Latest news with #MonroeCountyHealthDepartment
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
School-required vision and hearing tests now free in Monroe County
The Monroe County Health Department is offering free hearing and vision screenings for children ages 3 and older. Appointments are available through August, according to an announcement. Screenings are required by the Michigan Public Health Code for all children starting kindergarten or preschool, including those in public, private, charter, preschool, Head Start and qualifying childcare centers. Parents will need to provide proof of screening before their child enters kindergarten or Head Start. Once a child is in school, the Monroe County Health Department partners with all Monroe County school districts to continue free, in-school screenings regularly. 'Young children may not realize if they have a hearing or vision problem, which can impact their learning and development,' said Brooke Fender, hearing and vision coordinator at the Monroe County Health Department. 'Our goal is to ensure every child has all the tools they need to hear, see and learn to be successful in school.' The department's Hearing and Vision Program uses advanced equipment to ensure screenings are accessible for all students in Monroe County. The Spot Vision Screener and Otoacoustic Emissions devices accommodate students with disabilities that may have otherwise prevented them from obtaining a standard preliminary screening. This eliminates the need for parents to schedule an appointment with an outside provider for a specialized screening. Vision screenings include tests for visual acuity, farsightedness, the ability to use two eyes together and symptoms of eye problems. Hearing screenings are conducted with an audiometer and other equipment based on a child's needs. If any issues are discovered, the program assists parents with a referral to a doctor. In 2024, the Monroe County Health Department provided 15,973 hearing and vision screenings. For more information about the department's Hearing and Vision Program, go to or call 734-240-7856. The Monroe County Health Department aims to protect the public through health promotion, disease prevention and environmental preservation. Local public health information and updates are available at and on social media @MCHDMichigan. Monroe News is bringing you more local news: Here's how you can submit your announcements This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Is your child ready for school? Free screenings now in Monroe County Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Monroe in Pictures: A look back at 2020, the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic
MONROE COUNTY — Although the COVID-19 virus and resulting pandemic can be traced back to 2019, the virus really began to affect everyone's life on Friday, March 13, 2020, the day local schools and many churches and businesses shut-down. Initially announced as just a temporary situation to curb the spread of the virus, the closures and the pandemic of course lasted for months, resulting in virtual meetings, toilet paper shortages, drive-up COVID testing and the wearing of face masks. All the while, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Monroe County and across the world continued to increase. Monroe News photographer Tom Hawley was out almost every day during the pandemic, shooting images of local people coping with the situation and still trying to work and do business. Hawley shot hundreds of images that first year, including several of the ones shown here. Here's a timeline of the first year of the pandemic in Monroe County. Most of the dates listed are the dates the stories appeared in The Monroe News and other publications. Late February: Monroe County Health Department staff came up with a COVID-19 response plan. It included notifying residents about cases. At that time, there were no local COVID cases. By March 11: Local school districts put together COVID plans. Plans were to remain in school, but to have strict protocols for hand-washing and social distancing. March 13: Area schools announced they'd close for three weeks to curtail the spread of COVID. That next Monday, March 16, many began offering classes online. Monroe City Hall closed early March 13 and began remote work. Monroe County Library System shut down all its branches on March 13. March 14: Monroe County's first case of COVID-19 was reported. The adult female had a history of domestic travel. March 20: Local schools began using their buses to deliver meals to families. March 24: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered a stay-home order. Some exceptions to the order were trips to the grocery store and to get medications. April: First federal economic impact payments were sent to U.S. households. April 3: Schools in Michigan would be closed for the remainder of the school year, Whitmer announced. April 8: Truckers warned about supply chain shortages because of the pandemic. April 9: First COVID death in Monroe County. The elderly male had underlying health conditions. By June 20, a total of 20 Monroe County residents had died from the virus. In Michigan by that time, 5,823 had died. Michigan's COVID-19 case count was at 60,829. April 10: Whitmer extended the stay-home order through the end of April. People began to embrace baking and other 'old household skills' while spending so much time at home. April 15: Ford Motor Co.'s Flat Rock plant began making respirators. By May 8, it had sent its first one out, to Seattle. April 16: Some Michigan residents converged on the Capitol in Lansing to protest stay-home order. April 25: Michigan's stay-home order was extended to May 15. April 29: AAA reports Michigan gas was the cheapest it had been since 2002. Meat selections were limited in stores. Early May: Local high schools made plans for virtual or drive-thru graduation ceremonies. May 20: Church services resumed at Monroe's Catholic churches. May 21: Food prices soared to all-time highs nationwide. May 23: Michigan's stay-home order were extended to June 12. May 25: Monroe County businesses began to reopen. Support local news: Subscribe for all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content. May 30: U.S. neared 100,000 dead from the virus. June 2: Stay-home order was lifted in Michigan, but masks were still mandated. June 11: Monroe restaurants and hair businesses reopened. Aug. 30: Some local parents joined others in Lansing to rally for resuming high school football. Sept. 28: 1 million in the U.S. had died from COVID-19. Dec. 19: First COVID vaccines were given in Monroe County. — Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@ This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Masks, illness, shortages, virtual meetings marked 2020 in Monroe
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Monroe County reports its second case of bird flu among a backyard flock
A second case of bird flu has been confirmed in Monroe County, Michigan, involving a small backyard flock, local authorities said Wednesday. The first such case for Monroe County was detected and reported about two weeks ago; also involving a backyard flock. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus known as HPAI or bird flu can be spread easily among birds, and occasionally from birds to people. It is not a food safety concern. No human illness for bird flu has been detected so far in Monroe County. "We recommend residents who own or work with birds to take the necessary precautions to keep their backyard flocks and families safe," Jamie Dean, Health Officer/Director at the Monroe County Health Department, said in the press release. "Our focus is protecting the public's health and keeping our community informed." The virus was first detected among Michigan animals in 2022, and has been the focus of attention both in the state and across the country. The Michigan agriculture department currently considers eight cases to be active: the two in Monroe County along with two in Ottawa County and one each in Alpena, Wayne, Oakland and Missaukee counties. Michigan residents who suspect bird flu among domestic animals are asked to contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at 800-292-3939 (daytime) or 517-373-0440 (after-hours). Those who suspect bird flu among wild birds are asked to make a report to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at 517-336-5030. In the meantime, Michigan agriculture officials have started testing milk samples as part of a federal surveillance program for the bird flu virus. The U.S. has also ordered vaccine doses to target bird flu in case the outbreak spreads more among people. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it is trying to rehire bird flu experts that the agency accidentally fired as part of its efforts to cut costs based on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
