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MDHHS to provide COVID tests to educators

Sam Raymond is owner and manager of the Keweenaw Adventure Company, which has benefited from the Michigan Small Business Development Center. With him is Shelby Laubhan, administrator/manager. (Photo courtesy of Sam Raymond)

MARQUETTE — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plans to offer a voluntary COVID-19 testing program that will provide weekly tests to educators.

It is expected the MI Safe Schools Testing Program will help reach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal of having all Michigan school districts offer an in-person learning option for students by March 1, according to the State Emergency Operations Center.

The COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program began on Tuesday. The program is for Michigan educators from both public and private schools. MDHHS is providing testing supplies to schools free of charge.

Approximately 300 schools and 9,000 staff have signed up for testing so far.

“Voluntary testing of educators is part of the larger state strategy of keeping students, staff and communities safe while giving children the in-person instruction that they need to learn, develop and grow,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in a statement. “Our dedicated teachers are among the frontline workers who have stepped up during this pandemic. Giving them an opportunity to be regularly tested recognizes their sacrifices and keeps everyone safer.”

The rapid antigen testing program is modeled after Michigan’s pilot project that tested student-athletes and coaches who were participating in playoffs for high school fall sports such as football. In that program more than 8,300 people were tested. The testing program resulted in the detection of 69 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases that otherwise could have been missed.

On Jan. 8, MDHHS announced COVID-19 guidance for schools that went along with the goal of an in-person instruction option in all school districts by March 1. The guidance included availability of testing for educators.

On Tuesday, Hertel and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and MDHHS chief deputy director for health, signed orders authorizing testing in non-health-care settings such as schools.

“Testing is the way we are going to be able to identify cases of COVID-19 and reduce the spread of this virus. Signing this order today helps make sure we are eliminating as many barriers to testing as possible,” Khaldun said in a statement. “We encourage everyone who has symptoms of COVID-19, or who has been exposed, to be tested. Everyone has a role to play in ending this pandemic.”

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, MDHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize mask-wearing, ventilation improvements in schools, frequent hand washing and social distancing.

In November, MDHHS paused in-person learning in high schools as part of an order to limit indoor gatherings to address an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths and in hospital occupancy rates.

After case numbers decreased, high schools were permitted to resume in-person classes effective Dec. 21.

The guidance is subject to change. More information about the MI Safe Schools Testing Program can be found at www.michigan.gov/schoolCOVIDtesting.

Business center expands services

The Michigan Small Business Development Center, a statewide small business support organization, has expanded its no-cost services to reflect the needs of small businesses continuing to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small businesses in all 83 Michigan counties could benefit from the support services including accounting, e-commerce website development, human resource support and more.

“The pandemic hit small businesses exceptionally hard, and demand for SBDC services skyrocketed. We’ve doubled our staff and extended services into key areas that will expedite small business recovery,” said J.D. Collins, state director of the Michigan SBDC, in a news release. “These services provide immediate value for businesses responding to the pandemic; an online menu for a restaurant, mental health support for struggling staff or child care-focused consulting are just a few of the services that are part of our comeback kit.”

Partnering with the state, the Michigan SBDC continues to work toward enhancing Michigan’s economic well-being by providing consulting, training and market research for new ventures, existing small businesses and advanced technology companies.

“Our small businesses are a vital part of our state and we all must do our part to support them throughout the pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “The MI-SBDC’s services will help small businesses hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and help them continue to serve communities across the state.”

The SBDC has contracted Michigan-based small businesses to deliver its expanded services, including website development agencies, branding agencies, social media agencies, accountants, employee assistance programs and more. These no-cost services are available through September and are complemented by the SBDC’s team of business consultants who provide free, one-on-one consulting to small businesses in all 83 counties.

“The stressors of COVID-19 have challenged business owners and their employees in extreme ways, including elevated rates of depression and anxiety,” said Bob VandePol, executive director of the downstate Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, in a news release.

Through the Michigan SBDC’s small business recovery program, entrepreneurs now have access to Pine Rest’s employee assistance programs, which involve training leaders, counseling employees and their families, and providing resources to reduce stressors.

Along with EAP services, eligible small businesses may take advantage of these services offered through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding: accounting, branding, graphic design, website development, e-commerce support and human resource support.

One Upper Peninsula businessman expressed gratitude for the program.

“I’d like to thank Daniel Yoder and the Michigan Small Business Development Center for helping my business get through a season to remember for both the challenges we’ve overcome and the successes we’ve had,” said Sam Raymond, owner of the Copper Harbor-based Keweenaw Adventure Company, in a news release.

The company is involved in sea kayaking, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits.

All entrepreneurs and small businesses can access free consulting through the SBDC at any time. To qualify for the SBDC’s expanded small business recovery program, a business must be a client of the Michigan SBDC, have gross revenue under $1 million and have a demonstrated need for such services as a way to pivot or survive the crisis.

Individuals may register for SBDC services and learn more about the small business recovery program at SBDCMichigan.org/Recovery.

Video available for view

UP Health System-Marquette invites the public to view its Behind the Mask video, which takes a look at team members serving the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Available on YouTube, viewers can take an inside look at how the pandemic has affected the health care community, how it rallied through the pandemic with community support and how the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine has made team members hopeful for the future.

Health care workers used words such as “exhausting, tired and overwhelmed” to describe their experiences, with one individual pointing out that team members had to deal with patients with heart attacks or strokes, or having babies, in addition to the COVID-19 situation.

The Behind the Mask video, which is about 3 minutes long, is available for viewing on several social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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