Home Care In La Porte, IN

Since November 2023, Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL) has been partnering with Playon to increase awareness of community activities that support active living in La Porte County. Founded by La Porte natives Sam Maule and Marc Oestreich, Playon (www.playonapp.com) is a digital platform that houses all of La Porte County’s active living resources. Residents can easily search and filter through every venue, park, activity, and organization in the area, from walking trails to yoga classes and everything in between.

Soon to be released as a mobile app, Playon empowers residents to search and discover new ways to be active. This includes finding and registering for sports, clubs, groups, and classes they love as well as trying new experiences like ice skating, snowshoeing, mountain biking, dance, and more. By centralizing information on community activities, Playon removes the barriers that stand between a community and a more active lifestyle, translating into more physical activity for La Porte County residents.

The partnership with Playon supports HFL’s focus on Healthy Living and its emerging Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Initiative. HFL and Playon are working together on an initial social media campaign, Activate La Porte County, using ads on Facebook and Instagram to spread awareness of active living resources in the community and make it easier for people to find activities that match their interests, schedules, and location, among other factors.

"Our alliance with the Health Foundation isn't just a partnership; it's the heart of Playon's dream: to make communities more active. With a modest initial effort, we can already see a spark in our community - daily interactions, comments, and a more active life unfolding with each click. These are just our first steps, but they're important and impactful right here in the place we call home,” shared Marc Oestreich, Playon co-founder.

Now, three months into the initial social media campaign, successes are being celebrated and adjustments are being made, based on what has been learned, to continue working toward a more active La Porte.

Playon Awareness Campaign “Wins” and Lessons

To begin, Playon conducted an initial survey, gathering feedback from more than 150 La Porte County residents, to identify attitudes and behaviors around active living and resources within the community. The Playon team then developed a variety of social media ads, connecting people with the activities and parks that likely interest them. Playon has been running the social media ads since November 2023 and campaign activities are set to ramp up as the spring weather brings classes, camps, and team offerings accepting registration.

"We envision Playon as a formidable tool, aimed at enhancing the quality of life for La Porte County residents,” said Sam Maule, Playon co-founder. “Our dream is a future where the abundant natural treasures of the county, including lakes, parks, and trails, along with the extensive network of rural roads, become vibrant hubs of activity. We aspire to see people embracing an active lifestyle, positioning La Porte as the statewide standard for health outcomes."

While the campaign is still in its early stages, the Playon partnership has already begun to generate learnings that can be used to inform future decisions and programming in La Porte County. Among those findings: La Porte residents seek an active living community and desire to be active, but barriers to active life remain.

“We are quite pleased with the initial results of the Playon Activate La Porte County campaign,” said Maria Fruth, HFL President and CEO, “and we are increasing our efforts to spread awareness of the multitude of active living resources in our community. We hope the platform and forthcoming app will encourage our residents to take advantage of these resources, try new things, and live healthier, more active lives.”

You can explore Playon and make your profile at getactive.playonapp.com. Be sure to follow Playon on Facebook.com/FindYourActive for updates, registration deadlines, news about the app launch, and more.

Winter is a time ripe with snow, ice, and cold temperatures. The City of La Porte’s Winterfest has arrived with all of that. However, contrary to a lot of things associated with the season, La Porte is bringing people to the outdoors. The three-day event kicked off on Friday, January 26 with ice carvers sculpting statues in Plaza 618. The ice sculpting event was the first in a weekend filled with fun events. It was also one of several free events at Winterfest.

City of La Porte Winterfest 2024

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“With winter everybody's stuck inside. We don't want anybody to get the winter blues,” said Tabitha Aguilar, administrative assistant at the City of La Porte Parks and Recreation Department. “This gets people back out into the parks around the city, and we want it to be free as much as possible for the community.”

Thanks to sponsors like City's Pure Ice and NIPSCO, the City of La Porte is able to have free events like Friday’s ice sculpting and Saturday’s Jiu Jitsu for kids. Friday’s ice sculpting provided family time to spend time together while admiring the craftsmanship right in downtown La Porte.

“I'm with my grandson and we usually come to see the finished products,” said Jerry Blastick. “This year we decided we wanted to see them actually do some serious carving, so we came out earlier. We've been doing this since he was really little and I've been doing this for as long as I can remember.”

The ice carving featured local craftsmen such as La Porte resident Alfredo Arroyo and South Bend resident Howard Busfield. Arroyo and Busfield have been ice sculpting for 60 years and 19 years respectively.

“It's a good fit for me because I like mechanical stuff or tools,” said Busfield. “I also always liked art. I took a lot of art and building trade classes back in school a long time ago. This worked out for me because I'm able to use tools to do art, and that's the biggest thing about me.”

From mushrooms to owls to harps, there were all types of sculptures for attendees to witness being sculpted. For resident Jenny Mondt, it is not every day that ice sculptures are being sculpted just a few blocks from where she lives.

“It’s something interesting to see,” said Mondt. “We don't see sculptures every day. This is something easy to do with family. We're always looking for fun things to do like this.”

A special thing about Winterfest is that it highlights many different parts of La Porte. The events of the weekend take place all over the city with everywhere being highlighted from Lions Field to Cummings Lodge.

“It's easily highlighted,” said Aguilar. “We can go anywhere in La Porte and there's going to be something beautiful to highlight. We can highlight the plaza and La Stitch, we can also see the different parks such as Fox Park, Kesling Park, and Stone Lake. It's nice to have all of those areas.”

With two more days filled with fun events, the fun has just started. On Saturday, there is a Snowball Softball tournament, basic sewing class, and a frozen bike ride. Lastly, on Sunday, there are two free events, a winter kids craft and horse-drawn wagon rides.

For more information about Winterfest, please visit laporteparkandrec.com/winterfest

To learn more about the City of La Porte, please also visit cityoflaporte.com/

A phosgene leak at a chemical plant in La Porte led to the hospitalization of multiple people and prompted the Houston-area municipality to issue a shelter-in-place Monday for some of its residents, according to the City of La Porte and the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

The city lifted its shelter-in-place order shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, nearly two hours after declaring a “chemical emergency” because of an active leak of phosgene, a toxic gas, at the Altivia facility near the intersection of Fairmont Parkway and South 16th Street. Hidalgo’s office wrote that eight people were transported to hospitals “due to exposure, and all were stable at the time of leaving the facility.”

“The City of La Porte Fire Department has confirmed with Harris County Pollution Control there are no detectable amounts of immediately hazardous products near or downwind of the Altivia facility,” the city said in a Monday afternoon news release. “The cautionary shelter-in-place has been lifted and the all clear has been sounded for the chemical emergency. Normal activities may be resumed across the community.”

A spokesperson for Houston-based Altivia did not immediately respond to a voicemail and email seeking comment.

Lee Woodward, a spokesperson for the City of La Porte, said residents near the industrial area where the Altivia plant is located were asked to immediately shelter in place shortly before noon Monday. They were asked to proceed to the nearest building to seek shelter while closing all doors and windows and turning off cooling or heating systems.

There were no impacts to any La Porte ISD schools as none are in the shelter area, according to the city.

“Altivia engaged in efforts to contain the release,” the city said.

Phosgene is a colorless gas that has a strong odor similar to musty hay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says on its website that workers can be harmed by exposure to phosgene. It may cause irritation to the eyes, dry burning throat, vomiting, cough, foamy sputum, breathing difficulty and chest pain, according to the CDC.

The Altivia plant is located in an industrial area where there are multiple chemical plants. The city said some intersections from Bay Area Boulevard to 16th Street, between Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway to the north, had been closed by law enforcement to prevent traffic in the area.

LA PORTE, Texas – Eight people were hospitalized following a chemical leak emergency at a plant in La Porte Monday, emergency officials announced.

According to officials, a process upset at the ALTIVIA Chemical Complex on 16th Street and Fairmont Parkway prompted the release of the chemical phosgene, a colorless gas with a suffocating odor similar to musty hay. The company worked to contain the release shortly after.

According to Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office, all of the patients who were transported were in stable condition at the time they were leaving the facility but were sent to the hospital as a precaution. Officials have not provided an update on their current conditions at this time.

8 people were transported from Altivia due to exposure, and all were stable at the time of leaving the facility. Emergency teams have started demobilizing, and @HarrisCoPC remains onsite doing precautionary monitoring.

— Office of Judge Lina Hidalgo (@HarrisCoJudge) December 4, 2023

An alert from the city urged residents south of Fairmont between Bay Area and S. 16th Street to immediately shelter in place after the incident. Officials asked those in the area to proceed to the nearest building to seek shelter, close all doors and windows, and turn off cooling or heating systems. The order was lifted at 1:16 p.m.

The City of La Porte Fire Department confirmed with Harris County Pollution Control there are no detectable amounts of immediately hazardous products near the facility. Harris County Pollution Control will remain onsite for precautionary monitoring.

Officials said there was no impact on any LPISD schools as they were not in the shelter area.

Those with non-emergency medical concerns that they believe are related to the incident can contact the dispatch non-emergency line at 281-471-3810.

Exposure to phosgene can cause irritation to the eyes, dry burning throat, vomiting, cough, foamy sputum, breathing difficulty, and chest pain; and when liquid: frostbite. Workers may be harmed from exposure to phosgene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

About ALTIVIA Chemical Complex

ALTIVIA was founded in 1986 as a water treatment chemical producer. According to the company’s website, it produces phosgene derivative intermediates and operates the third-largest merchant production facility of phenol, acetone, and alpha-methyl styrene (AMS) in the Americas.

After record snowfall, freezing rain and other winter weather, the LaPorte County Commissioners extended a travel warning through noon Tuesday.

Only emergency personnel should be on the roads in LaPorte County while the travel warning is in effect.

“Extreme travel conditions are expected Monday morning until Tuesday noon,” the declaration states. “Areas of slippery travel are possible this evening. Ice will form on untreated roadways causing hazardous conditions.”

Michigan City imposed an identical travel warning and also shut down city hall.

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“Our employees live in communities throughout the Region, and we want to make sure they’re able to get home safely,” Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch said. “I believe it’s in the best interests of our employees and citizens to stay off the roads during this time period as a matter of public health and safety.”

LaPorte County is digging out of a record 21.9 inches of snow Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The National Weather Service predicts up to an additional quarter inches of freezing rain and ice overnight.

“During a Travel Warning, all citizens are called upon and directed to refrain from all travel, to comply with necessary emergency measures, to [cooperate] with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans, and to obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers," the commissioners said in a statement.

Michigan City schools will be closed Tuesday and have an asynchronous e-learning day.

Purdue Northwest campuses in Hammond and Westville also will be closed Tuesday, with all classes taking place virtually.