Health

(April 9, 2020 10:31 AM) In the time of COVID-19, anyone with non-essential jobs must work from home. A few months ago this might have sounded like a dream, but we're realizing it comes with its own set of challenges: fighting with family members for work space at the kitchen table, trying to hush the kids and dogs while conducting conference calls. Not to mention the fact that you have easy access to the kitchen, making snacking a far-too regular habit.  Needless to say, blurring the lines between work and home can be a difficult road to navigate. "Not only are we trying to balance working from home, but we're also dealing with the extra pressures of self-isolation during a pandemic," says Jay Weiss, MA, LLP, an employee assistance program therapist at Henry Ford Health System. "Finding ways to normalize this new way of life is important to helping you adjust."  Here, he shares how to maintain a healthy work-life balance--both mentally and physically--while working from home.  Get up at your regular time. "Treat it like a normal work day," he says. "If you usually wake up at 6 a.m., keep waking up at 6 a.m. Maintain your morning ritual of drinking coffee or…

(April 9, 2020 7:15 AM)  In an effort to provide more information about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is providing additional and improved statistics on its website. “We continue to improve the information we are providing as our goal is to share timely and accurate data during this pandemic,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health “We appreciate the assistance of Michigan Medical Advantage Group in helping us offer additional statistics about testing.” The following information is now being included: Number of people recovered. Going forward, this information will be updated weekly and includes the number of people with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases who are 30 days out from their onset of illness. Recovered is defined as the number of persons with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who are alive 30 days post-onset (or referral date if onset is not available). Testing data by state preparedness region. This will be updated daily.  Jackson is located in state preparedness region 1.  Region 1 includes Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham, Livingston, Eaton, Clinton, Shiawassee and Gratiot Counties. Hospital utilization information. This will include number of emergency department…

Updated to include today's HFAH report. (UPDATED April 9, 2020 5:40 PM) The Jackson County Health Department released the COVID-19 positive numbers for Jackson County.  As of 12 PM today, there are 131 positive cases (cumulative), and 4 deaths (cumulative). Update:  As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, there are 45 individuals with positive COVID-19 results who are inpatients at Henry Ford Allegiance Health. An additional seven persons under investigation are hospitalized at HFAH. To date, a total of 14 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 "Others" for the Michigan Statistics. Gender Number Percent Male 68 52% Female 63 48% Beginning April 2, 2020, the Age group will only be reported as a percentage of the total instead of the actual number.  Age - Years Percent 0 -19 1% 20 - 29 12% 30 - 39 10% 40 - 49 23% 50 - 59 25% 60 - 69 18% 70 -79 7% 80 5% Race and Ethnicity tables are being added as of yesterday, April 8th.   Note: Totals may not add to 100%…

(April 8, 2020 9:57 PM) The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting as of 8:45 PM today, there are 305 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases at nine facilities throughout the state.  Of that statewide total, 143 of the confirmed positive cases are at Jackson facilities. In Jackson, there are 128 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases at Parnall Correctional Facility, 12 at Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center and 3 at Duane Waters Health Center There are 29 MDOC facilities in Michigan, 18 facilities have no positive COVID-19 cases.  A total of 460 prisoners have been tested statewide as of tonight.  140 of those tested were negative and results are pending on 15 cases. Among staff, there are a total of 137 COVID-19 positive cases at 14 facilities.   In Jackson, there are 54 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases among employees at Parnall Correctional Facility, 1 at Cooper Street Correctional Facility, 1 at Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center and 2 at Jackson Central Warehouse. Today, the department reported the second COVID-19 death in the prison system, a prisoner from Lakeland Correctional Facility.  The first death in the system was a prisoner at Parnall Correctional Facility last week.   A total of 2…

(April 8, 2020 9:46 PM) Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-41, which will protect the health and safety of Michiganders by reducing unnecessary in-person contact, through the use of electronic signatures, remote notarizations, remote witness attestations and acknowledgments, and remote visitations. Executive Order 2020-41 is effective immediately and continues through May 6, 2020 at 11:59 pm.  "It is important that Michiganders take every precaution to avoid person to person contact,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Encouraging the use of e-signatures and alternative means of notarization will protect more people and help us slow the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan. I will continue to work around the clock to ensure we protect the most people we can from this virus.”  Executive Order 2020-41 will help ensure that necessary transactions and interactions may continue to occur during this time of crisis without putting Michiganders’ health and the health of their families at risk.   Unless the law specifically mandates a physical signature, Executive Order 2020-41 temporarily suspends the rules and procedures under the Uniform Electronic Act and permits the use of an electronic signature for a transaction whenever a signature is required under Michigan law. Additionally, the order specifics that any notarial act that is required under Michigan law may be performed utilizing two-way real-time audiovisual technology, provided that certain conditions within the order are met.  …

(April 8, 2020 6:40 PM) Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters announced he is urging the Trump Administration to ensure that transit agencies can acquire personal protective equipment for their frontline workers. In a letter to Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) K. Jane Williams, Peters led 20 of his Senate colleagues and cited the story of Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove, who passed away from Coronavirus after he expressed his concern about the disease and telling the story about a passenger who did not cover her mouth while coughing on his bus. “In the brief time since Congress passed this historic funding, we have already seen the tragic death of frontline transit workers as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),” wrote the Senators. “We believe FTA should explicitly update its guidance and proactively provide support to help transit agencies acquire PPE and provide it to their workers.” The letter comes after the Senators voted to provide $25 billion to ensure transit agencies remained operational as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Chad Cumberworth, Jackson Area Transportation Authority Government and Community Relations Manager told JTV, “JATA is very pleased to see that the…

(April 8, 2020 5:39 PM) Michigan Works! Southeast (MWSE) is reporting there are currently 781 jobs available right now in Jackson County (www.mitalent.org). During the coronavirus pandemic, some of the positions employers are seeking to fill fall under “essential services” and some of these jobs are immediately available. MWSE has modified service delivery to completely virtual service for Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Livingston and Washtenaw Counties in response to Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order.  MWSE is continuously changing way they are providing services to their customers. A list of current available jobs is posted below.  To learn more about how to apply for these openings, visit mwse.org. To see details on these available jobs, visit www.mitalent.org. Click here to schedule a virtual appointment: https://www.mwse.org/contact-us/ To learn more about how MWSE is responding to the COVID-19 virus, please visit here: https://mwse.org/covid-19 Organization Name Job Title Job Code # Zip Expire Date Flagstar Bank Warehouse Lending Advance Processor 10726491 49201 04/27/2020 Applied Industrial Technologies Account ManagerIndustrial Sales 10725230 49202 04/28/2020 Stanley Consultants, Inc. Senior Electrical Engineer/Protection and Control 10725140 49201 04/29/2020 Consumers Energy Company Applications Operations Analyst 10725071 49201 04/29/2020 Henry Ford Health System Clinical Nurse Manager - Specialty Hospital…

John Downing plays the bagpipes under the name of Angus Folk Singer.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV News. By Jeff Steers JTV News Jackson resident John Downing said he was annoying his neighbors on South Durand for nearly a month. With a set of bagpipes in hand, Downing would practice on his front stoop – much to the chagrin of his neighbors. The retiree used social media to alleviate some of the angst and received a warm welcome in the process. Downing now performs at various “practice sites” found through the social media site Nextdoor – specifically the Queen’s Area Neighborhood Watch group. He posted a notice asking local residents if they have a corner where he could practice. A total of 33 responded in favor of having Downing play the pipes in their area. Wednesday, he enjoyed temperatures near 70 degrees to play at three of the sites for approximately 20 minutes at each. “After a month of playing on my front stoop on South Durand, I decided I was annoying my neighbors,” Downing said on Wednesday near the corner of South Webster and West Franklin streets in Jackson. “I asked for new sites (to practice) and received 33…

(April 8, 2020 3:44 PM) Michigan U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters today announced $1,992,355 in funding to help health centers in Mid-Michigan respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Funding can be used by health centers for staffing, personal protective equipment, screening, testing, or other needs for fighting the coronavirus outbreak. This funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The Center for Family Health will receive $1,039,385 and the County of Ingham will receive $952,970. “While working on the relief package from Congress, I fought to increase funding for health centers to help them meet the needs of the communities they serve during this crisis. The nurses, doctors and health care providers in these centers are on the frontlines of this public health crisis and have been challenged like never before. This funding will help meet the urgent need for personal protective equipment, test kits, and staffing in these centers. I’m grateful for their work keeping Michigan families safe,” said Senator Stabenow. “As we work to address the Coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that…