, and 10 at Spectrum Health Ludington today.  Recent Newaygo County marriage license applicants
We’ve been putting together some intros to the announcements of marriage license applicants for awhile now, however in this latest version it was decided to begin with a poem by the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, entitled, appropriately enough, “This Marriage” May these vows and this marriage be blessed. May it be sweet milk, this marriage, like wine and halvah. May this marriage offer fruit and shade like the date palm. May this marriage be full of laughter, our every day a day in paradise. May this marriage be a sign of compassion, a seal of happiness here and hereafter. May this marriage have a fair face and a good name, an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky. I am out of words to describe how spirit mingles in this marriage. Nicely put, Rumi. Here are the couples who have recently signed on to tie the proverbial knot. Devin Richards, Hesperia & Emma Graves, White Cloud Melissa Zuker, Newaygo & Lonnie Mitchell Jr., Newaygo Spencer Westbrook, Ravenna & Emily Heiss, Grant Thanks to the Newaygo County Clerk’s Office  People in these parts are generally supportive of our veterans. Most will thank Vets for their service, some will donate to a cause here and there and a few will take part in events meant to honor those who have served. Then there are those rare folks who absolutely hit it out of the park when it comes to giving back. Like Newaygo Family Dentistry. For a few years now the office of Drs Ross and Dennis Nelson have put their skills toward providing a free day of dental care to veterans. And next Friday, November 12th this exercise in compassion will be once again be taking place as the staff of NFD. We caught up with the office to pose a few questions on this remarkable initiative. What are the requirements? How does one access the services? Appts? Walk-ins? Appt only. The only requirement is proof of being a Veteran (for example, a military ID or any document that states the person has served in the military) Services provided are cleanings, fillings, and extractions. Any vet can call our office and let the front desk know what they would like. For example, if the patient isn’t in any pain and would just like a cleaning they can plan on just a cleaning that day. If a vet calls and they are in pain or they have any other concerns, they can plan on seeing Dr. Ross for treatment. In the past we have had Vet's get a cleaning and treatment done, but that is only if the schedule allows for both services to be done. This involves a great deal of planning and some volunteering I imagine. So given that, why do this? While it does involve a great deal of planning, we all enjoy the outcome of our annual Vet's Day. The Vets are always so thankful to be seen, and a lot of them tell their Vet friends to come next year! It's always a pleasure. All of the staff volunteer their time on Vet's Day and we are all happy to do it. Personally, it's my favorite day of the year and I think most of the staff here would agree. We love giving back to our community! Having our annual Vet's Day also gives the Vet's a chance to talk to us about their overall oral health concerns... a lot of Vet's convert to actual patients at our office and are then seen on a regular basis, whereas before they may have not been coming to the dentist at all. So that in itself is rewarding, because it may give our local Vet's the courage to seek dental care. How many years has it been going on? We have been doing this since 2018, so this will be our 4th year! How many people have been served? Total, we have served close to 40 Vets. Any returnees? Yes! About 50% are returnees and they often tell other Vet's about us, which is always wonderful. What has the response been from vets? It's been WONDERFUL! Every year it is so great seeing the gratitude on the Vet's faces when they leave here. It motivates us to keep this going. We have no plans of stopping! Rock on, NFD.  |
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