Governor Creates the Michigan COVID-19 Office of Accountability 

Governor Creates the Michigan COVID-19 Office of Accountability 

by | May 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

Governor Gretchen Whitmer Banner - headshot with bridge graphic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2020

Media Contact: [email protected]

 

Governor Whitmer Creates the Michigan COVID-19 Office of Accountability

Accountability Office will provide oversight of all spending to address the COVID-19 pandemic

 

LANSING, Mich. — 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 within the scope of inquiry, study, or review of the Accountability Office.

 

To view Executive Directive 2020-5, click the link below:

Governor Signs Order Extending Safety Measures

by | May 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

Governor Gretchen Whitmer Banner - headshot with bridge graphic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2020

Contact: [email protected]   

 

Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Order Extending Safety Measures Protecting Consumers, Employees 

Executive order also extends temporary licensing relief for grocery stores and pharmacies

 

LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Order 2020-71, which extends existing safety measures to protect consumers and employees at grocery stores and pharmacies until May 29, 2020. The order also extends temporary relief from licensing requirements for food sellers and pharmacies.

 

The executive order extends to May 29 conditions in Executive Order 2020-60, which established the following health and safety guidelines:

  • Customers who can medically tolerate a face covering must wear one when entering a grocery store or pharmacy.
  • Grocery stores and pharmacies must allocate at least two hours per week of shopping time for vulnerable populations.
  • If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the business must notify other employees without infringing on private health information.

 

“We must continue protecting the health and safety of both consumers and employees at our grocery stores and pharmacies, which we rely on more than ever during this unprecedented public health crisis,” Governor Whitmer said. “Michigan has begun flattening the COVID-19 curve, but we must not take our progress for granted and continue taking aggressive action to avoid further spread of this deadly disease.”

 

Food sellers must also continue doing the following:

  • Require checkout employees to wear some form of covering over their nose and mouth.
  • Ensure both employees and customers remain at least 6 feet apart.
  • Close self-serve food stations such as salad bars, and eliminate free samples and tasting stations.
  • Adopt procedures to meet federal environmental cleaning guidelines, including continuously cleaning and disinfecting frequent touchpoints, such as point-of-sale terminals at registers, shopping carts and shopping baskets.
  • Prohibit employees who are sick from reporting to work and send employees home if they display COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Accommodate employees who fall within a vulnerable population by providing lower-exposure work assignments or giving them the option to take an unpaid leave of absence.
  • Develop and implement a daily screening program for all staff upon or just prior to reporting to work sites.

 

Due to increased strain on Michigan’s food service industry, local health departments, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the governor has also extended the deadline for certain forms of licensing and registration.

 

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

 

To view executive order 2020-71, click the link below:
County Opens Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing In Novi

County Opens Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing In Novi

by | May 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

County Opens Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing In Novi

Pontiac, Michigan – Oakland County will begin drive-thru COVID-19 testing in Novi on May 8 for first responders, health care workers, essential business employees and Oakland County residents who have appointments through the county Health Division Nurse on Call hotline.

“We want to ensure that residents throughout the county have ready access to testing,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said. “This third location will contribute to our effort to stop the spread of the virus and keep up the momentum.”

The county will offer testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays at the Novi Civic Center, 45175 W. 10 Mile Road, Novi. Approximately 250 tests can be performed each day. You must have an appointment to be tested.

“We applaud county’s effort to support Novi and the surrounding community with a new COVID-19 drive-through testing site,” Commissioner Gwen Markham (D-Novi) said. “Testing is key to quick treatment for anyone with coronavirus symptoms and essential to containment of the disease. We thank Executive Coulter and the county for bringing an additional, more convenient drive-through location to the residents of southwestern Oakland County.”

A prescription or doctor’s note is not needed to get tested. Asymptomatic first responders, health care workers, and essential business employees are eligible for testing. So are Oakland County residents who display symptoms of coronavirus – fever, trouble breathing, persistent dry cough, have underlying health conditions or are age 65 or older. Call Oakland County Health Division’s Nurse on Call hotline at 800-848-5533 to schedule an appointment. Results are expected in 24 to 48 hours.

The Oakland County Health Division and Honor Community Health offer drive-thru testing at the Oakland County Complex, 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac and the South Oakland Health Center at 27725 Greenfield Road in Southfield. The locations’ hours and days are:

  • Southfield: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Pontiac: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Novi: Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Governor Extends Order Protecting Vulnerable Residents

Governor Extends Order Protecting Vulnerable Residents

by | May 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

Governor Gretchen Whitmer Banner - headshot with bridge graphic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 3, 2020

Contact: [email protected]

 

Governor Whitmer Extends Executive Order Protecting Vulnerable Residents in Congregate Care Settings

 

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-72, which extends until May 31, 2020 the rules regarding entry to care facilities designed to protect vulnerable populations and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The order replaces the governor’s previous order, 2020-37. The order also requires employees of facilities covered by the order to wear face coverings while working within a facility.

 

“I know this is a difficult time for families, patients and workers across the state, but we must continue to be diligent in our efforts to slow the spread of the virus,” said Governor Whitmer. “Right now the best we tool we have to save lives is to reduce person-to-person interaction. That is why it is necessary to extend this order and put the health and safety of Michiganders first. I hope everyone in Michigan continues to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

 

In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of both the staff, patients and individuals under the facilities care, the order prohibits any visitors who are not necessary or essential to the services of care from entering health care facilities, residential care facilities, congregate care facilities, and juvenile justice facilities. The order also requires a health screening before entering a facility covered by the order.

 

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

 

The order is effective immediately and continues until May 31, 2020. To view executive order 2020-72, click the link below:
Michiganders can now text “RESTORE” to Crisis Text

Michiganders can now text “RESTORE” to Crisis Text

by | May 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

Michiganders can now text “RESTORE” to Crisis Text Line to get mental health support; MDHHS wants residents to Stay Home, Stay Well

LANSING, MICH. Getting crisis mental health support is now as simple as sending a text to a new service being launched today by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) as part of its Stay Home, Stay Well initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By texting the keyword RESTORE to 741741, Michigan residents can have a confidential text conversation with a crisis counselor.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic and related financial hardships, we know that, now more than ever, Michigan residents are coping with stress and anxiety that can result in a mental health crisis,” said Allen Jansen, MDHHS senior deputy director of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Administration. “By texting RESTORE to 741741, Crisis Text Line will help people Stay Home and Stay Well – along with other expanded mental health crisis services the state is providing.”

Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to texts from Michigan residents who are facing a mental health crisis — everything from anxiety and financial issues to suicide and domestic violence. While the text line is starting during the pandemic, MDHHS intends to continue offering the service in the future.

The text line is provided by Crisis Text Line, an organization established in 2013 that has provided this type of support on an international level with the recognition that with new technologies, texting is a fast and easy way to connect and may be the preferred way for some people who need immediate support.

As part of Michigan’s partnership with Crisis Text Line, people who text RESTORE to 741741 will receive referrals to local mental health resources and connections. Crisis texts are confidential, but this partnership also will provide the state with broad trends to understand the need for any additional services.

If anyone in emotional distress feels a chat via text would be useful to resolve the emotions of the moment, the text line’s crisis counselors can help people shift from a heated moment to a calmer state.

MDHHS has expanded mental health resources for people in Michigan as its residents face greater stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other parts of the Stay Home, Stay Well efforts include:

  • The Headspace website, which provides free, evidence-based guided meditations. It includes at-home workouts that guide people through mindful exercise (a type of meditation in which participants focus on being intensely aware of what they are sensing and feeling in the moment), sleep assistance, and children’s content to help address rising stress and anxiety. The resource is free and available to the public. Go to www.HeadSpace.com/MI.
  • The National Suicide Prevention hotline. People considering suicide are urged by MDHHS to contact the or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 800-273-8255.
  • The Disaster Distress Helpline for anyone in distress pertaining to the COVID-19 crisis. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-985-5990.
  • The statewide “Warmline” for Michiganders living with persistent mental health conditions connects people with certified peer support specialists who have lived experiences of behavioral health issues, trauma or personal crises, and are trained to support and empower the callers. The warmline operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. at 888-PEER-753 (888-733-7753).

Additional information about all of these resources can be found on the MDHHS Stay Home, Stay Well webpage, www.michigan.gov/StayWell.

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.