The Baraga County Board of Commissioners (left to right) Brad Dakota, James Niemela, Lee DeLeon, Craig Kent and Bill Menge held their meeting to a full house in the Baraga County Courthouse. The board approved to front load sick leave to county employees instead of having the leave accrue. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

BARAGA — The Baraga County Board of Commissioners held their regular monthly meeting on March 10 with a full audience in attendance. The meeting included an update from the Baraga County Memorial Health’s (BCMH) CEO Rob Stowe on the current status of the hospital, a change in sick leave time for county employees and some citizens participating in the public comments section.

BCMH had a zero defect survey over three years and the hospital reported the physician group clinic had over 4,000 visitors more than the previous year. The hospital has also experienced an 80% increase in gross revenue over the past four years.

BCMH has 21 licensed providers with over half of them being physicians along with a general surgeon joining the hospital in a few months. They added 30 full time positions, and the VA program at the hospital has seen 704 veterans receiving their care at the hospital. BCMH is also about to reach its first full year of having cardiology services.

BCMH began a transportation program for those who do not have a ride to the hospital. The program will provide transportation to those who call for the assistance to and from the hospital. Stowe said this is especially beneficial to the residents of Ontonagon County, whose hospital shut down last year.

“Ontonagon county residents represent about 15 percent of our ER volume,” he said. “They represent 25 percent of our inpatient volumes, and so certainly we welcome that community to our hospital, and they have very clearly chosen BCMH to get their care. The last call I had with the state, they shared with me that 80 percent of the emergencies [that] happen in Ontonagon County are coming to BCMH, and we’re very proud of that.”

The meeting continued on with the board approving sick leave plans for part-time county employees. The county will front load the leave and give 72 hours to workers instead of accruement.

After that action the board approved a resolution to support local control and claim of appeal against Michigan Public Service Commission Order. This resolution encourages local control in zoning decisions particularly related to wind farms or other renewable energy resources. 

The resolution states the Order is unlawful and unreasonable because it violates the Administrative Procedures Act, MCL 24.201 and “the Order unlawfully and unreasonably redefines key terms and concepts and creates processes and procedures that violate the Legislature’s express and unambiguous intent for local input in regulation of energy facilities.”

The resolution will be sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, State Sen. Ed McBroom, State Rep. Karl Bohnak and Michigan’s other counties’ boards.

Following the resolution were the public speakers, most of which expressed concerns for federal cuts which the speakers believed will leave impacts on the VA, Medicaid and the U.P. ecosystem.

One of the speakers, Phil Keyes, spoke in high concern over sea lamprey control given recent terminations in U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Keyes said that sea lamprey can multiply quickly, with a female generating anywhere between 65,000 and 110,000 eggs. He believes that cutting the workforce in this field could lead to problems with the invasive species.

“So I’d like to recommend that we stay on top of this fisheries problem,” Keyes said. “Perhaps consider putting together a resolution that you strongly recommend that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Keweenaw Bay Tribal Fisheries people should maintain all necessary funding and staffing currently necessary for the continued control and mitigation of the sea lamprey in the waters of Lake Superior.”

Another speaker pointed out how important this issue is to the local economy with commercial fisherman and fishing tournaments that take place in Keweenaw Bay.

Baraga Township resident Katherine Andrews spoke as well sharing concern with other speakers in federal cuts, but encouraged any opposition to federal actions to not dismiss investigation into politicians committing wrongdoings. She requested that any resolution that interferes with federal authority to investigate fraud and abuse to be tabled.

Bills paid at the meeting included BCMH trustee per diem for $1,020, county commissioner and department bills for $44,482.93, prepaid accounts for $360,563.26 and the Sheriff Department commissary checking account for $7,746.23.