The organization is urging blood and platelet donors to give now in order to fight against a severe shortage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is predicting a serious spread of flu this year and is already reporting spikes in cases in several states. Allen County Public Health is also urging residents to practice more caution in order to avoid a serious spread in the local area.

Todd James, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio is joining the ongoing Red Cross Hurricane Ian disaster relief operation in Florida. James will be serving as the Public Affairs Manager, overseeing efforts to communicate vital information on services available to families and communities. He is one of more than 20 Red Cross workers from the Northern Ohio region who are providing assistance to residents who were impacted by the devastation caused by the hurricane.

The Allen County Council on Aging hosting a Medicare update with a staff member from the Ohio Department of Insurance. They encourage seniors to look over their plans to see if it's still the best one for them. They say that there are times things can change and if you don't review your policy it could cost you.

The clinic was set up at Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church providing health screenings for blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, plus the COVID vaccine. No appointments were necessary with the goal of providing early detection of potential health concerns and breaking stigmas about healthcare in our community.

Nearly 1 in 8 women will face a breast cancer diagnosis, however, the death rate among them has decreased due to early cancer screenings. Health officials say that making healthy lifestyle choices can improve survival rates including physical activity. The medical center is holding their first "I Pink I Can" 5K Run/Walk to bring awareness to breast cancer and early detection.

Mercy Health Lima has been granted $300,000 as part of the Ohio Department of Health's "Health Improvement Zones" project. It's an initiative to improve health disparities faced by many people. Mercy Health will be working to get more information from residents by focusing on specific neighborhoods.

The Ohio Department of Health says only a few mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile this summer, and no human cases have been reported. In samples collected by the city of Delphos, there has been no detection of the virus. Mosquitoes prefer stagnant water to lay their eggs, and they can hatch in as little as seven days. The key is to avoid creating a habitat for these nuisance pests.

Allen County has returned to a high level COVID designation according to Allen County Public health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, there have been 206 new reported cases in Allen County in the last seven days.

Director of Facilities Management Chad Martin getting the Eagle Award which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding performance, leadership, and significant contributions in healthcare facilities management. Martin was nominated by his peers at the medical center.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 98% of the U.S. is now at what they say is a “Low” or “Medium” transmission rate of the Coronavirus. In Ohio, most of the state is labeled as low with a few southeastern counties still in a “Medium” transmission rate. Here in Allen County, we are a “Low” transmission rate with a current 7-day case rate of 32.2 per 100,000 persons. In mid-January, there was a high of 1,636 cases.