Michigan Covid-19 Update for 4/30/2020

Although the number of deaths and hospitalizations are slowing in Michigan, there is ample evidence that we are still facing an uphill battle in controlling the spread of the virus.

The recommendations for people especially vulnerable to the worst effects of the disease, including death, still apply. That includes people who are aging or have underlying disabilities or conditions that make the virus life-threatening (including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and those whose immune system is compromised such as by chemotherapy for cancer and other conditions requiring such therapy). 

The solution for this population is to self-isolate and avoid contact with others who could be spreading the virus. My sons, who live in a group home with four other residents who are medically fragile, have not left their home for about 6 weeks. There is no end in sight until there is adequate testing that makes it possible to assess who they can safely associate with. We can learn, however, how to deal with this in innovative ways, but the risk is too great at the moment to let the virus rampage through the general population, increasing everyone’s probability of contracting the virus.

Here is a timeline of events from the Detroit Free Press, to remind us of how quickly the virus spread:

Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 10, 2020, after confirming the state’s first two cases of Covid-19. As of April 29, 2020, we have had 40,399 confirmed cases in Michigan. 3,670 corona virus-related deaths have been reported since March 18, 2020.

As reported in the Detroit Free Press on 4/30/20, the state had 103 more corona virus deaths and 1,137 more confirmed cases statewide over one day, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data.

[For more information, see the state’s Covid-19 Website that includes reports from long-term care facilities (so far I have not seen any data for group homes), testing results, and a breakdown of data by county.  See also the Michigan Medicine Website from the University of Michigan.]

Michigan’s State of Emergency
 
The Michigan legislature has challenged Governor Whitmer’s use of emergency powers, first to declare an emergency and then to extend stay-at-home orders without the express approval of state legislators. A Detroit Free Press article, “Michigan's governor and emergency powers: What you need to know” by Paul Egan, 4/30/20, explains the issues involved:
 
“Whitmer, who holds most of the power in a state emergency, wants to extend it by at least 28 days, and said last week that it should remain in effect even beyond that.
 
“The state of emergency should not be confused with the stay-at-home order, which currently runs through May 15 and could be further relaxed by then.
 
“States of emergency are not uncommon in Michigan. Stay-at-home orders are extremely rare.”

What is the dispute about? For the state of emergency to continue, doesn't the Legislature have to vote to extend it?

“Michigan has two different emergency laws that say two different things about the role of the Legislature.
 
“The Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945 gives the governor additional emergency powers, sets no time limit on how long an emergency declared by the governor can last, and sets out no role for the Legislature in approving or extending a state of emergency.
 
“The Emergency Management Act of 1976 provides the governor with even broader emergency powers. But it says for a state of emergency to continue beyond 28 days, approval of the Legislature is required.”

Why doesn’t the more recent 1976 Act apply?

“…the Emergency Management Act, says, in part: 'This act shall not be construed to ... limit, modify or abridge the authority of the governor to proclaim a state of emergency  under the 1945 law, The Emergency Powers of Governor Act.'"
 
Whitmer is seeking to work in unison with the legislature. One reason is that the Emergency Management Act has more detail than the Emergency Powers of Governor Act,
 
“…one detail Whitmer says she wants to keep.
 
“It sets out immunity from civil liability for first responders and medical professionals for actions they take in response to the emergency.”
 
The issue of the Governor’s powers could end up in court.

In the meantime, hunker down and isolate as necessary.

Don't drink the Lysol and don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Michigan Updates for Direct Care Providers and Long-Term Care Facilities during Covid-19 Pandemic, 4/25/20

On April 22, 2020, according to Click-On Detroit, Michigan Governor Whitmer announced a temporary pay raise of $2/hour for direct care workers providing Medicaid-funded in-home behavior health and long-term care services during the Covid-19 pandemic:

“'It has never been more important to care for our most vulnerable residents, and these direct care health workers are risking their lives every day to make sure we continue to flatten the curve,' Whitmer said. 'It is our duty as Michiganders to ensure these front-line heroes have the financial support they need to continue doing their critical work while caring for themselves and their families.'"

The program will apply to services provided between April and June.

“'Every day, caregivers are going into the homes of disabled and elderly residents to help them live with dignity,' said State Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor). 'These heroes work long hours for low pay and little recognition for the critical care they provide. Thank you, Governor Whitmer, for looking out for these caregivers who are risking themselves to look out for our neighbors in need.'"

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On April 15, 2020, Michigan Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-50, “Enhanced protections for residents and staff of long-term care facilities” .

A “long-term care facility” means a nursing home, home for the aged, adult foster care facility, or assisted living facility. Licensed group homes for people with developmental disabilities (DD) are adult foster care (AFC) facilities.

Protesters against the governor’s executive orders, including stay home orders, have complained that the governor is acting illegally. They have revived the “Lock Her Up” chant, heard mostly in opposition to female politicians they disagree with.

Executive orders include the legal basis for their use - the Emergency Management Act and the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945:

“The Emergency Management Act vests the governor with broad powers and duties to ‘cop[e] with dangers to this state or the people of this state presented by a disaster or emergency,’ which the governor may implement through ‘executive orders, proclamations, and directives having the force and effect of law.’ ...Similarly, the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945 provides that, after declaring a state of emergency, ‘the governor may promulgate reasonable orders, rules, and regulations as he or she considers necessary to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation within the affected area under control.’ ....”

Excerpts from EO 2020-50

I. Protections for residents of long-term care facilities

1. Notwithstanding any statute, rule, regulation, or policy to the contrary, a long-term care facility must not effectuate an eviction or involuntary discharge against a resident for nonpayment, nor deny a resident access to the facility, except as otherwise provided in this order.

2. A long-term care facility must not prohibit admission or readmission of a resident based on COVID-19 testing requirements or results in a manner that is inconsistent with relevant guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”).

3. The following apply to a resident that obtained housing outside of a long-term care facility, including but not limited to living with a family member, during the declared states of emergency and disaster:

(a) The resident does not forfeit any right to return that would have been provided to the resident under state or federal law had they been hospitalized or placed on therapeutic leave.
(b) The long-term care facility of origin must accept the return of the resident, provided it can meet the medical needs of the resident and there are no statutory grounds to refuse the return, as soon as capacity allows.
(c) Prior to accepting the return of such a resident, the long-term care facility must undertake screening precautions that are consistent with relevant DHHS guidance when receiving the returning resident.

4. Nothing in this order abrogates the obligation to pay or right to receive payment due under an admission contract between a resident and a long-term care facility.

5. All long-term care facilities must use best efforts to facilitate the use of telemedicine in the care provided to their residents, including, but not limited to, for regular doctors’ visits, telepsychology, counseling, social work and other behavioral health visits, and physical and occupational therapy.

II. Protections for employees and residents of long-term care facilities

1. It is the public policy of this state that employees of long-term care facilities or regional hubs who test positive for COVID-19 or who display one or more of the principal symptoms of COVID-19 should remain in their homes or places of residence, as provided in section 2 of Executive Order 2020-36 or any order that may follow from it, and that their employers shall not discharge, discipline, or otherwise retaliate against them for doing so, as provided in section 1 of Executive Order 2020-36 or any order that may follow from it.

2. Long-term care facilities must:

(a) Cancel all communal dining and all internal and external group activities throughout the duration of the declared states of emergency and disaster;
(b) Take all necessary precautions to ensure the adequate disinfecting and cleaning of facilities, in accordance with relevant guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”);
(c) Use best efforts to provide appropriate personal protective equipment (“appropriate PPE”) and hand sanitizer to all employees that interact with residents;
(d) As soon as reasonably possible, but no later than 12 hours after identification, inform employees of the presence of a COVID-19-affected resident;
(e) Notify employees of any changes in CDC recommendations related to COVID-19;
(f) Keep accurate and current data regarding the quantity of each type of appropriate PPE available onsite, and report such data to EMResource upon DHHS’s request or in a manner consistent with DHHS guidance; and
(g) Report to DHHS all presumed positive COVID-19 cases in the facility together with any additional data required under DHHS guidance.

III. Procedures related to transfers and discharges of COVID-19-affected
residents

1. A long-term care facility must report the presence of a COVID-19-affected resident to their local health department within 24 hours of identification.

2. A long-term care facility must transfer a COVID-19-affected resident who is medically unstable to a hospital for evaluation.

3. A nursing home with a census below 80% must create a unit dedicated to the care of COVID-19-affected residents (“dedicated unit”) and must provide appropriate PPE, as available, to direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit. A nursing home provider that operates multiple facilities may create a dedicated unit by dedicating a facility for such a purpose.

4. A long-term care facility must adhere to the following protocol with respect to a COVID-19-affected resident who is medically stable:

(a) If the long-term care facility has a dedicated unit and provides appropriate PPE to the direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit, the facility must transfer the COVID 19-affected resident to its dedicated unit.
(b) If the long-term care facility does not have a dedicated unit or does not provide appropriate PPE to the direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit, it must transfer the COVID-19-affected resident to a regional hub, if one is available to accept the resident. If no regional hub is available to accept the transfer of the COVID-19-affected resident, the long-term care facility must attempt to send the resident to a hospital within the state that has available bed capacity. If no hospital will admit the COVID-19-affected resident, the long-term care facility must transfer the resident to an alternate care facility.

5. Once a long-term care facility resident who has been hospitalized due to onset of one or more of the principal symptoms of COVID-19 becomes medically stable and eligible for discharge in the judgment of the resident’s medical providers, a hospital must discharge the resident in accordance with the following protocol:

(a) If the long-term care facility where the resident resided prior to the onset of one or more of the principal symptoms of COVID-19 (“facility of residence”) has a dedicated unit and provides appropriate PPE to the direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit, the hospital must discharge the resident to their facility of residence for placement in the dedicated unit, provided there is available bed capacity.
(b) If a discharge in accordance with section 5(a) of this part is not available, the hospital must discharge the resident to a regional hub, provided there is available bed capacity.
(c) If a discharge in accordance with section 5(a) or 5(b) of this part is not available, the hospital must transfer the resident to any alternate care facility with available bed capacity in accordance with the following protocol:

(1) Any alternate care facility within the state that has available bed capacity to receive the resident must accept a transfer authorized by this order.

(2) An alternate care facility must discharge a long-term care facility resident to the facility of residence as soon as capacity allows. If the facility of residence lacks available capacity, the alternate care facility must transfer the resident to a regional hub. If a regional hub receives a resident under this part, it must transfer the resident to the facility of residence as soon as capacity allows.

6. For any transfer or discharge of a resident, the transferring or discharging entity must ensure that the resident’s advance directive accompanies the resident and must disclose the existence of any advance directive to medical control at the time medical control assistance is requested.

7. Any long-term care facility that has a dedicated unit and provides appropriate PPE to the direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit must admit anyone that it would normally admit as a resident, regardless of whether the individual has recently been discharged from a hospital treating COVID-19 patients.

8. A long-term care facility that transfers or discharges a resident in accordance with this order must notify the resident and the resident’s representative of the transfer or discharge as soon as practicable.

9. A transfer or discharge of a long-term care facility resident that is made in accordance with this order constitutes a transfer or discharge mandated by the physical safety of other facility residents and employees as documented in the clinical record,…and constitutes a transfer or discharge that is necessary to prevent the health and safety of individuals in the facility from being endangered…

10. To the extent necessary to effectuate this terms of this order, strict compliance with any statute, rule, regulation, or policy pertaining to bed hold requirements or procedures, or to pre-transfer or pre-discharge requirements or procedures, is temporarily suspended. …

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See the executive order for references to Michigan law and regulations

Study from Syracuse University shows higher death rates from COVID-19 for people with IDD; calls for more accurate reporting in cause of deaths

Potential Impacts of COVID-19 on Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disability: A Call for Accurate Cause of Death Reporting
Dalton Stevens & Scott D. Landes

Research Brief, Issue Number 20, April 14, 2020
 
From the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University

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KEY FINDINGS
• COVID-19 deaths will likely be more prevalent among those with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD).
• Death rates from pneumonia are between 2.2 times and 5.8 times higher among individuals with an IDD than among those without IDD, giving us a clear warning of the severity of COVID-19 among people with IDD.
• Underestimation of COVID-19 deaths is potentially more severe for those with IDD.
• Cause of death certifiers must be attentive to accurately recording IDD on the death certificate.
*****************

In this recent study from Syracuse University, researchers report that people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in New York State who have confirmed cases of COVID-19, have a death rate of 9.5% compared to a death rate of 4.4% for the general population:

“…Out of 140,000 people with IDD who receive formal disability services in New York State, 1,100 have confirmed Covid—19 and 105 have died.”

“…Given that the population of adults with IDD is more likely to die from pneumonia than the general population, and the development of pneumonia is a characteristic of severe COVID-19 cases, the higher case fatality rate is not surprising. However, it is uncertain how much this disparity will increase as deaths continue to accumulate. “

An analysis of the death rate from pneumonia in 2017, before COVID-19 was present in the population, shows the pneumonia death rate in people without IDD was 1.8%. For people with IDD, the death rate ranged from 3.9 to 10.2% depending on the diagnosis, with Down syndrome having the highest rate.

Why are the fatality rates for COVID-19 higher in people with IDD?

“It is not yet possible to determine the exact causal mechanism behind the higher COVID-19 case fatality rates we are now seeing among the population with IDD. The CDC suggests that people with some specific impairments (mobility, communication, cognition) are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Some disability-advocates and parents of children with IDD suggest that the higher case fatality rates may be, at least partially, due to the slow pace at which the disability service structure has responded to the pandemic.” …”for individuals with IDD to survive this pandemic, as well as any potential future outbreaks, it will be necessary to ensure that the IDD service system is better prepared to adjust rapidly to the challenges of providing care in the midst of severe health crises.”

A complication in accurately assessing death rates for people with IDD from COVID-19 is that the cause of death is often attributed to the disability rather than the virus:

“On close to half (48%) of the death certificates of people with IDD, certifiers inaccurately identify the individual’s disability as their underlying cause of death.3 If this practice continues during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will likely never be able to determine the actual COVID-19 death rate for individuals with IDD. Given low rates of testing and misclassifications of COVID-19 death early on, mortality rates from COVID-19 will be underestimated for the entire population, and underestimation is likely to be more severe among individuals with IDD.”

*****************

See the Research Brief for details and references that appear within the report.
 
"The mission of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University is to improve population health through applied research and evaluation, education, engaged service, and advocating for evidence-based policy and practice change."

426 Eggers Hall | Syracuse | New York | 13244
syracuse.edu | lernercenter.syr.edu

The American Way of Life vs. The American Way of Death

Spring in Michigan

As the covid-19 pandemic rages on, measures to blunt its impact on the physical health of American citizens are also affecting the economy. When you can’t work because you are ill or you have been ordered to stay home, the failure of the government to provide support for people in this situation leads to ever more misery and worry. States and local governments are also heavily impacted with loss of tax revenues and unanticipated spending on the acute medical needs of people infected with the virus. Legislation to address the economic fallout from the pandemic has so far been inadequate to meet the needs of ordinary citizens and local communities, but criticism of state and local efforts to mitigate the crisis is often misplaced. The pain is ultimately caused by the spread of the virus rather than state and local efforts to mitigate it.

U.S. Representative Trey Hollingsworth, a Republican from Indiana, spoke in favor of reopening the economy by easing restrictions put in place by stay-at-home orders from state governors. He acknowledged that there was “no zero-harm choice here” between lifting restrictions and preventing loss of life from Covid-19, the disease that has led to over 2 million deaths worldwide. 

“‘Both of these decisions will lead to harm for individuals, whether that’s dramatic economic harm or whether it’s loss of life,’ he said. ‘But it’s always the American government’s position to say, in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life of American lives, we have to always choose the latter.” 

Who is the Congressman suggesting we sacrifice to the cause of maintaining “the American Way of Life”? 

I’m not planning to do anything that hastens my death or that of my two sons who live in a group home with four other adults who are all highly vulnerable to the worst effects of the virus. And I am not convinced that we have no alternative to just letting the virus rip through the population, as the Congressman appears to be suggesting. I have always known that my sons, who have profound mental and physical disabilities, are considered expendable by people who don’t know or understand them and even by some people who do understand them and should know better. But that could be the effect of opening up the economy before precautions are in place to prevent the deaths of vulnerable people.
 
We are already dampening the effects of Covid-19 by staying home, easing the burden on the medical system of treating very ill people with the virus, and buying time to find treatments and a vaccine before we give in to it. Testing is of utmost importance so that we have a better handle on what we can and cannot do in terms of reopening the economy. We need tests to determine who is currently infected and contagious followed by testing for antibodies to see who in the population has immunities to being re-infected as we try to emerge from the trauma of the pandemic.

Help from the federal government to states to test for the disease (remember “Anybody that wants a test [for the coronavirus] can get a test.”?) has not been forthcoming in the degree to which it is needed. It appears to me that the President fears that if we know too much about the spread of the virus through testing, it will adversely affect his bid for re-election.
 
In terms of what the pandemic has done to the economy of the United States and the world at large, we seem to be in for a possible long and severe depression related directly to the disease itself and the failure to react quickly enough and strongly enough to stop its spread. The fear and uncertainty of a weak response to this disaster by the federal government should be worrying to all of us, but the good faith actions of governors to attempt to slow down the disease is not the direct cause of joblessness and poverty. People who are losing their jobs through no fault of their own deserve at least as much support from Congress and state legislators as the friends, lobbyists, and donors to the campaigns of politicians. Surely the path back to health and security involves dealing with both the disease and its economic repercussions together and improving on the inadequacies in our medical system and inequality in our economic system.

Covid-19 music video

Couch Choir - (They Long To Be) Close To You

From:

Pub Choir

35.6K subscribers

A few days ago we asked the internet to stop misery scrolling for a moment, and to sing with us! Over 1000 people from 18 countries submitted a video of their performance of “Close To You” (The Carpenters) in just TWO DAYS. Every submission that we successfully received was manually added to the collective. And then we saw the magic unfold… 

 

Plug in those earphones and turn this up. We can’t adequately express in words what a gift your videos were to us. Each was like unwrapping a beautiful, personal, virtual hug. Thanks for trusting us with your voices, and for sharing your lives with us for a few minutes. We really hope the result gives you something to smile about. We’d love you to share it far and wide (please note, we won’t ask you to make it viral…) Special thanks to Sleepy Mountain Films for this incredible edit. Until our next Couch Choir session… Pub Choir

Subminimum Wage: Exploitation or Lifesaving?

I interrupt coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic with some nostalgia from way back in January 2020 ...

This is from the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA) blog: 

Disability Advocates Discriminate Against the Severely disabled by Harris Capps, 1/16/20
 
[This commentary is based on a response to the above video, “Exploitation OR Lifesaving? The Controversy Around Disabled People Being Paid Pennies An Hour,” by Philip DeFranco.]

See more on this issue in The DD News Blog 

Michigan Medicine Covid-19 Update, 4/9/2020

Michigan Medicine is the University of Michigan medical system, including the U of M hospital in Ann Arbor and other facilities. The following are excerpts from the Covid-19 Update Website.

["NOTICE: Except where otherwise noted, all articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. You are free to copy, distribute, adapt, transmit, or make commercial use of this work as long as you attribute Michigan Medicine as the original creator and include a link to this article."]  

April 07, 2020
 
Media Contact: Mary Masson 734-764-2220
 
Michigan Medicine releases number of employees tested positive for COVID-19
 
Michigan Medicine is releasing statistics on how many employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
 
As of Monday, 4/6/20:

• 728 Michigan Medicine employees have been tested for COVID-19
• 110 of those were COVID-19 positive
 
Importantly, please note these numbers don’t indicate how or where those who tested positive contracted the disease. The numbers reflect just those who sought testing at Michigan Medicine or those hospitalized at Michigan Medicine. Some Michigan Medicine employees may have been tested outside our system.
 
Less than 10 employees were hospitalized for at least one day.

COVID-19 at Michigan Medicine by the Numbers
 
Michigan Medicine is posting daily snapshots of our current COVID-19 testing and inpatient count.

As of April 8, 1:00 pm:

• Total patients tested for COVID-19 at Michigan Medicine since the pandemic began (includes pending tests): 3,588

• Total positive tests: 706

• Tests pending (waiting for results): 158

• Current inpatients that are COVID-19 positive: 229

• Total COVID-19 patients discharged: 149

• COVID-19 patients discharged in the last 24 hours: 11

[Numbers for the State of Michigan: 20,346 confirmed cases in Michigan, including 126 cases out of state, 287 cases from the Michigan Department of Corrections, and 77 cases unknown. In addition, 959 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported since March 18, 2020.]

Appointment Locations Update During COVID-19

Temporary Clinic Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
 
Updated March 26, 2020
 
In order to limit exposure for our patients, their families, and our staff, we have made several adjustments at our outpatient clinics, and many of our clinics are scaling back operations temporarily. This means that:

• Non-essential appointments may be rescheduled, or, in many cases, turned into Video Visits or E-Visits.
• Your appointment may be in a different location than when it was scheduled. Use the tool below to see if your clinic is affected.
If your clinic is not listed, patients are still being seen at that location. If you have questions about appointments, you may:
• Call your clinic phone number. All clinics are still accessible by telephone.
• Send your provider team messages through the Patient Portal.
 
If you believe you may have COVID-19 and are a Michigan Medicine patient, please call our COVID-19 hotline at 734-763-6336, or use an E-Visit to be evaluated by a Michigan Medicine health care provider.

Covid-19 Michigan Update

When the news changes from hour to hour and it all seems important and noteworthy, a news update on Corvid-19 in Michigan may be an exercise in futility, but I will give it a try. There are tidbits from the news that relate especially to the families I know who have family members with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) and may have a lasting impact, but that is anyone’s guess.

Temporary Family & Visitor Restrictions at Michigan Medicine

If you or a loved one needs clinic services or hospitalization at Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, “Temporary Visitor Restrictions” have been issued. All routine visiting is temporarily suspended. Non-routine visiting, however, is in place in special circumstances. Here a few of those special circumstances:

Pediatric inpatients - One adult primary caregiver for neonatal and pediatric patients. It is expected that if a caregiver will be present, one caregiver be designated for the entire stay to support the child’s medical care.

Adult developmentally delayed inpatients - Patients with developmental delays may have one visitor (where this one visitor provides safety and is key to the patient’s care).

Adult and pediatric inpatients at end of life - Up to two visitors at a time for patients at end of life.

Outpatient clinics - One visitor is allowed to accompany each patient to an appointment, unless an additional aide or assistant is required.

How bad can the Covid-19 threat get for vulnerable populations? 

Here is one example from the Detroit Free Press, “31 residents, five staff test positive for COVID-19 at west Michigan nursing home” by Christina Hall, 3/31/20.

“Kent County [the Grand Rapids area] Health Department spokesman Steve Kelso confirmed the numbers provided by the facility and said the first positive case was reported Friday. By Tuesday, there were 36 people sickened in the 77-bed facility.” At the time the article appeared there had been no deaths at the nursing home.

On a more hopeful note, this story by John Wisely appeared in the Detroit Free Press on 4/2/20: “Ann Arbor teachers, students use 3D printing to make face shields for health care workers”.
 
"'I got multiple emails and texts from different groups that I'm attached to,' said Tom Pachera, who teaches design, technology, engineering and prototyping at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. 'A couple of our robotics kids and several of my students asked if we could get the printers, our 3D printers from our different labs in our schools.'"

In a collaboration between teachers, students, and the Ann Arbor community, face shields are being put together using a 3-D printer and plastic sheets that teachers used to use with overhead projectors.
 
“The teachers aren't the only ones to get involved in it. Ian Steiner, a 16-year-old sophomore at Skyline High got involved through a family friend, Kevin Leeser, a disaster response nurse who formerly worked at the University of Michigan hospitals. 

“Leeser knew health care workers were running low on protective equipment and wanted to help. He'd gotten a 3D printer as a hobby last year and decided to deploy it to make masks. He planned to use the printer to make a plastic headband that would hold the shield in front of the health care worker's face. "…

“Leeser said the project has been fun, but it's only intended to be short term. He suspects that a company that has machinery to make injected molded plastic parts will being producing them at a much faster rate than the 3D printers can spit them out.

"'It's a faceless war and it's kind of cool that you do have people who have the time right now,' he said.”

Susan Tompor, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, gives advice on employment, money, and other financial matters.
 
From “FAQ: When will I get my stimulus check? Who gets one? What about tax returns?” Susan Tompor notes that,

“In a key development, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS late April 1 announced that Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns will see payments for the stimulus automatically deposited into their bank accounts. No action or simple form is needed, according to the latest guidance.”

Join Susan Tompor at 12 p.m. Monday for answers to questions about stimulus checks, taxes
 
"Do you have questions about federal stimulus checks, taxes and unemployment? Free Press Personal Finance Columnist Susan Tompor will be on hand to answer your financial questions during the coronavirus crisis.
 
"Susan will start taking your questions at 12 p.m. on Monday, April 6. Leave your question in our comments section or by clicking this link.
 
In this article, “Michiganders to Gov. Whitmer: Fix the damn unemployment website" by Frank Witsil , 4/2/20, has some advice to calm down people who are frustrated in the extreme: 

“Labor officials respond that it's not a matter of indifference, it's the situation. Michigan's unemployment claims ending March 28 topped 311,000, more than doubling from 128,000 the week before.”…

“Many states are handling an unprecedented number of claims, and, in Michigan, many claims are going through without any problems, filers acknowledged. It helps that Michiganders can file online at any time — day or night.

“The problem, however, comes in when a caller encounters a glitch or has a question"…

“Normally, unemployment officials said, glitches and questions can be handled by a call center that has been shut down because of the efforts to keep people from gathering in groups and at home so they don't catch the virus.”