Blanchard Valley Health System has announced the construction of a new inpatient and community pharmacy at Blanchard Valley Hospital.

Full details are in the following news release from BVHS.

The Blanchard Valley Hospital (BVH) inpatient pharmacy, along with the Center for Medication Management, the outpatient pharmacy for our community members, are currently under construction. They are being moved to a more convenient location within BVH, located at 1900 South Main Street in Findlay, on the main floor adjacent to the Healing Grounds coffee shop. The innovative project will offer more convenience to customers as well as additional services.

“This project aligns with our mission of ‘Caring for a lifetime.’ We strive to bring the very best service and quality to our community, and the new state-of-the-art pharmacy will keep the program strong long into the future,” said Myron D. Lewis, president and chief executive officer of BVHS.

BVHS associates also had the opportunity to provide input into the development of the layout and design of the pharmacy. The team, comprised of subject matter experts from across the health system, used a mock 3D layout to evaluate workflow and processes.

“This has been part of our long-term space planning efforts,” shared Ryan Shoemaker, the director of facility and support services. “Patients will begin to see the construction mobilize on-site and the new pharmacy should be operational by fall.”

Another part of the innovative project will be sizeable sterile compounding rooms for hazardous and non-hazardous medications. As regulations for pharmacies have changed, the way medications need to be handled have also changed. The new compounding rooms will allow for best practices.

“We look forward to the opportunities the new pharmacy will bring to BVHS,” concluded Mark Johannigman, the director of pharmacy. “We hope this new venture will improve quality and service for both associates and patients when they visit the Center for Medication Management and BVH inpatient pharmacy.”

For more information, please call 419.429.7002 or visit bvhealthsystem.org.

Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows that nearly 34 percent of the Hancock County population — around 26,000 people — has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Statewide, nearly 37 percent of Ohioans — around 4.3 million people — have had at least one dose as of Friday afternoon.

Hancock Public Health is letting people know about some upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

There will be a clinic on Wednesday, April 21st at Hancock Public Health for the Moderna vaccine.

On Monday, April 26th there will be a clinic at Blanchard Valley Hospital for the Pfizer vaccine.

People interested should call Hancock Public Health at 419-424-7105 and select option 1.

Rock legend Alice Cooper is teaming up with Cooper Tire to host the nationwide “Driven to Perform” garage band contest.

The victorious band will get the opportunity to open for Evanescence in a livestreamed performance in May.

Full details are in the following news release from Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

The “Coopers” are ready to rock as Cooper Tire today kicked off Driven to Perform – a nationwide garage band contest in partnership with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alice Cooper. Cooper Tire and Alice Cooper, credited as the “godfather of shock rock,” teamed up to scour the nation and identify three talented American garage bands. Alice Cooper, who recently released his 28th album, “Detroit Stories,” will provide advice and feedback to the bands, and call on fans to cast their votes to crown the Driven to Perform winner at www.DrivenToPerformConcert.com. The victorious band will get the opportunity of a lifetime to open for Evanescence in a livestream performance on May 13.

The three finalist bands are Suspect208, South of Eden and Ashland. Each was asked to submit an original work, as well as a cover of Alice Cooper’s song, “Under My Wheels.” Videos of the performances will be available beginning April 16 at www.DrivenToPerformConcert.com, and fan voting will run through April 28. While votes are being cast, Alice Cooper will coach the up-and-coming rockers on their sound and soul – from how to stand out and stay true to their roots, to how to build a music career that lasts. The feedback sessions will also be shown at www.DrivenToPerformConcert.com. The band that receives the most votes wins the opening act spot for Evanescence, and with each vote, fans will be given access to the Evanescence livestream concert behind the release of their latest album, “The Bitter Truth,” which reached #1 on the iTunes Albums chart in 22 countries.

“Teaming up with Alice Cooper to find the next great garage band is a perfect fit for the Cooper Tires brand,” said Chris Ball, Senior Vice President & President, Americas, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. “Drive and performance are at the core of what we do as a company that designs and produces winning tires. Alice, with his legendary performances and endurance as an artist, personifies these qualities as well. We are looking forward to seeing how the bands perform and how fans respond to each unique sound. With the opportunity to open for Evanescence, we are confident we will see the true drive and grit of each band as they vie to take that grand prize.”

The “Coopers” are also united by a common passion for cars and music. Alice Cooper, whose new album “Detroit Stories” recently debuted at #1 on Billboard’s top album sales chart, named the work for his hometown, the Motor City. The album gathers well-known Detroit musicians to record in the city that made them famous and inspired their music. Alice Cooper is also a classic and muscle car super fan who has an evolving collection that currently includes a 1968 “Bullitt” Mustang, an Avanti, and an Alfa Romeo Spider.

“I was born and spent my early years in Detroit, so cars are in my DNA,” he said. “The music of Detroit is a true part of the soundtrack of my life. This garage band contest and the concept of being ‘Driven to Perform’ strike a chord with me because I started out in the music business really young. I began my career the same way so many of these bands did. I was driven to someday get up on stage and perform. It is in garages across the country that so many musicians find their sound and get their start.”

Fans can learn more about the bands, hear their music and cast their votes at www.DrivenToPerformConcert.com. In addition, learn more about Cooper Tire at www.coopertire.com.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is inviting people and businesses to participate in the SparkAmerica Spring Fit City Challenge.

The challenge is a free and friendly competition to encourage people to be physically active.

It runs from April 15th through May 31st.

People who live or work in Findlay can participate in the challenge by visiting www.sparkfindlay.com and signing up either with their business or by joining Mayor Muryn’s team #MWTMFindlay.

An app will track one’s walking, running, biking, exercising, golfing, and participation in many different types of sports.

The Spring Fit City Challenge is part of SparkAmerica, a social impact campaign that is building the most accessible health and fitness, leadership development, and community support destination in the region.

“Physical and mental health are key not only to living a fantastic life but also to building a strong economy. I am excited to share this opportunity for a free and friendly competition to encourage citizens to be more active,” said Mayor Muryn.

Click here for more details.

In the picture below Mayor Muryn walks with students from Glenwood Middle School as part of her Move with the Mayor campaign before the pandemic started.

The West Ohio Food Bank held a food distribution event in Fostoria on Thursday.

Libra Martin with the United Way of Fostoria says the need for food assistance went way up when the pandemic hit.

And while Thursday’s food distribution wasn’t as big as previous ones they held last year around this time, she says there’s still a significant need for food assistance.

For people that missed this one, she says more food events will likely be scheduled.

And for folks in the Pandora area, the West Ohio Food Bank will be holding a food distribution there on Saturday.

It will be at St. John’s Mennonite Church from 9 to 11 a.m.

Details are on the flyer below.

The Findlay Rotary Club has presented Findlay Rotarian Chuck Clapper with the organization’s Cliff Dochterman Award.

The Cliff Dochterman Award recognizes a Rotarian who acts as a role model and renders distinguished and dedicated service to the Boy Scouts of America through active service, leadership or other exemplary contributions.

Full details are in the following news release from the Findlay Rotary Club.

At the Club’s Monday, March 22 meeting, The Findlay Rotary Club presented the Cliff Dochterman Award to Findlay Rotarian Chuck Clapper.

The Cliff Dochterman Award recognizes a Rotarian who acts as a role model and renders distinguished and dedicated service to the Boy Scouts of America through active service, leadership or other exemplary contributions to BSA. In keeping with the objectives and principles of both Rotary and Scouting to encourage character development, leadership, citizenship and personal growth for youth, this award is presented to an active Rotarian who has displayed distinguished service and outstanding dedication to the program of Scouting.

Cliff Dochterman earned the Eagle Scout award in l939 in the Central Ohio Council just before he reached his 14th birthday. His professional career in higher education administration included 20 years at the University of California in Berkeley and 20 years at the University of the Pacific. He served as the President of Rotary International from 1992-93. He has been awarded three of the highest honors of the Boy Scouts of America, the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope and Distinguished Eagle awards. Dochterman was presented the Silver Wheel award of the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians in 2003.

Clapper has been active in scouting since his youth, earning his Eagle Scout in 1960. He has been an active member of the Black Swamp Area Council for many years in many capacities, first serving as an executive board member in 2007.

From his nomination form, “it only stands to reason that a florist would be gifted at strengthening relationships. Chuck embodies, every day, the values of both the 4-way test, and the Scout Law. These ingrained ideals guide Chuck as a businessman, community leader and promoter of both Rotary and Scouting. Chuck’s tenure in Rotary, having served in almost every Rotary position possible, has allowed him to foster relationships across the Club, in the business community and in the City of Findlay as a whole. He leads by example and always answers affirmatively when asked to help with a Rotary or Scouting project.”

Professionally, Clapper is the owner of Sink’s Flowers and has been a very active member of the Findlay Rotary Club, including serving as chair of various Club committees, a board member and as Club President in 1999-2000. He joined the Findlay Rotary Club in 1969.

Clapper takes great pride in helping to make Findlay and Hancock County a great place to live, work and raise a family. He and his wife Paula live in Findlay.

The Findlay Rotary Club was founded in 1920 and is a member of Rotary International, an association of Rotary clubs around the world, which today numbers almost 32,000 clubs in over 200 countries. The Rotary Club of Findlay was founded by the city’s leaders in 1920, and continues with the leaders of today. The club also sponsors the Rotaract Club at The University of Findlay and an Interact Club at Findlay High School.

In his COVID-19 update on Thursday from the University of Toledo Governor DeWine highlighted the 11 counties that are seeing the highest occurrence of cases, which includes Hancock County which has the second highest occurrence of cases  based on population over the last two weeks.

He said than 2,100 new cases have been reported in Ohio in the last 24 hours.

The governor said that there are currently more than 1,300 COVID-positive patients in Ohio’s hospitals — a level we haven’t seen in more than a month.

DeWine continues to urge people to get vaccinated and to continue following safety protocols.

“Our ticket to freedom is the vaccine — it’s our ticket out.”

He said the state on Thursday was seeing 200 cases statewide per 100,000 people when just four weeks ago, that number was 144.

In early March DeWine said when Ohio gets down to 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, all health orders will come off.

Ohio’s vaccination dashboard shows that more than 36 percent of Ohioans have started the vaccination process, more than 4.2 million people.

In Hancock County 33 percent of the county population has started the process, or more than 25,000 people.

For information on upcoming vaccination clinics people can call Hancock Public Health at 419-424-7105 and select option 1.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a man was killed as he was helping a semi driver remove downed utility lines from his vehicle.

It happened in Paulding County at the intersection of U.S. 127 and County Road 176, a little north of Paulding, at around 11:20 Wednesday morning.

The Highway Patrol says a semi had become stuck in some low hanging telephone lines that were damaged in an earlier crash.

The Highway Patrol says Vance Owen Campbell, 54, of Wauseon, began to help the semi driver with removal of the lines from his vehicle.

While working to remove the lines another semi struck the low hanging telephone lines.

Campbell, who was standing on a trailer, was struck by the lines sustaining fatal injuries.

The incident remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

3rd and 4th graders from across Putnam County are making the trip to the Gerding Farm in Ottawa this week for Farm Safety Days.

Ruth Gerding says they couldn’t have it last year because of the pandemic and this is the 21st annual Farm Safety event.

She says it wouldn’t be possible to put it on without all the dedicated presenters.

And she says it’s nice to see that the lessons stick with the kids years later.

The visit starts with a mock ATV crash and full EMS response including a life-flight helicopter coming in for a landing.

The event is traditionally for 3rd graders but since they didn’t have a chance to do it last year because of the pandemic they were able to enjoy it this year as 4th graders.

The event featured a variety of presenters from Putnam County talking about everything from water/pond safety to lawnmower safety to gun safety.

Hancock Park District Program Specialist Chris Allen, in character as c.1847 Sarah Fishel, collects dandelions outside the historic McKinnis House at Litzenberg Memorial Woods on Tuesday.

Every “Way Back” Wednesday at 1 p.m. through May 5 on the HPD YouTube Channel and Facebook page, Allen will be demonstrating how dandelions were used to prepare savory dishes, sweets and beverages.

“Way Back Wednesdays” are part of the HPD’s Virtual Experiences program.

(picture and story courtesy of the Hancock Park District)