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Stephanie Steele
MI Volunteer Registry and Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator
State of Michigan
Lansing, MI
steeles7@michigan.gov
Michigan
March 2020
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and disruption of the supply chain caused a dramatic and substantial shortage in the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) starting in March 2020. The demand far exceeded the amount on hand and the amount health care facilities were able to receive from vendors. Those with the greatest need were hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS), long-term care, home health care, law enforcement, prisons/jails, and dentists. This was a nationwide issue, but Southeast Michigan was hit particularly hard by supply chain issues.
The Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition worked in
close conjunction with the local jurisdictional
authorities and a plan was put in place for the County Emergency Management organizations to take the lead for the warehousing and distribution of the PPE. Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties implemented a process for storage, communication, ordering, staffing, and distribution. The organizations worked with their county public health departments, along with the Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition.
The Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition communicated the processes to the health care facilities and posted the process on their website. The Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition also handled numerous phone calls and requests, as well as directed individuals to the website. When the Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition received shipments from the State, shipments were received by Oakland County and allocated to the three counties by the Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition. This process has proven to be effective and still utilized today.
Through the outstanding collaboration and cooperation of the three counties, the health care facilities within the Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition and many others were able to order and receive much-needed PPE. The PPE was essential for the response, health, and safety of the first responders, first receivers, clinical and support staff, among many others. The work of county emergency management, public health, materials management, and logistics organizations was— and continues to be— exceptional and much appreciated. This could not have been made possible without the efforts of the Michigan State Police, State Emergency Operations Center, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Community Health Emergency Coordination Center, and Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response.
This story was developed and submitted by the Amber Pitts, the HPP Coordinator for the state of Michigan.
Michigan
December 2020
In December 2020, Regency on the Lake, a Skilled Nursing Facility in Fort Gratiot in St. Clair County, Michigan, had an outbreak of COVID-19 among its residents and needed support to provide COVID-19 therapeutics to help prevent the need for hospitalization. After exploring alternatives, the facility reached out to its partners through the Region 2 North Healthcare Coalition and requested monoclonal antibody therapeutics and additional staffing support to provide the infusion treatment.
On December 10, 2020 various partners from the health care coalition enthusiastically provided support to the emergency response team, under the direction of the Regency on the Lake administration. This support included the following:
The emergency response team was in place, and the therapeutics were delivered the following day. This demonstrated the power of working together to address and immediate need, help save lives, reduce potential trips to the hospital, and utilize the resources available. “The entire process of coming together and working together was great!” recalls Kathy Leverenz, Administrator at Regency on the Lake. “We were able to give 19 of our residents the antibodies with mostly positive results.”
This story was developed and submitted by the Amber Pitts, the HPP Coordinator for the state of Michigan.
Michigan
2020
Aspirus Ontonagon Long Term Care Facility, located in rural Ontonagon County, Michigan, experienced a major COVID-19 outbreak in both residents and staff within their 46-bed facility. This outbreak had significant impact on all aspects of their facility as staffing was at such a critical level, they were considering a possible evacuation scenario. The facility did not have the staff to continue to provide and maintain daily operations as necessary to care for their residents. Aspirus was not the only area facility experiencing staffing shortages; the Menominee Health Services facility also experienced an outbreak of COVID, affecting not only the staff but also residents. The 59-bed facility put a call in to the Region 8 Healthcare Coalition after all other avenues were exhausted.
The first of the support staff arrived just hours after Upon Aspirus Ontonagon Long Term Care Facility requested staffing support. After about a week, the facility’s staff began to return to work, and the facility was again able to resume normal operations. Menominee Health Services also received staffing relief within hours, as the first of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Mobile Crisis Teams began to arrive.
Upon the arrival of staffing support at Aspirus Ontonagon Long Term Care Facility, the Director of Nursing said, “…they looked like angels coming through the door!” The administrator subsequently shared that they did not know how they would have able to care for their residents without the assistance of the Region 8 Healthcare Coalition and MDHHS Mobile Crisis Teams. The two facilities had a total of three certified nursing assistants and an infectious control nurse. Both facilities now have a deeper relationship with the Region 8 Healthcare Coalition and a better understanding of how beneficial staffing agencies can be in times of need.
This story was developed and submitted by the Amber Pitts, the HPP Coordinator for the state of Michigan. The ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Communications Team made minor updates throughout for clarity.
Michigan 2020
On November 17, 2019, the first case of coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China, and by March 2020, the first case was identified in Michigan. As cases began to occur in Michigan, two counties in Region 5 of the state were experiencing an increase in COVID-19 positive cases among individuals experiencing homelessness. Given the unique situation, there was a lack of public health resources as to where to house the COVID positive individuals who did not need hospitalization. A hotel was acquired to be used for placement of COVID-19 positive residents experiencing homelessness, but the volume of residents became too significant for the public health staff to manage. The Medical Director for public health was needed to manage all referral calls, issues, and challenges related to oversight of the hotel population.
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State public health agencies coordinated a multi-agency response to the increase in COVID-19 cases at the hotel. Together, they created a process and procedures to meet the needs of the community. A protocol for admission to the hotel was established and discussed with referring local hospitals. Emergency medical services (EMS) agencies also were enlisted to provide added clinical support and to treat the residents at the hotel. The 5th District Medical Response Coalition provided supplies and resources to the hotel, enabling coalition members to assess and treat more residents. |
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Physicians in the Western University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine (WMed) EMS Fellowship program oversaw the admission, evaluation, and treatment of residents. Public Health personnel also worked together to support new admissions and develop a plan of care for the residents.
ASPR funding supported Whitfield Regional Hospital at a crucial time, ensuring the hospital could not only stay open but also expand its capacity to serve the community and state throughout the pandemic. Whitfield now operates at full capacity with the ability to serve ten additional COVID-19 patients daily. Additionally, the pandemic plan provided Whitfield with a blueprint to guide effective response and preparedness efforts.
Michigan
October 2020
In early October 2020, a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases was noticed in Wisconsin and Region 8 Healthcare Coalition across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This was true especially along the Wisconsin border where the case load was rapidly increasing, far beyond previous counts. Upper Peninsula Health System (UPHS) Marquette is the only tertiary care center in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They are also the receiving hospital for many of the patients requiring tertiary critical care who were seen and treated at many of the outlying hospitals in the area. As the case load was increasing, all the hospitals across the region began using their medical surge plans to provide care for COVID-positive patients. There was a need to bolster the surge capacity for isolation beds at UPHS Marquette as the critical patient case load for COVID-positive patients went on a rapid upward trajectory.
Region 8 Healthcare Coalition queried hospitals for available portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) units and were able to get some relief. With many of the hospitals at a high capacity due to the medical surge of COVID-positive patients, outside resources were needed. A request was made to the Region 1 Healthcare Coalition hospitals for any available portable HEPA units. These units were purchased through the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) in past years. Memorial Healthcare Center in Owosso and Mid-Michigan Medical Center Gratiot were able to provide two units each to assist the rapidly growing need for additional isolation care. Region 1 Healthcare Coalition coordinated with the hospitals, and the health care coalition (HCC) coordinators from Regions 1 and 8 met in Grayling (halfway) to transfer the units. The Region 8 Healthcare Coalition team delivered them to Marquette, where UPHS Marquette put their masterful engineering team together to create a much-needed isolation surge unit. This was part of multiple surge expansions done by UPHS Marquette, allowing them to continue taking many of the most critical patients across the region’s hospitals.
Regions 1 and 8 have collaborated successfully in the past, enabling them to serve the people in their communities more effectively during the response to the surge in COVID-19 cases. The facility also added five intensive care unit (ICU) beds still in use today, allowing care for 40 patients. Now more than ever, it is critical for relationship building and partnership, as the fight continues during the global pandemic.
This story was developed and submitted by the Amber Pitts, the HPP Coordinator for the state of Michigan. The ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Communications Team made minor updates throughout for clarity.
Michigan
December 2020
On December 16, 2020, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Region 6 Healthcare Coalition partnered to perform infusions of the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapeutics for residents at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. Spectrum Health also supported the effort by providing monoclonal antibody therapeutics to the clinic.
Local emergency medical services (EMS) supported the administration of IV infusions. Nurses and paramedics from the MDHHS Mobile Crisis Teams monitored the patients for any adverse reactions.
To date, this is the second and largest single-day infusion clinic to occur in the state of Michigan, according to Anne Zerbe, executive director at Michigan Veteran Homes. Major General Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and director of Michigan’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, had this to say: “The outstanding partnership between MDHHS, Spectrum Health and local EMS providers is another example of our state’s proactive approach to getting the best treatment to our most vulnerable populations, in this case, Michiganders who have already given their utmost to protect us.” Ultimately, this effort resulted in 19 high-risk veterans being treated.
This story was developed and submitted by the Amber Pitts, the HPP Coordinator for the state of Michigan. The ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Communications Team made minor updates throughout for clarity.
