We often hear about healthcare workers during this pandemic because of the hardship they face as they continue to their job.

During the free, four-week Foundations of Caring Bootcamp program, attendees will gain basic job skills, spend 40 hours in virtual classes, have job interviews and receive paid on-the-job training.

ANN ARBOR – More than 350 local physicians and psychologists have signed an open letter and petition to the Ann Arbor Board of Education and Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift, urging them to reopen schools for students who choose to learn in-person by Gov. “The scientific, health and psychological consensus is clear: It is possible for children and teachers to safely return to school with proper mitigation measures. Ad“My own experience of seeing the devastation caused by school closure among Ann Arbor’s children has been eye-opening and heartbreaking. “It’s time for Ann Arbor to make the rational decision to allow students and families a choice of in-person schooling. AAPS students deserve better.”This is the third letter that Ann Arbor healthcare providers has sent to AAPS and coincides with efforts by parents to reopen the schools due to negative impacts their children are facing during the closures.

DETROIT – One local doctor is making history in the Motor City by becoming the first Black woman to lead the neurosurgery department with the Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Sonia Eden works at the DMC Harper University Hospital, and has accomplished several firsts in the medical field in the Detroit area. “I have come to Detroit to invest in the city that invested heavily in me,” Dr. Eden said. After working in a private practice in Kalamazoo for the last 12 years, Dr. Eden says it feels good to be back home in Detroit. Still, the Detroit doctor wants her role at the hospital to go beyond that milestone.

Beaumont Health System’s IT team detected and shut down unusual activity Saturday related to online COVID-19 vaccination scheduling, the hospital announced Sunday. The Beaumont team determined a user took advantage of an Epic scheduling tool vulnerability and shared an unauthorized scheduling pathway publicly that allowed 2,700 people to “cut in line” and register for an unauthorized vaccine appointment. AdBeaumont notified the national Epic corporate office so it could communicate with other health systems to prevent this from occurring elsewhere. We regret 2,700 people in our community became victims of this unfortunate incident,” said Beaumont Health Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Hans Keil. We are also notifying the Michigan Hospital Association and other Michigan health systems about the issue.”READ: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases

Michigan’s system of “phases,” which determines who receives a COVID vaccine first, has put health care providers in a difficult spot. Some Michiganders have been cutting in line for a vaccination, making it more difficult for those in need to receive the vaccine. She is eligible to receive a COVID vaccine in Michigan, but Therese says trying to sign up with her healthcare provider -- St. Joseph Mercy Health System -- has become another full time job. Other residents who are far younger and not frontline workers have apparently had success getting vaccines from St. Joseph Mercy. When he was asked how he got so far ahead in line, he said, “I’m essential I guess,” with a winking emoji.

With demand high and supply low, getting an appointment to receive a coronavirus vaccine in Michigan can be tricky -- even for essential workers. Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesMeijer will administer COVID vaccines at its Michigan pharmaciesCOVID-19 vaccine questions? Ask the doctorMichigan has released a preliminary timeline to show a projection of when other phases can expect to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. People between 16-64 with health conditions that put them at high risk for COVID complications and remaining essential workers are expected to be vaccinated between May-September. A national crisis: Governors complain over pace of COVID-19 vaccine shipments

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Health Department will begin scheduling for the next phase of vaccinations beginning on Monday. Until now, the Health Department has been actively vaccinating health care workers that fall under Phase 1A. Local health departments were authorized this week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to begin inoculating the following groups starting Monday:People age 65 years or older. “In Washtenaw County, this represents thousands of newly eligible individuals,” read a news release from the Health Department. The Health Department cautions that appointments may be scheduled weeks away depending on vaccine supply and overall capacity.

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Stadium reopened its doors on Thursday morning after months of closure as a new site for Michigan Medicine’s sweeping COVID-19 vaccination program. Michigan Medicine aims to eventually vaccinate 2,000 people per day at The Big House, said David Miller, urologist and Chief Clinical Officer at U-M’s Cardiovascular Hospital. Signs guide individuals to Michigan Medicine's COVID Vaccine Clinic at the Jack Roth Stadium Club at Michigan Stadium on Dec. 31, 2020. Individuals are seen being monitored for 15 minutes after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Michigan Stadium on Dec. 31, 2020. A nurse holds vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine above a deep freeze cooler at Michigan Stadium on Dec. 31, 2020.

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Staff at Washtenaw County Health Department received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday. “I’m so excited to be vaccinated, and I don’t have to wait because it’s my job to vaccinate others,” said Christina Zilke, registered nurse and nursing supervisor with Washtenaw County Health Department in a release. The Health Department received an initial supply of 1,950 doses of the Pfizer Inc./BioNTech vaccine. READ: First Michigan Medicine employees receive COVID-19 vaccineNurse practitioner Cathy Wilczynski vaccinates Washtenaw County Health Department medical director Juan Marquez (left) and emergency preparedness administrator Cindra James (right). (Washtenaw County Health Department)“We’re feeling both grateful and optimistic as we begin this vaccination process,” said Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer for Washtenaw County in the release.

A healthcare worker at St. Joe's Ann Arbor holds up a sticker that says "I Got Vaccinated" as COVID-19 vaccinations get underway. ANN ARBOR – The first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived at four hospitals within the Mercy Health and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System on Thursday, including St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids and Mercy Health Muskegon. Mercy Health Muskegon received 1,950 doses while the other three hospitals received 975. All hospitals within Trinity Health Michigan have ultra-cold freezers capable of storing the vaccines. For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit www.stjoeshealth.org/vaccine.

The Klemmer family has released eight rap videos on Facebook since the pandemic began. SOUTH LYON, Mich. – The Klemmer family has been making waves on Facebook with their original rap videos that they’ve been creating since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Dad Bobby Klemmer’s oldest daughter, Sienna, was given a homework assignment in the spring using an online vocabulary tool that engages children through hip-hop. “One of the options was to write a rap,” said Klemmer. They also did one for Mother’s Day, one to celebrate teachers, a video to encourage people to vote, and, most recently, a Christmas rap.

Among the first Michiganders to receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine were 10 health care workers at Ascension Providence Hospital on Wednesday morning. Patel was one of the 10 frontline workers who received the COVID vaccine Wednesday morning. Though the hospital received nearly 2,000 doses Wednesday morning, Ascension officials say only 10 employees were vaccinated because they are taking their time with the vaccine rollout to ensure everything goes smoothly. “There’s just enough nuances to this that we want to ensure that we’re being very thoughtful and going through all of our processes,” said Ascension Michigan Vice President of Operations Excellence, Tammy Merkel. Michigan officials believe that enough doses will be available by the spring of 2021 for all eligible individuals to receive the vaccine.

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Medicine began vaccinating its frontline workers against COVID-19 on Monday, with an initial group of five employees. MORE: University of Michigan Hospital workers show what ‘reconstituting’ COVID vaccine meansOn Monday morning, Michigan Medicine received an initial shipment of 1,950 of the Pfizer Inc./BioNTech vaccine. Roughly 40 Michigan Medicine employees are expected to be vaccinated starting Tuesday with vaccinations increasing next week, depending on supply. The first five employees at Michigan Medicine to receive the COVID-19 vaccine pose for a photo on Dec. 14, 2020. These groups will be determined by Michigan Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccine & Therapeutics Taskforce which is following recommendations from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

As the U.S. settles deeper into the holiday season, so too is it settling into a dangerous trend of coronavirus spread. The cold winter months are pushing people indoors, where the airborne virus can spread easier than outdoors. He was referring to the country’s current battle with increased coronavirus spread. Pfizer formally requested an emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine on Nov. 20. Related: Details on when COVID-19 vaccine could be made public for useWhile it’s not totally clear who will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and when, it is likely that school-aged children will be among the last groups in the U.S. to receive them.