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Ottawa County is thrilled to be delivering you some of the hottest
and most meaningful topics at the annual Innovation & Technology
Forum. Our theme this year is "Big
Data & Innovative Thinking." Lifelong learners
from both public and private sector industries are encouraged to
attend.
April 29 | 8:30am - 4pm | Ottawa County Administration
Building | West Olive.
Speakers include nationally known expert, Kevin DeSouza to talk
about The Promise and
Challenge of Big Data. To supplement Kevin's presentation, there
will be a panel discussion about the topic. Zak Tomich from the
State of Michigan Department of Technology Management and Budget will be
delivering a presentation on the State
of Michigan’s Big Data Initiative. The innovation component of our
forum will be presented by Seth
Starner, President of New North Center for Design in Business.
Seth's topic, The
Half-Life Assumptions: Bringing Empathy to Big Data, fits this
year’s theme and he will also lead participants through an exercise to enhance
the experience. The day will finish with a presentation by Phil Bertolini, Deputy
County Administrator/CIO for Oakland County. Phil is a dynamic speaker who
promises to deliver an entertaining and thought provoking perspective on Technology in Government.
Throughout the day, sponsors
and exhibitors will be presenting and demonstrating the latest products and
services that can assist your organization in achieving its goals. We hope
you will join us on April 29. If you have questions, please
contact Dave Hulst at
616-738-4831 or Shannon McGoran.
Ottawa County is pleased
to present its 2016 Budget-in-Brief. The
new, online format provides an overview of County finances. Those
interested in learning more can dig into the Budget
Book or Summary.
Ottawa County provides a
variety of services to residents including Public and Mental Health; Judicial
System and Courts; Adult and Juvenile Corrections; Law Enforcement;
Mental Health, Parks; Elections; Public Records and more. Prudent leaders,
continuous improvements, program evaluations and innovative partnerships
have enabled the County to meet the needs of its citizens while
maintaining the fourth lowest millage rate among the state's 83 counties. For
2016, the County levy is a total of 4.8565 mils. Of that total: 3.6
mils stays with Ottawa County for the services it provides; .44 mils is
transferred to the Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority (9-1-1); .3165
mils is extended to the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission; and .5
mils is forwarded to the Ottawa County Road Commission.
Ottawa County is the
location of choice for living, working and playing. Ottawa County is
committed to excellent, cost-effective public services. For more
information, visit miOttawa.org.
 Join us for a free, 8-week walking challenge!
We will cover 288 miles as we “virtually walk” from St.
Ignace (over the Mackinac Bridge) to Connor Bayou in Grand
Haven.
Simply track and report your steps for 8 weeks to be
eligible for weekly raffle prizes (including Fit Bit fitness trackers, free
Ottawa County Parks passes and more). A downloadable step tracking form and
more information will be available upon registration, visit miOttawa.org.
Join us for one or all of our group walks as we explore the
different parks in Ottawa County. Each walk will have a naturalist to help
participants enjoy the natural beauty of the park at a leisurely pace.
Group walks are not required as part of the walking
challenge. They are free and open to the public!
This program is designed to help you commit to getting fit
after a long Michigan winter.
Registration
required, click the link to register before April 11, free-of-charge.
The walking groups have been added to the Ottawa County Parks
Facebook Page, click the link to join (joining the group on Facebook does
not register you for the challenge click "Registration required"
to register at miOttawa.org).
Sponsored
by Ottawa County Department of Public Health & Ottawa County Parks Department,
Tri Cities YMCA and Friends of the Parks.
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The 2015 County population estimates were released by the U.S.
Census Bureau on March 24, 2016. Some of the Ottawa County highlights are
provided below:
Ottawa County remains the 8th most populated county in
Michigan
Ottawa County was the fastest growing county in the State
between 2014 and 2015 (1.2% growth)
Ottawa County was also the fastest growing county in the
State between 2010 and 2015 (6.1% growth)
55% of Ottawa’s population growth between 2010 and 2015 was
the result of a natural increase, meaning there were more births than deaths in
the county (natural increase of 8,801 people)
45% of Ottawa’s population growth between 2010 and 2015 was
the result of a positive net migration, meaning more people moved into the
county than moved out of the county (net migration of 7,256 people)
The County Statistics page has been updated to reflect the latest population
estimates.
More County Statistics, including Labor Force &
Unemployment, Housing, and Construction Activity data, can be viewed on the Data
Books page.
Ottawa County ranks 1st out of 83 counties in Michigan for
health outcomes, according to the 2016 County Health Rankings (CHR) www.countyhealthrankings.org,
released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin
Population Health Institute. Annual rankings show where counties do well and
where there are opportunities for improvement. Since 2014, Ottawa County
improved or maintained in 85% of the 35 indicators that make up the ranking.
While Ottawa County is the healthiest county in Michigan, the state ranks 35th
out of 50 states, according to the 2015 America's Health Rankings www.americashealthrankings.org.
Click here for comments from Marcia
Mansaray, OCDPH Epidemiologist
Ottawa County’s overall rank and sub-rankings have not
changed much from the 2015 CHR study, with the exception of:
- Health Behaviors went from 3 to 4,
- Clinical Care went from 3 to 7 (typically ranked
7 or 8),
- Social and Economic Factors are a 1 from a 3,
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and Physical Environment is a 39 from a 40 (Ottawa County’s best score ever in this sub-ranking, which has been as low as 78 in 2012).
Other Ottawa County results to note are:
- maintained or improved in 69% of the 35
measures,
- met or exceeded 34% of the target values for the
35 measures,
- and did as well or better than the State of
Michigan in 80% of the 35 measures.
Strengths
- low overall mortality
- low numbers of low birth weight babies
- low adult smoking and low unemployment
Opportunities for Improvement
-
highest score in excessive drinking (worse than both MI and the target value for excessive drinking)
-
population to healthcare provider ratios have
improved, but are still worse than both MI and the target values
- highest score in the average number of poor
mental health days in the past month
-
Physical Environment continues to be the lowest
sub-ranking (due to air quality and higher housing costs)
Get
Involved!
Check out
the Ottawa County Community Health Improvement Plan to see where you can help
create even better health outcomes! www.miOttawa.org/2015CHIP
Sources
County Health Rankings www.countyhealthrankings.org
Ottawa County rank http://bit.ly/1UDmyDt
Ottawa County Community Health Needs Assessment Summary www.miOttawa.org/2015CHNA
Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey www.miOttawa.org/2013YAS
Ottawa County Health Improvement Plan www.miOttawa.org/2015CHIP
Ottawa County Department of Public Health 2016 Annual Report www.miOttawa.org/health2015
Other Ottawa County reports www.miOttawa.org/healthdata
On Tuesday, March 8th, Michigan voters went to
the polls to select their party’s presidential nominee. Ottawa County voters
were also asked to decide whether or not to collect a 0.3 mill property tax
increase to fund the Ottawa County Community Mental Health Agency.
Ottawa County saw record turnout for this election with 43%
turnout across the county, or over 81,000 ballots cast. The previous high-water
mark for a Presidential Primary was in 2008 when we had just shy of 27%
turnout, and a total of 46,146 ballots cast.
The Community Mental Health millage passed easily, with 59%
of voters approving. The millage received strong support from throughout the
County, winning 82% of all precincts. Grand Haven Township residents also renewed
their millage for the Harbor Transit System with a 72% approval.
On the Republican side of the Presidential Primary, Ottawa
County countered the statewide trend. Donald Trump won the Michigan Primary
with 36.5% of the vote, but received only 19.5% in Ottawa County. The top vote-getter
in Ottawa County was Ted Cruz, who received 40% of the vote. This was nearly
double Cruz’s statewide total of 24.9%.
The Democratic primary was split nearly evenly
across Michigan, but Bernie Sanders out-performed his statewide results by a large
margin. Sanders received 64% of the vote in Ottawa County as opposed to 50%
statewide. Sanders’ 13,959 votes nearly doubled the 7,472 received by Hillary
Clinton.
 On Sunday March 27, 2016 the Ottawa County Central Dispatch
Authority recognized its 25 year anniversary of going live “on the
air”.
Ottawa County Central Dispatch is
the largest County-wide 911 dispatch organization in the State of Michigan. OCCDA answers all 911 calls (wireless and
landline) for all of Ottawa County and the entire City of Holland, including
the portion located in Allegan County.
They also perform all dispatching for 21 Fire agencies, 6 Law
enforcement agencies, and 4 EMS agencies.
Central Dispatch employees also provide pre-arrival medical instruction
to callers. In 2015 OCCDA answered 106,239
emergency 9-1-1 calls and 116,959 non-emergency calls, resulting in dispatching
102,968 Law incidents, and 15,244 Fire/EMS incidents.
The Ottawa County Central Dispatch
Authority was formed after a vote of the Citizens of Ottawa County in
1989. The 3 founding governmental
entities were the City of Grand Haven, the City of Holland and Ottawa County. The 3 founding organizations performed their
own dispatching prior to the founding of OCCDA, and additionally Fire
dispatching in the eastern portion of the County was handled by Grand Rapids
Fire Dispatch. Over the next 2 years
representatives from the public safety community worked hand in hand with OCCDA
to establish a County wide 9-1-1 central dispatch system.
A few of the employees who were
here on March 27, 1991 when OCCDA went live, still work at Ottawa County
Central Dispatch. Initially OCCDA had 18
employees in 1991, and today they employ 38 full time, and 2 part time
employees. Originally housed in 5,000
square feet of area in the basement of the Grand Haven Public Safety facility,
the organization moved to a new 17,000 square foot facility in June of 2009.
One of the biggest changes that
Ottawa County Central Dispatch has faced over the years has been the
proliferation of cell phones. In 1991
there were no cell phone calls into 911.
With the growth of the cell phone industry and people dropping their
landline telephone service, the percentage of 911 calls from cell phones rose
from zero in 1991 to almost 90% of all incoming 9-1-1 calls being from cell
phones in 2015
A public open house will be held on
Saturday May 21st to highlight emergency communications
and public safety partners in Ottawa County.
The open house will be from 11am to 2pm rain or shine.
Please remember when you call 911 that you will
be asked your location, phone number and nature of your emergency. If you have a non-emergency call that
requires attention, please call 1-800-249-0911.
You can also visit http://www.occda.org for more information about the Ottawa County
Central Dispatch Authority.
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As you read our 2015 Annual Report, you will find we took a
different approach. Instead of simply submitting our budget and highlighting
the happenings of our department, we shared our stories and demonstrated how we
collaborate with our community. The articles written by our health department
staff members were a heartfelt and extensive endeavor. We show how we
collaborate with numerous people from schools, mobile home parks, hospitals,
physician and dental offices, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement
agencies, universities, businesses, Realtor agencies, restaurants and so many
other areas throughout our community.
To make these
experiences come to life, we provided video stories (click the play buttons
within the report). We want you to see the people who are working for the
county, engaging with our community and making a difference in their lives. We
included stories from nurses, who met with parents to address their concerns
about vaccines, when they were deciding whether to waive them. We included the
challenges we had with the Real Estate Transfer Evaluation program, and how
working with local Realtors and the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners helped
us reach our goal to improve customer service. In addition, we shared so many
other stories from working with babies to preventing substance abuse.
I thank the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners and the Ottawa County
Administration for their commitment to the health of our citizens. In addition,
I commend our department staff members for their expertise and passion to help
improve people’s health. In keeping with the theme of this report, I extend my
deep appreciation to our community members and partners for their shared vision
of a healthy community. It is the collective impact of this shared vision,
common values and hard work that allows us to remain seated as the healthiest
county in Michigan.
 Pictured Left to Right: Jess Paauwe, Michael Barnes, Ian Kirkwood, Senator Arlan Meekhof, Josh Ebbens, Bethany Vukusic
Sixteen companies were recognized at Michigan’s Capitol
building on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 for choosing to diversify their workforce
by employing adults who have mental illness with the support of Clubhouse
employment and recovery centers across Michigan. Thirteen state legislators
presented awards to the companies in recognition of their leadership in
choosing to give people who have mental illness an opportunity to re-enter the
workforce with support. The awards were presented in front of a crowd that
included over 100 people including Clubhouse members, employers, legislators,
family members and allies.
Ian Kirkwood, the Assistant General Manager at City Flats
Hotel, was on hand to receive the award from Senate Majority Leader Arlan
Meekhof.
Josh Ebbens, a member of Lakeshore Clubhouse and an employee
at City Flats Hotel for the last 6 months, shared his journey toward employment
and the importance of working. Josh volunteered in the community and
shortly after joining the Clubhouse he began to contemplate the possibility of
obtaining paid employment. When a Transitional Employment opportunity
opened up at City Flats Hotel Josh was excited to be given the opportunity to
work the position. Josh stated that working has given him a sense of
purpose. Having meaningful work to do each day is a strong motivator and
helps him manage his mental health symptoms.
Clubhouses are community centers for men and women
recovering from mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and
major depression. Clubhouse members volunteer their time and talents to
run the Clubhouse while working side by side with staff colleagues. Many
members become interested in paid employment, and so the Clubhouse provides
Transitional Employment and Supported Employment through partnerships with
local businesses. In Transitional Employment, members work for 6-9 months
and receive training and absence coverage from the Clubhouse staff. In
Supported Employment, an established connection between the Clubhouse and the
employer helps the member get the job, and training and ongoing support is also
available. Estimates put Clubhouse members’ combined earnings at nearly
$1.5 million per year in Michigan.
Lee Kellogg, Program Officer for Clubhouse
International, was in attendance at the event. Clubhouse International
represents over 335 Clubhouse Model programs around the world. Mr.
Kellogg stated, “I cannot thank all of you wonderful employers with us today
enough for leading by example and taking a chance on our members. I do
not think I am overstating it when I say these opportunities are saving lives.”
 Ottawa County Department of Public Health Pinwheel Garden Event Thursday, March 31, 1 p.m. - 12251 James Street, Holland Pinwheel Garden locations and planting schedule For more information, contact Leigh Moerdyke at lmoerdyke@pathwaysmi.org or 616-396-2301 ext. 127
by Pat Shellenbarger
Bridge Magazine contributor
Outside his window in the Grand Rapids Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mike Lunn can see the Grand River across the street.
A moderate rain was falling, the kind that in years past might have caused him to worry that once again the city’s sewer system would spill millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the river and, eventually, into Lake Michigan.
To read the full Bridge Magazine Article, click here.
Click here for the most recent update, for older updates click here.
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