Health and Wellness

With the March 31 deadline for mandatory health insurance approaching, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering answers to questions people may have about the matter. Steve Todd, health officer for the tri-county health department, said the agency has nine staff members who have met the Medicare/Medicaid training requirements. As certified application counselors, the nine staff members are available …

A Three Rivers man was injured Monday after his vehicle struck the back of a county snow-plow truck in Mottville Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said 50-year-old Ronie Thurmand was southbound on M-103 when whiteout conditions caused him to not see the plow truck slow near State Line Road. The collision, which occurred at 3:20 p.m., caused severe …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk offered his thanks to citizens adhering to the snow emergency Tuesday, as road commission members were able to clear key roads in the area. As a result, the travel advisory was lifted at noon Tuesday, four hours earlier than its original expiration. Balk said the emergency is declared in situations when road crews need …

The Three Rivers Health Family Care Clinic in White Pigeon is moving to a building its staff members hope will better accommodate the health needs of the community. The new location, a building that used to house Village Pharmacy, on the east side of White Pigeon, is undergoing renovations to feature eight examining rooms, a lab with a draw station, …

A third death in Kalamazoo County is being blamed on the flu. Health officials say the latest victim had multiple underlying medical issues. All three Kalazmazoo County flu victims were over the age of 50. A flu-related death was also confirmed last week in Van Buren County.  (MRN)

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering free radon test kits to residents in its district. Rebecca Burns, environmental health director, said the offer is in conjunction with January being National Radon Action Month. She said radon has no taste or odor, and is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock. Its vapors can seep through …

State Rep. Matt Lori said he applauds Gov. Rick Snyder for continuing his emphasis on access to mental health services and improving the methods by which people who need attention may receive that treatment. In response to Snyder’s State of the State address Thursday, Lori said the Legislature has improved the state’s mental-health model during the past three years, and …

Slick roads may have been a factor in a Wednesday morning, two-vehicle crash in Lockport Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Hollie Chaffee, 36, of Three Rivers, was northbound on Lutz Road when she lost control of her vehicle near the intersection of M-86. Her vehicle was struck by a southbound automobile driven by Michael Marker, 49, of …

Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo recently announced that it is limiting visitor access as a precaution against spreading the flu. The Michigan Department of Community Health has been warning about a rise in reported flu cases, including some severe cases of H1N1 that have left patients on life support. Borgess now says that visitors other than siblings have to be 12 …

A citizen’s tip led to the arrest of three people on drug-related charges Thursday in Three Rivers. The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant for methamphetamine production in the 400 block of 4th Avenue. SCAN members discovered evidence of methamphetamine production and use. Arrested were a 63-year-old man, a 53-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman. They …