Monthly Archives: May 2020

(May 4, 2020 3:29 PM) Officials at Spring Arbor University (SAU) announced they made the difficult decision to cancel in-person May commencement events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made in order to protect the health of students, their family members, faculty, staff and the greater Spring Arbor community. The University said in a release, “Commencement is perhaps the most cherished event in the life of the university. We know this news is a great disappointment to many, especially our graduates and their families, and we regret that we will not be able to award diplomas in person this May. We are proud of the way our graduating students have adapted to so many changes in their last semester! “We invite all our May graduates to participate in our next scheduled commencement on Saturday, November 14. Degrees will still be conferred in May for students who fulfill graduation requirements. These students’ diplomas will be mailed within three weeks of degree completion. “Our traditional, undergraduate senior students are additionally invited to attend a rescheduled Cutting of the Ivy and senior reception on Saturday, August 15, assuming that we will be able to safely host gatherings on campus at that…

(May 4, 2020 3:23 PM) Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon today issued an Emergency Order that shortens the time frame hospitals and funeral directors have to contact individuals with authority over disposition of the body of a deceased individual and the amount of time that individual has to make a decision regarding arrangements for the deceased.  Per MCL 333.2253, it has been determined COVID-19 has reached epidemic status in Michigan. As of Sunday, May 3, there were 43,754 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Michigan, with 4,049 deaths.   “The increase in deaths has placed a significant burden on the hospitals and funeral homes in our state,” said Gordon. “We need to alleviate this burden and ensure the safe, proper and respectful handling of Michiganders’ remains.”  The order provides hospitals and funeral directors 24 hours to attempt to contact persons with authority over disposition of the body of a deceased individual, including family members. If no such person can be located within that time, the duty falls to a county medical examiner.   If a person with authority over the disposition of a body is identified, they have 48 hours from the time of death…

(May 4, 2020 3:18 PM) Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Directive 2020-5, creating the Michigan COVID-19 Office of Accountability within the State Budget Office. The Accountability Office will provide oversight of all spending to address this crisis, and must report regularly on its work to the governor and the state budget director.  “Protecting the people of Michigan and lowering the chance of a second wave has demanded flexibility and decisiveness, and has also required funds from the state treasury, philanthropic sources, and the federal government,” said Governor Whitmer. “Michiganders have the right to expect that state government will be responsible stewards of their resources, especially in a time of crisis. I will continue to work around the clock to ensure these resources are spent wisely, in compliance with the law, and in a transparent and accountable manner.”   The Department of Technology, Management and Budget will designate a Chief COVID-19 Accountability Officer to lead the Accountability Office.   All departments, agencies, committees, commissioners, and officers of this state must give to the Accountability Office any necessary assistance they require. Departments, agencies, committees, and officers must also provide free access to any books, records, or documents in their custody relating to matters…

(May 4, 2020 3:14 PM) Due to a software issue, COVID-19 case and death counts are delayed for May 4.  Daily, thousands of tests results are sent to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) electronically. These messages are processed through software designed to act as an integrator that connects health reporting systems.    The evening of May 3, the integration software malfunctioned and stopped processing messages from COVID-19 testing laboratories to the Michigan Disease Surveillance System.    The malfunction has been resolved. No information was lost and all of the messages were retained. However, processing the backlog of messages will take a significant amount of time. Therefore, today's data will be delayed and information will not be reported out until this evening and may not represent all data being processed.  MDHHS understands many people and programs rely on this information and is working to resolve this issue in as timely a manner as possible.  Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

(May 4, 2020 12:00 PM) The Jackson County Health Department released the COVID-19 positive numbers for Jackson County.  As of 12 PM today, there are 366 positive cases (cumulative), and 22 deaths (cumulative)*.  There was no increase in cases or deaths since yesterday’s report. The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting as of 10:45 PM Sunday, there are  915  confirmed positive cases are at Jackson facilities, 119 Confirmed Positive Jackson Staff. As of 6 AM on Monday, May 4, there are 37 individuals with positive COVID-19 results who are inpatients at Henry Ford Allegiance Health. To date, a total of 100 positive COVID-19 HFAH inpatients have been treated and discharged. *These numbers do not reflect any cases or deaths identified through Michigan Department of Corrections.  Their numbers are listed under a separate category “MDOC” for the Michigan Statistics. Gender Number Percent Male 169 46.2% Female 197 53.8% The Age group is reported as a percentage of the total instead of the actual number.  Age - Years Percent 0 -19 3.6% 20 - 29 14.5% 30 - 39 13.1% 40 - 49 19.9% 50 - 59 18.0% 60 - 69 17.8% 70 -79 6.3% 80 6.8% Race and Ethnicity tables were added on…

(May 4, 2020 11:10 AM) Michigan Works! Southeast currently has 639 jobs available right now in Jackson county (www.mitalent.org). Check out following list.  From Michigan Works! Southeast: We are committed to the safety of our staff and customers. Michigan Works! Southeast has modified service delivery to all virtual services for Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston and Washtenaw counties in response to Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order “Stay Home, Stay Safe”. As a result of COVID-19, we are rapidly changing the way in which we provide services to our customers. Click here to schedule a virtual appointment: https://www.mwse.org/contact-us/ To learn more about how we are handling the COVID-19 virus, please visit here: https://mwse.org/covid-19 Organization Name Job Title Job Code Zip Expire Date Henry Ford Health System Nursing Assistant (CNA) - Med/Surg - 6th Floor - Full Time - Days - Allegiance Health - Jackson, MI 10797089 49202 06/04/2020 Henry Ford Health System Facilitator - Clinical Quality I - Performance Excellence - Full Time - Days - Allegiance Health - Jackson, MI 10797082 49202 06/04/2020 Henry Ford Health System Registered Nurse - Inpatient IV Therapy - Contingent/Varied - Allegiance Health - Jackson, MI 10797084 49202 06/04/2020 CSL Plasma Phlebotomist 10797008 49202 06/04/2020 Schneider Class A CDL - Over-the-Road (OTR) Tanker…

(May 4, 2020 6:52 AM) The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting as of 10:45 PM Sunday, there are 2,025 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases at facilities throughout the state.  Of that statewide total, 915 of the confirmed positive cases are at Jackson facilities. The Department says they have now started a system of expanded testing and began testing all prisoners at Cotton Correctional Facility last week.  The facility has a designated quarantine unit and positive prisoners are being transferred to the unit. Of 1802 prisoners tested at Cotton, 658 are COVID-19 confirmed positive.  37% of those tested are positive. There have been a total of 42 deaths of prisoners who had tested positive for COVID-19, 16 of those deaths were among prisoners at Jackson facilities. The most recent death, reported on May 3, was of a prisoner who had originally tested positive at Parnall Correctional Facility. In Jackson, there are 177 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases at Parnall Correctional Facility, 47 at Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center, 33 at Duane Waters Health Center and 658 at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility. Among staff, there are a total of 282 COVID-19 positive cases statewide.   In Jackson, there are 73…