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As part of continued efforts to promote community-based systems of care, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Building Healthy Communities (BHC) program recently awarded seven local health department more than $292,000 in grants to create three-year strategic plans to reduce obesity and other chronic diseases at the local level.

OTTO TWP., Mich. (WZZM) - An elderly Rothbury man is dead after a garage fire.

Oceana County deputies were called to the home of Jack Fielstra, 71, because friends and family who talk with him daily hadn't heard from him. Deputies arrived to find the home's unattached garage heavily damaged by fire. In the garage, they found Fielstra's body. Deputies believe that Fielstra was in and around the garage to blow snow.

Deputies believe the fire happened on Wednesday. Fielstra was discovered Thursday. No fire response was ever called.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

---NEWS RELEASE---

More than 400 high school students went head-to-head at the Feb. 6 Region 6 Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Future Health Professionals Leadership Conference, with 152 students earning medals and 330 students qualifying to advance to the Michigan HOSA State Leadership Conference. It is set for April 16-17, at the Grand Traverse Resort, Williamsburg.

The regional conference was held at the new Health Science Center at Baker College of Muskegon. Approximately 40 faculty, staff and students from the Baker College health sciences programs judged the 39 HOSA skills and knowledge events in the areas of health professions and emergency preparedness. The top 10 students in each event qualified to participate in the state conference.