Blue Water Woman--Summer 2020--Interactive

ANNETTE MERCATANTE, M.D.
keeping us safe
SUMMER 2020

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VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2020
Blue Water Woman is published quarterly by The Write Company,
511 La Salle Blvd., Port Huron, MI 48060. Circulation 5,000.
Editor & Publisher:
Patti Samar, owner, The Write Company
Advertising, questions, comments or story ideas:
Email Patti Samar at pjsamar@aol.com
Mission:
Blue Water Woman is the premiere publication
for women living, working and playing
in the Blue Water Area of Michigan.
Its stories and features are written and designed
to be inspriational, motivational and encouraging.
www.BlueWaterWoman.com
© Blue Water Woman is the property
of Patti Samar of The Write Company
The Write Company is a writing, graphic design
and marketing consultation firm.
View our online portfolio at: www.TheWriteCompany.net
ADVERTISE
IN BLUE WATER WOMAN!
IT WORKS!
JUST ASK OUR ADVERTISERS!
The ad deadline for the next issue
of Blue Water Woman is September 1, 2020.
CONTENT
3 From the Editor
4 Annette Mercatante, M.D.
8 Elizabeth King & Jennifer Michaluk
12 Jessica Totty
16 Sarah VanderHeuvel
20 Christine Robinet
24 Pam Baunoch & Becky Mayes
Prices:
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For more information, contact Patti Samar
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2 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

EDITOR/PUBLISHER
PATTI SAMAR
FROM THE EDITOR
I began planning this issue of Blue Water Woman a month or so into the pandemic. I
decided to dedicate the issue and the stories to the women on the frontline who were
facing the pandemic head-on in our community. I asked around, discovered some very
good story ideas, and began the process of putting the magazine together.
Then, George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
The floodgates of racial unrest, long simmering in this country, finally bubbled and
boiled over.
I knew, as I watched protests and racial equality events take place across both our
nation and the world, that I needed to dedicate a story to race in this issue
of Blue Water Woman. A couple of years ago, when some of the worst public
examples of racism since the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 began
erupting across the nation, I began making a concerted effort to feature a
story about at least one woman of color in every issue of the magazine.
My philosophy has always been this: EVERY woman in our community
has a story to tell. Sadly, I will never get around to telling all of them.
However, it is important to make sure the pages of this magazine reflect the
community in which we live.
It has not always been easy seeking and finding those stories, and not
because there are not an overwhelming number of stories to tell about
women of color. Absolutely, there are. But, I found that, sadly, shamefully, in
my own circle of friends and acquaintances, there are not a lot of people of
color, so I am not necessarily hearing of their stories.
To learn more, I had to contact people of color I do know and explain my
situation: I am interested in shining a light on the stories that need to be told.
It was, at first, awkward. One of the first conversations I had about this was
with my friend, Port Huron City Councilwoman Anita Ashford, who was so
kind and so open to what I’m sure was my very awkward explanation.
You see, in my life, no one has ever talked to me about the color of skin,
just like no one has ever talked to me about the color of my eyes. The color
of my skin is not something that I’ve ever needed to think about when I
wake up in the morning and plan my day.
Black people in America cannot say the same thing. They have to think
about it. They have to talk to their children about it. And that is a damn
shame.
In this issue, I share with you my conversation with Jessica Totty, a licensed
practical nurse, who has, in her position at Lake Huron Medical Center, served on the
front lines of the pandemic. Jessica is Mexican American and her husband, Kevin, is
African American. Together, they have mixed race (now grown) children. Jessica was
kind enough to have an open conversation with me about race in our community, and
what it was like for her raising children of color here.
My biggest take away from my conversation with Jessica was when she said this to me:
“I’m hoping, also, that this whole movement does not become a bucket list item,” she
said. “‘I participated in a march…I’m talking to people of color now…’ and that six
months from now, we are back at square one.
“I hope that this is about change, peace and sensitivity.”
I am with Jessica, in hoping for change, peace and sensitivity, too. I am committed
to continuing to share the stories of women of color in this magazine, and working for
change in our community.
Please join me.
Patti Samar
Editor & Publisher
Blue Water Woman
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 3

ANNETTE MERCATANTE, M.D.

KEEPING
us safe
BY PATTI SAMAR
Just like in any profession, there are physicians who are good at their jobs, and then there are those who stand apart from the
crowd. Their lights shine so brightly, you can see them coming from far, far away.
Annette Mercatante, M.D., is just such a physician. Our community is beyond fortunate that, more than a decade ago, she
left the safety and comfort of private practice to tackle public health.
Though we might not have made note of it, all residents of St. Clair County reap the healthcare benefits of her leadership
and guidance. Sometimes, the brightest lights are shining underground – behind the scenes, if you will – where not everyone
can see them, but where they are needed the most.
And now, in 2020, her leadership has taken on new meaning during this worldwide pandemic. As this story is being
written, St. Clair County has less than 50 cases of COVID 19, no new cases over the previous few days, and no one in the
hospital with this illness.
We wouldn’t be here, righting a listing ship, if not for Dr. Annette Mercatante.
Throughout the early days of the pandemic, Annette Mercatante,
M.D. was sending her staff emails at all hours of the day and night. A
few members of her staff chuckle as they recall arising to emails sent at
2, 3 or 4 a.m.
The entire staff of the St. Clair County Health Department, under
the direction of Mercatante, who serves as both chief medical officer
and the lead public health officer, worked seven days a week through
the early days and months of the Coronavirus 19, also known as
COVID 19, pandemic.
“I’m relying on a village here,” said Mercatante, reflecting on her
nonstop work days and nights since the pandemic hit the nation hard
in mid-March. “I’ve got a great staff. It really does take a village, and
you have to know what sources to trust as you read and research and
look for answers.”
Though her days have been brutally long, and the answers have
been hard pressed to present themselves to her – “The amount of
decision-making is just daunting, with not a lot of answers” – there is
likely no place she would rather be than in her current position.
“I just felt called…compelled…to do this work and maybe, in some
strange way, this is why,” she said of her decision to enter into a life of
public service via public health administration more than a decade
ago.
“When you are trained in the medical profession, you learn really
quickly when you get out of medical school, that there is more
ambiguity than answers, so I’m comfortable in this environment.
“This is normal on steroids.”
A Generational Gap
Mercatante noted that anyone middle-aged or younger in the
United States has grown up during a very privileged period of time in
terms of public health.
“In our grandparents age, getting ill and dying from infectious
disease was very common,” she said. “Then we entered the age of
antibiotics and vaccines,” which, she noted, helped all but eliminate
disease that in prior generations had caused much illness and death.
“Every generation prior to the 1950s dealt with this all of the time,”
she said. “It’s the first time in our lives that we’re encountering this, but
this was a common event at one time.
“And that’s why I know it is going to be okay, because all of those
people before us moved on.”
Living as a Social Society
When Coronavirus 19 began infecting people, it quickly became
apparent that it was highly contagious and so social distancing, which,
for many people equated to isolation, became a key component to
stopping the spread of the disease.
Now, in the early summer of 2020, as the United States has begun
reopening its economy, individuals, families and friends are all having
to make decisions, sometimes on a daily basis, regarding the kind of
risks they are willing to take in order to remain healthy and unaffected
by COVID 19, to the best of their ability.
“It’s going to come down to each individual making those decisions
for themselves,” said Mercatante. “If you are the person with a child,
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 5

and you want that child to know his grandparents, you have to decide
on what risks all of you are willing to take. You weigh those things into
the conversation.
“A person’s personal capacity for accepting risk comes into play.
“When you choose to live in a society with other people, there is
beauty in that,” said Mercatante. “But this is the price you pay, but I
think it is worth it.”
The Fluidity of Science
One important aspect of dealing with this pandemic is that all
healthcare providers are learning on the fly. Physicians are using their
training as scientists to learn the best way to treat each COVID 19
patient.
Mercatante said that science and fact-based training helps medical
care providers learn what works, as well as what doesn’t, along the way.
“One of the things I’ve always valued as being a trained scientist
is that you have a hypothesis, so you start out thinking one thing,
but something comes up that leads you in a different direction, and
therefore your conclusion might end up differently than you thought
it would.”
Though scientists might still be learning many new things about
COVID 19, their medical training and the efforts of scientists over the
past several decades and even centuries all provide a basis of working
knowledge that is very helpful.
“After 30 to 40 years of vaccines, we can feel pretty confident in our
knowledge of how this works,” she said, which will help researchers
who are working on a COVID 19 vaccine.
“
It’s going to come down to each individual
making those decisions for themselves.
A person’s personal capacity for accepting
risk comes into play.
When you choose to live in a society
with other people, there is beauty in that.
But this is the price you pay.
But I think it is worth it.
”
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173533

Crisis Within a Crisis: Mass Protests During a Pandemic
Mercatante noted that the protests taking place across the country
regarding a call for policing reform and the end to racism are all part of
larger societal issues.
“We all know there’s a lot that needs changing, certainly with our
healthcare system.”
Brightness in a Dark Tunnel
After the months of working seven-day weeks around the clock,
Mercatante does, indeed, feel as if there is much to be hopeful about.
“I feel like I’ve got my sea legs,” she said of seeing the community
through the worst of the crisis. “I’m hopeful if we’re strong and resilient
– and most people are – that the more we rely and support each other,
we will be a stronger society.
“I think we’ll see some beautiful things. I think we will be in a better
place.”
Coming Out of the Tunnel
Mercatante noted that: “Change makes people uncomfortable, but
from that a lot of good can come.”
In her own life, she uses her faith to help her through the most
difficult of times.
“They say ‘thy Kingdom come on earth’…whatever you believe that
Kingdom to be.
“I don’t like to see Heaven as a place to die to get to. I like to think we
can have it here on earth, too.
“I’m proud and humbled to have the opportunity to be a part of that.”
“
They say ‘Thy Kingdom come on earth...’
whatever you believe that Kingdom to be.
“I don’t like to see Heaven as a place to die
to get to. I like to think we can have it
here on earth, too.
“I’m proud and humbled to have the
”
opportunity to be a part of that.
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SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 7

JENNIFER MICHALUK
& ELIZABETH KING
8 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

ESSENTIAL
staff
BY PATTI SAMAR
JJennifer Michaluk and Elizabeth King do not remember much of
the months of March and April.
Essential staff members and department heads at the St. Clair
County Health Department, both worked around the clock, seven
days a week, once the Coronavirus 19 pandemic hit the county.
According to Justin Westmiller, the Director of Homeland Security
and Emergency Management for St. Clair County, both women were
key to the county’s successful response to the pandemic.
“March is a total blur,” said Michaluk, the Director of Health
Education and Planning, who holds a master’s degree in health
education. “I felt as if I was in a fog. It was very stressful. I don’t
remember spending much time with my family.”
King, who is both an RN and BSN, and serves as the Director of
Nursing and Community Health, concurred with Michaluk, stating:
“I was working seven days a week, and it’s always on your mind. I
think we’re always very dedicated, but I’ve never been pushed that far.
“I consider myself very experienced. I’ve been here for 18 years, I’ve
been here through a number of outbreaks that I’ve been involved
with, but this was so beyond anything I’d ever seen.
“It wasn’t just St. Clair County, or even just cross jurisdictional into
Macomb County…it was affecting the whole world.
“It’s so hard to conceive of…and we were just running the race and
you don’t really see the Big Picture.”
Michaluk added: “We sat here and thought, ‘Is this real? How did
this happen?’”
Monitoring the Situation
King said the county health department first began monitoring
COVID 19 in December 2019, as cases began appearing around the
world.
Michaluk, who serves as the chief public information officer (PIO)
for the health department, put out the first COVID 19 press release
in January to warn the public that the virus was spreading.
“And we started to meet about it,” she said.
King noted that international airports began monitoring people
who were returning from international travel, and as the news began
carrying more stories, local people who had been traveling began
reaching out to the health department, as well.
Then, it was confirmed that the virus had hit the shores of the
United States with a case in Washington state.
“We started activating things we have practiced in training so many
times before,” said King.
So, did their training manuals and books help them out?
“With this, we kind of wrote a new book,” said Michaluk.
All Hands on Deck
Both Michaluk and King noted that the entire staff at the health
department stepped forward and many took on new roles as the
entire team became focused on addressing the pandemic in some way.
“We have a really strong team here,” said King. “Everyone knowing
their role was helpful, and knowing the chain of command was
helpful. We know everyone’s best qualities, so you can be confident
that person is going to do a job and do it well.
“The staff was incredible. When we asked for volunteers to work on
the weekends, they just volunteered. We’ve had many staff members
working seven days a week.”
“Everybody deserves a thank you,” said Michaluk.
Keeping the Public Informed
Especially in the early days of March and April, the pandemic
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 9

presented plenty of challenges as the public’s need for information
was great, and the virus was so new that information being fed to the
county from state and national sources was constantly changing as
more was learned about the virus.
In her role as chief PIO, Michaluk led the county’s outreach to the
media and the community.
“I am always wondering, ‘Am I doing a good job? Are people getting
the information they need?’
“And I’d just like to say that I always welcome community
feedback…please let me know what you need,” she said, noting that
news releases and social media posts were among the primary tools
used to communicate regularly with the public.
“We just want to be the trusted county resource. We were doing the
best that we could with the information we had from day to day, and I
welcome all feedback from the community.”
Added King: “When we get that public feedback, it’s important.”
Moving Forward
Both King and Michaluk noted that the health department staff still
meets daily and still participates in daily conference calls with various
partner agencies, even though the pace of the pandemic work has
slowed as the governor has relaxed the stay-at-home orders and opened
up the economy.
“Things are slowing down,” said Michaluk. “I’m still trying to run
my other programs.” Michaluk is responsible for a wide range of public
health initiatives and grant programs in the county.
King, who also oversees a large staff and numerous health
department programs, said when it began, the pandemic brought
much of her other work to a halt.
“
One of the things that keeps me up
at night is thinking about those services
that are needed that we haven’t
been able to offer...
...and how to prioritize what starts
again first.
”
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10 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

“Most of my programs stopped or we were offering services on a very
limited basis,” she said. “One of the things that keeps me up at night is
thinking about those services that are needed that we haven’t been able
to offer…and how to prioritize what starts again first.”
Though their work on the pandemic is still ongoing, both King and
Michaluk are beginning to once again address other areas of public
health.
“We’re looking forward: what does 2021 look like for our budget,
our programs, our staffing? The after effects of the pandemic will
be felt for many, many years,” said King. “It’s just our nature to look
forward and see what’s coming next. We’re looking at treatments and
vaccines. Hopefully, COVID will eventually just become something
on our vaccine list.”
The Silver Lining
Both Michaluk and King noted there are a number of good health
initiatives that are coming out of the pandemic.
“The public is stepping up with cleaning,” noted King. “That is a
good, positive change.”
“What’s wrong with better cleaning practices?” echoed Michaluk.
“And we all just have a greater appreciation for just going out.
Hopefully, with the warmer weather, we will be outside more and
hopefully we won’t see a recurrence.”
King said: “I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m confident that if the virus
comes back in the numbers we were seeing, that we can handle it.
“I think people are ready to go back to normal. I’ve seen more people
riding their bikes and walking the trails near my house. Those things
made me smile on the bad days.”
And Michaluk? “On those bad days, I took a minute to appreciate
nature and I would see the sun does shine.”
“
It’s just our nature to look forward
and see what’s coming next.
We’re looking at treatments and vaccines.
Hopefully, COVID will eventually
just become something
”
on our vaccine list.
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 11

JESSICA TOTTY
12 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

OPEN
dialogue
BY PATTI SAMAR
As a woman of color, Jessica Totty has moved through the world very
differently than her Caucasian/ white counterparts.
She has raised her children differently; she has had to teach them
different lessons about the world around them and the way they will
be perceived.
Every time she walks into a store, she understands she might be
watched as a result of racial profiling.
She knows that every time she meets someone, they might judge her
before they even get to know anything about her.
She knows that every encounter she has with new people will be
based on their personal perceptions and biases.
She knows she will always, first, be judged by the color of her skin.
Adopted Community
A Mexican-American, Totty and her husband, Kevin, moved to the
Blue Water Area 25 years ago and decided to stay and raise their family.
Totty is a licensed practical nurse who has worked at Lake Huron
Medical Center for the past 23 years. Her husband, who brought
his family here to open the then-new Applebee’s restaurant, is now a
program director at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
“How can you not love it here, what with the water and all,” she said.
“Our kids, they all call Port Huron their home. And, God has opened
our eyes to the opportunities available here.”
The Blue Water Area has been good to them, and they have
contributed much to the community they have adopted as their home.
During the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, Totty has served the
community as a frontline, essential worker in her role at the hospital.
Pre-pandemic, Totty spent half of her work life as a medical staff
assistant, auditing and compiling data. The other half of her work life
was spent coordinating the Lake Huron Medical Center Breather’s
Club, a support group that assists those with pulmonary issues. When
the pandemic hit, the club was disbanded, ironically, just when a virus
that is known to attack those with compromised lung capacity was
hitting.
Totty has remained in touch with her Breather’s Club clients, and is
happy to report, to date, no illness due to COVID 19.
“I thank God none of them have contracted it,” she said. “They are
practicing what I taught them, and that time and investment that they
put in has really helped them through this.”
Totty now spends a part of her work day serving as in-take personnel
for people entering the hospital, signing them in, and running through
COVID 19 procedures, such as taking temperatures.
Living a Life of Faith
A number of years ago, Totty and her husband both became licensed
and ordained ministers. Together, they minister to a congregation in
Port Huron that is diverse.
Like other churches across the country, they have had to turn their
ministry toward the internet, but that has gone well, she said.
“God has us gearing toward this virtual church, and we’re really, really
enjoying it,” she said. Their church, which is called #c4yourselfchurch,
is not as structured as other religious services, and that is what draws
people to their offerings.
“We believe that you need to see God yourself,” she said. “There’s
such freedom in knowing you don’t need that structure and ritual.
We’ve really been walking in this freedom. We really encourage an
open, immense amount of trust, and finding God for themselves.”
In light of the racial unrest that has unfolded across the country, they
have spent more time recently discussing racial and cultural differences
with the congregation.
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

“We’ve had dialogue during our Bible studies,” she said. “We do
bring it up and have a conversation. Some people have said to me, ‘I
had no idea that was still happening.’”
Living Life as a Family of Color
Totty and her husband – who is African American – have, like
every family of color in the United States, needed to share with their
five, now-grown children, lessons different than those of their white
counterparts.
“It has always been important to us to teach the children that our
culture and races are very important,” she said. “We taught them God
doesn’t make mistakes, and He made us.”
She also taught her children that, no matter what anyone else said to
them, they were entitled to the same opportunities as everyone else.
One of the most difficult lessons to teach, overall, though, was
helping them understand that, no matter how wrong it was, they
needed to consider the following: “Are we going to be profiled when
we walk into a store? This is something people of color face on a daily
basis.
“I had to be concerned about how my kids dressed and how
that would be perceived. These were things we talked about in our
household.
“It is not the same for us.
“I think of it like this: white people exist; people of color survive.”
Working with the Police
Totty and her husband are chaplains for the Port Huron Police
Department, and she noted that the department is very well trained.
However, with regard to the department in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
“
I had to be concerned about how
my kids dressed and how that would
be perceived.
These were things we talked about
in our household.
It is not the same for us.
I think of it like this: white people exist;
”
people of color survive.
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where George Floyd was killed, such brutal actions from an officer
come as a result of a deeply flawed department.
“There is a culture of that particular police department that made
that acceptable,” she said. “How evil is this world? God tells us not to
take a life…how can we be so inhumane that we think it’s okay to take
a life?”
So how does a community – a nation, in fact – begin to heal from
such atrocities?
“By racial reconciliation,” she said. “We need to have these real
conversations and they are going to be hard to have.
“If we keep hiding or not talking to one another, then we are not
going to get past this hate. I would ask, ‘Are you willing to listen? Are
you willing to change?’
“I’m hoping, also, that this whole movement does not become a
bucket list item,” she said. “’I participated in a march…I’m talking to
people of color now…’ and that six months from now, we are back at
square one.
“I hope that this is about change, peace and sensitivity.”
Real Change and Moving Forward
“People do ask, ‘What can we do to change it?’” Totty said. “We can
begin by visiting other churches and reading about other cultures. It’s good
that we can come together and talk about what we are struggling with.
“How can we call ourselves followers of Christ if we are not willing to
look beyond our differences?
“The only way we are going to have a change of heart is through
God,” she said. “He gives us that free will, when He shows up, and we
see the power and grace and mercy of God, that’s when He receives the
Glory. He’s there for us. He loves us so much.
“We have to decide who do we want to be when we wake up?”
“
We need to have these real conversations
and they are going to be hard to have.
If we keep hiding or not talking
to one another, then we are not going
to get past this hate.
I would ask, ‘Are you willing to listen?
Are you willing to change?’
”
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SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

SARAH VANDERHEUVEL
12 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

STEPPING
up
BY DALE HEMMILA
EEarly on in the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, if you found yourself
nearly a thousand miles from home, working long shifts among
dozens of people you didn’t know, most of us would hardly call
ourselves “lucky.” But that is exactly how Fort Gratiot native Sarah
VanderHeuvel described herself recently as she discussed her work to
help people stay safe in the fight against COVID-19.
VanderHeuvel volunteered not once, not twice, but three separate
times to work on projects that were critical in the early days of the
fight against COVID 19.
The Port Huron Northern High School graduate was just months
into her job at the Ford Motor Company’s Michigan Assembly Plant,
after earning an Industrial and Operations engineering degree at the
University of Michigan, when Ford asked employees to volunteer to
assist at a personal protection equipment production facility.
“They said we need 30 people in South Dakota in the next 48
hours,” VanderHeuvel recalled. “A few engineers had gone out earlier
in the week to a 3M plant and said if they had 30 or 40 more people,
we could be making hundreds of thousands more masks for people
on the front line.
“As soon as I saw that, I knew I wanted to volunteer because it
was the first couple weeks of the pandemic and I was seeing videos
on social media and on the news of nurses, doctors, and EMTs on
the real front lines not having what they needed to care for people. I
definitely wanted to help and it seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
So, in short order, she joined a group of fellow Ford employees, none
of whom she knew, in a 16-hour auto caravan to the 3M face mask and
respirator assembly facility in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Upon arrival,
after a brief orientation, they were put to work on either eight or 12-
hour shifts to fill in for missing members of the 3M workforce.
While she acknowledges there was concern about the health
implications of leaving home during a pandemic, the overall
involvement was worth the risk.
“I had such a great experience being around other people that really
wanted to help and had such a good attitude, and made it such a good
experience,” she said. “It was kind of a scary time, but being around
people that were motivated and wanted to help was a cool thing to be
a part of.”
While working on the production machinery, the Ford team was
encouraged to offer any insight they might have that could help
increase productivity.
“We tried to optimize anywhere we could,” VanderHeuvel said.
“So anywhere we found production where if they could make a slight
tweak or change to increase production or get it out faster, then we
implemented those with the 3M engineering team.”
The influx of the Ford team had a substantial impact on productivity
at the plant as VanderHeuvel pointed out that within three days of
their arrival, production went from 700,000 pieces daily to one million
pieces per day.
The Ford team ended up operating at the plant for two weeks while
3M worked to increase the plant’s labor force.
“We were covering the time it takes to hire people and onboard
them,” she said. “They got a person to replace every single one of us
in two weeks and once they had them trained, they had to send us
home.”
Once home, it wasn’t the end of VanderHeuvel’s work to assist front
line workers, however, as she quickly moved into volunteer assignment
number two.
Just a week after returning from South Dakota, VanderHeuvel
volunteered to go to Ford’s Troy Design and Manufacturing plant
where they were making and shipping face shields.
“They called in volunteers because they had a bottleneck in the
process that was holding up the whole thing,” she said. “So they called
in anyone who was available to make and pack boxes of the shields.
The first day there was no plan to make 26,000 boxes and get them
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

packed. So I set up a tracking system and mini assembly lines and so
that started to work.”
While in the midst of the face shield project, however, the third
volunteer opportunity presented itself.
“At the end of a week we were getting really close to 26,000 (boxes)
and my director called me and said they needed people to come down
to Indiana,” she said.
Asked to drive directly to Indiana that very same day, VanderHeuvel
agreed, and within four hours, she found herself at a Ford plant in
Indianapolis.
The work there was to assemble PPE kits with face masks, hand
sanitizer, thermometers, lotion and other items for distribution to Ford
employees as they returned to work.
“There was a big push because our Europe plants were opening a
little bit earlier than our North American plants so we wanted to have
the kits ready for their startup too,” she said. “When we got there, it
wasn’t a good setup and the deadline they gave us was in 48 hours. We
needed to have 50,000 kits made, packaged, banded and on trucks,
ready to go.”
So, assembly lines were set up and a call out to other employees was
made. At VanderHeuvel’s suggestion, a call was made to the South
Dakota volunteer team to assist as well.
“A lot of people I worked with in South Dakota came down to
Indiana,” she said.
With as many hands on deck as possible, VanderHeuvel wrapped
up work in Indianapolis and by then had navigated through three
volunteer assignments in a short period of time during the earliest and
more frightening times of the pandemic.
SARAH VANDERHEUVEL ON SITE, WEARING & MAKING
PPE FOR FRONT LINE WORKERS
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We needed to have 50,000 kits made,
packaged, banded and on trucks,
ready to go.
”
The deadline they gave us was in 48 hours.
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Of course all of this begs the question about her concern for her own
health. Getting sick had to cross her mind, right?
“Yes,” she answered, “but the biggest worry was going into plants
where they were making shields and masks for people that were already
sick and exposing other people. So I didn’t as much worry for myself or
me getting sick, but just exposing other people.”
She said she wore her mask faithfully, made sure she drank plenty of
water and took extra vitamin C to keep up her immune system. She
also made sure she got plenty of sleep. She said they had a symptom
screening at the beginning of each shift upon entry into the plants.
While the volunteer work was fulfilling in one way of assisting in the
fight against the virus, it had the added benefit of providing real world
experience for an engineer young in her career.
“Actually working on the line, running the machine, was a pretty
new experience,” she said. “And it was a good experience because a lot
of what I do at my job as an engineer affects the people working on
the plant floor. It gave me a chance to use my degree and my problem
solving skills.”
VanderHeuvel is back in Michigan, working from home, as a part
of the new Ford Bronco team preparing for the vehicle’s sales launch
in 2021. However, she said if the call came out to take on a similar
volunteer assignment, she would certainly do it again.
“It was a great feeling just to know even if I helped just a little bit for
so many doctors, even if it wasn’t a huge number, that they got the
safety equipment that they needed to do their job, and help the people
that are really sick,” she said. “The first couple of weeks during the
quarantine I hated feeling like I was sitting there and not being able to
help. So being given the chance to do something about it and get to
help others? I am very lucky.”
Lucky indeed.
“
Actually working on the line, running the
machine, was a pretty new experience.
It was a good experience because a lot of what
I do at my job as an engineer affects the people
working on the plant floor.
It gave me a chance to use my degreee
”
and my problem solving skills.
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

CHRISTINE ROBINET, N.P.
12 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

PROTECTING
patients
BY DALE HEMMILA
Christine Robinet is a doer.
A nurse practitioner at Physician HealthCare Network’s Macomb
Family Practice, Robinet recently took on two new healthcare initiatives
as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist patients and facility
operations.
Prior to the pandemic, Robinet’s routine involved working with Pietro
Cavataio, M.D., seeing patients for preventative visits, physicals, sick visits
and follow-up exams. That changed when Michigan Governor Gretchen
Whitmer issued stay at home orders in March. Even though visits to
healthcare offices were allowed, an uncertain and cautious public began to
avoid clinic visits.
“All of sudden, we went from a very busy office to essentially seeing
no patients,” Robinet said. “No one wanted to come in, even if they
were sick, they didn’t want to come in. A lot of
people were scared and confused about what they
needed to do to keep themselves safe.”
At that point, it seemed obvious there would
need to be a different approach to patient care
with a nod to technology.
“So pretty quickly, Dr. Cavataio and I started
dabbling in telehealth,” she said. “I’m pretty
good with a computer, so I can fix most issues
and I kind of took it on that I was going to start
trying it.”
They found a web-based platform that was
secure and HIPAA compliant. As patients continued to phone in with
health care questions, they encouraged them to communicate through the
telehealth website.
As patients continued to be reluctant to visit the office, it became
obvious that all the family care and urgent care providers would have to
become comfortable using the telehealth program.
“It took me a little bit of time to understand the platform,” Robinet
said “Because without understanding it well, you’re not going to give
good instructions to the patient, the staff’s not going to know, so once I
was kind of familiar of how the site worked, I wrote up some guidelines
and an instruction sheet for the providers on how to use it, for front desk
staff on how to explain this to patients, and some basic troubleshooting
things.”
While there was a learning curve, Robinet said they feel comfortable
with the system even though they only began using it in March. The
patients also have adapted to it very well.
“They have been extremely pleased with telehealth,” she said, “and
just really appreciative that we were willing to do it. Overall it has been
an extremely positive response. Even continuing now, patients who are
elderly or have mobility issues, it’s much easier for them if they have a
smartphone or computer just to log in.”
And Dr. Cavataio was impressed with Robinet’s work. “Christine was
instrumental in establishing our telehealth care program,” he said. “Her
expertise in the latest technology helped our staff and patients navigate
through technical difficulties that arose especially within our elderly
population.”
While telehealth addressed patient and provider concerns related to inperson
visits, the overriding healthcare concern remained the Coronavirus
pandemic.
Of major concern was the lack of testing available. This made diagnosis
and treatment difficult for healthcare providers and patients.
“Immediately when the stay at home order went into place, we were
getting calls about people who were sick,” Robinet said. “They needed
to be tested and it was extremely difficult to figure out how we were
supposed to be doing this.
“A lot of people in healthcare felt like we needed to do more to help the
community and our patients; Dr. Cavataio and I thought coordinating
testing was one way we could really make a difference.”
Fortunately, their office manager found a Grand Rapids lab that could
provide the supplies for testing. That, however,
was just a starting point.
“It’s a lot more complicated than just having the
swabs,” Robinet noted. “You have to know how
to obtain a sample because it is a nasopharyngeal
swab, so it’s supposed to go to the back of the
nose.”
Issues related to patient safety, staff safety and
other logistics also needed to be addressed.
“After we got the testing supplies in the office,
they sat around for a few days,” she said. “It just
seemed to me there was a need for someone
to step up and be accountable for the process. So I read through all of
the policies and procedures and wrote a policy of how I thought testing
could work in our office. I bought some bins and made some logs so we
could track things and figured out where all the supplies could go, where
the patients would come from, and where our staff would keep PPE.
I educated all the staff, including some of the providers who had never
obtained a nasopharyngeal swab before, on how to do it. We got it up and
running quickly and we’ve been testing since the last week in April.”
They have seen quite a few patients test positive.
“When we get a positive result, that patient gets a call and we
recommend they schedule a follow-up so that we can see how they are
doing,” Robinet said. “We’re just trying to follow-up with everyone as
consistently as we can so that everyone comes through this okay,” she
said. “When it comes to helping your patients and the community, you’re
never quite done with that job, but I think that we have done a great job
in educating our patients about the coronavirus.”
Similar to the telehealth program, Dr. Cavataio noted Robinet’s
involvement.
“As the pandemic intensified, the lack of available testing became a
source of great frustration for our patients and providers alike,” he said.
“We wanted to be on the forefront of accessible testing in our area and
again, Christine rose to the occasion to make that a reality.
“Her confidence and competence in implementing both of these
projects has provided much needed guidance and assurance to each of our
staff members in these uncertain times which is ultimately passed along to
our patients.”
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

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who will be named...
Blue Water Woman
Nominations
due in
mid-November!
of the Year?
Nominations now being accepted
for Blue Water Woman of the Year!
The Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards will honor women who reside in the
Blue Water Area of Michigan who demonstrate excellence and achievement
in one or more of the following areas:
?
• Volunteerism or personal achievement
• Mentoring other women
• Professional achievement
• Overall Honor: Blue Water Woman of the Year
Award Process:
Nominators MUST complete the nomination form and rules available at
www.BlueWaterWoman.com
Honoring the Award Recipients:
Those selected for awards will be notified in early December 2020.
All will be featured in a story in the Spring (February) 2021 issue of the magazine.
All will be honored at a public reception on January 29, 2021, pandemic permitting.
Nominator Requirements:
Nominators must be committed to selling a minimum of 20 adult tickets to the awards reception.
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Award recipients MUST be available to attend awards ceremony; “must be present to win.”
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Submissions must be received by email or snail mail no later than
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BECKY MAYES, LEFT, AND PAM BAUNOCH
12 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

MANAGING
emergencies
BY PATTI SAMAR
If Pam Baunoch and Becky Mayes are nothing else, they are ready.
Ready and willing to serve, at the drop of a hat, the citizens of St. Clair County.
Baunoch is the Homeland Security Planner for the St. Clair County Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Management Department, and Mayes is the office coordinator there.
Together, they have been among the women helping lead the county through the Coronavirus 19
pandemic.
When the Coronavirus 19 pandemic hit St. Clair County in mid-March, the St. Clair County
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
was activated.
And while the pandemic certainly presented all emergency planning agencies and partners in St. Clair
County with new challenges, activation of the EOC for the pandemic was not something unusual for
Baunoch or Mayes; the EOC is activated on a regular basis throughout any given year.
The EOC activates during weather-related emergencies such as tornados and flooding; during
transportation disasters such as train derailments; and other large-scale incidents that have the potential
to endanger the environment such as oil spills, among others.
Both women noted that, during their normal day-to-day work life, they both complete emergency
preparedness training regularly.
SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM 13

“
People are able to get out and do things now,
and I think they are getting a little bit
of a false sense of security.
I hope that doesn’t come back to bite us
with a resurgence of the virus.
”
There are still so many unknowns.
“Once you know your role, you know what to do,” said Mayes.
“A lot of that just kicks in,” said Baunoch.
Baunoch said that once the EOC was activated for the pandemic,
the county emergency planning director determined who needed to
be a part of the EOC to help guide the county through this health care
emergency.
“We started making a plan and figured out what we needed to do
and who we had to get in the EOC,” said Baunoch. “That was when
we started contacting the fire departments, emergency responders, the
hospitals, the health department and other departments within the
county that needed to be involved.
“We got people in the room who can make decisions.”
While the initial calls were made to front line and first responder
agencies, the EOC quickly moved into public information mode and
began working with its partner agencies to make sure citizens were kept
abreast of COVID 19 activities within the county.
“In the beginning, we were doing updates two times a day,” said
Mayes.
“We were doing conference calls with more than 100 people,” said
Baunoch.
Keeping up with the ever-changing information regarding COVID
19 and sharing that with both partner agencies and departments, as
well as with the public, was one of the most important roles for the
EOC.
“We set up a call center to answer all the questions from the
public,” said Mayes. “That was staffed by the St. Clair County Health
Department. We had to hire interns from SC4 (St. Clair County
Community College) to monitor social media to answer the questions
on Facebook and to correct misinformation.
“That was really important. There were always questions about the
data we were releasing.”
Mayes noted that the questions they received on social media were
helpful because they were able to change the way they delivered the
information to the public in order to better answer questions the
public wanted to know about.
“We’ve changed that several times,” she said. “Then we started
doing Facebook Live sessions so that people could get their questions
answered right away without any delay.”
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the COVID 19 pandemic is
its long term duration.
Baunoch noted: “If a tornado goes through, you go fix the problem
and in a week or so, people move on. With the pandemic, there’s
BECKY MAYES
PAM BAUNOCH
no break in it. It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is constantly
ongoing.”
Though Mayes has worked for the county for almost a decade, she
has only worked in the Homeland Security and Emergency Planning
Department for a year and a half. Baunoch said she has adapted well to
the fast-paced and ever-changing environment.
“Becky knows everything about everything here,” Baunoch said.
“She picked it up so fast.”
Mayes noted that she likes to be organized and that she quickly
realized the more she learned about the department, the more she
would be able to be a real resource during an emergency.
“I want to be able to jump in and fill a role if someone can’t be here,”
she said. “It makes you feel good to help other people or to anticipate
problems and have a plan in place.
“We never know what is going to happen, but if you have a plan in
place, you’ll have a better outcome.”
Baunoch, on the other hand, has been training for her role her entire
life. Her father was a firefighter in Burtchville Township, and she
followed in his shoes – she is still a firefighter there.
One of her earliest memories is of an early childhood birthday when, on
that day, her father responded to the tunnel explosion in Lake Huron.
“I didn’t get a cake that year,” she said, fighting back tears at the
memory of one of the most tragic moments in St. Clair County
history. “But serving others, that’s just the way I was raised.”
With regard to the pandemic, Baunoch said she knows and
understands that people are tired of being cooped up and want life to
return to normal, but she is concerned that they will forget to continue
to use caution.
“People are able to get out and do things now, and I think they are
getting a little bit of a false sense of security,” she said. “I hope that
doesn’t come back to bite us with a resurgence of the virus. There are
still so many unknowns.”
As the state of Michigan and St. Clair County begin to open up
again, the EOC has been able to reduce the number of days of the
week and the number of hours it is manned, which is a shift from the
early days of the pandemic.
But Baunoch is ready to continue to address this crisis or the next
with the emergency preparedness team.
“It’s amazing how our entire staff here all work together,” she said.
“Everybody works so well together.”
Mayes noted: “It feels like family here. And the way you feel about
helping others in the community? You can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”
12 SUMMER 2020 BLUEWATERWOMAN.COM

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