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.”