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 … More PAM BAUNOCH & BECKY MAYES: Managing Emergencies
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 … More CHRISTINE ROBINET: Protecting Patients
By Dale Hemmila Early 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 … More SARAH VANDERHEUVEL: Stepping Up
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, … More JESSICA TOTTY: Open Dialogue
By Patti Samar Jennifer 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 … More JENNIFER MICHALUK & ELIZABETH KING: Essential Staff
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 … More ANNETTE MERCATANTE, M.D.: Keeping Us Safe
By Patti Samar 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 … More PATTI SAMAR: Shine the Light
By Patti Samar In 1991, John Engler fired me. Okay, that is not exactly true. He wasn’t brave enough to come by my office and do it himself. 😉 In 1991, then-Michigan Governor John Engler sent one of his minions to the office where I worked in Lansing, and Mr. Minion told our entire staff … More PATTI SAMAR: Wear the Damn Shoes
By Patti Samar Sara Tait is a people person. And in her role as a major gift specialist at the McLaren Port Huron Foundation, Tait enjoys nothing more than building long-lasting relationships with donors or potential donors, helping them realize their dreams of, perhaps, leaving a legacy at the hospital, oftentimes in tribute to a … More SARA TAIT: Stepping Up
By Dale Hemmila When you step into Salon PiZazz in downtown Port Huron, you are greeted by the gleaming chrome, glass, and mirrors that hair salons feature. But if you look beyond that typical luster, you will find an owner with a heart as glowing as the salon she owns. Salon owner Kelly Strilcov stands … More KELLY STRILCOV: Making a Difference