Health and Wellness

A Three Rivers man was slightly injured after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car last week in Park Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, 30-year-old James Moore was driving west on M-60 when his vehicle exited the roadway west of Heimbach Road and struck several mailboxes and trees. The vehicle sustained heavy damage …

Health officials say the flu season is off to its earliest start in nearly 10 years – and it could be a bad one.  Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say this year’s flu season is the earliest since 2003-04 and that was considered a severe flu year.  Doctors also say the primary strain circulating now is …

The Sturgis Fire Department has started its 2012 “Keep the Wreath Green” campaign. Department officials said they have placed at the front of the North Nottawa Street station a wreath clad in green lights, except for the top, which is yellow to honor those in the armed forces. Every time the department responds to a fire call, a red bulb …

An undisclosed amount of heroin and prescription drugs were found in a vehicle stopped Tuesday on U.S. 131. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said four Grand Rapids residents were in a southbound vehicle stopped near Arnold Street in Three Rivers. A motorist had informed central dispatch it appeared the driver may have been intoxicated. Three Rivers Police initiated the …

The Michigan House on Wednesday approved legislation introduced by state Rep. Matt Lori that allows the Michigan Department of Community Health to use email to notify Medicaid providers of changes in policy. The House bill allows the DCH to email changes to the Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual instead of using the U.S. Postal Service, as currently required. Lori said the …

Supporters and opponents of a proposed non-motorized trail way made their feelings clear about a 20-mile stretch of abandoned railway between Sturgis and well into Branch County. The former Indiana Northeastern Railroad Co. route is being sought as a route for bicyclists, joggers and walkers. Residents who live adjacent to the rail bed, however, have cited lack of privacy and …

Two high-ranking St. Joseph County officials met with 11 local pharmacists Tuesday to discuss strategies on reducing the sale of products that include an ingredient essential in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Prosecutor John McDonough and Liz O’Dell, executive director of community mental health and substance abuse services of St. Joseph County, staged the meeting as a way of attempting to …

The 22nd annual Lights of Love at Three Rivers Health has set a fundraising goal of $12,000 this year. Campaign chair Diane Reece said proceeds will be used to purchase new equipment for the laboratory at Three Rivers Health. Each donation of $3 or more will add a light to the tree. The light symbolizes the memory of a loved …

The Oasis restaurant, a Three Rivers eatery that sustained heavy damage in a Sept. 14 fire, re-opened last week. Owner John Samoilis said the reconstruction process was a laborious task but completed in time for it to open Thursday last week. Though the cause of the fire was not determined, the blaze was confirmed to have started in the kitchen.

A St. Joseph County woman has been identified as one of 13 state residents who have died in a national outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroids. Viola Copsey, 87, of Constantine received a steroid injection in September at a clinic in Elkhart as treatment for a back problem. She passed away Monday last week at Heartland Health Care …