The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove., April 09, 2020, Image 1

T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 9 , 2 0 2 0 | V O L U M E 5 8 | I S S U E 1 5
L OC A L LY
OUR
St ries
ing the virus advisories from ORLA and
They have scaled back staffing,
fied in Lane County, Clark is cross
ing his fingers, concerned that things
People from all walks
of life share their
stories of hope,
struggle and triumph
in the age of the
COVID-19 pandemic
Isis, 6, and Sophia, 4.
going to find groceries.
Layla,” Clark’s 4-year-old daughter.
midst of the Coronavirus pandemic it is diffi
Lori Leavitt, right, with daughter Jenessa Mallory at their Creswell home. Both are dealing
with the loss of school activities during the pandemic. DAVID LEAVITT/PHOTO
LORI LEAVITT, MOM
should be watching my daughter play her last year of soft-
ball. We should be shopping for a prom dress and getting
our nails done. We should be sending out invitations for
graduation, and planning a party.
Instead we are home, looking at an uncertain future, trying
to stay upbeat when we don’t know when, or if, life will ever
be normal again. I keep thinking of last year’s snowstorm.
We went without power for several days and we couldn’t
even leave our property due to trees that had fallen across our
driveway. It was an intensely challenging time. It lasted only
days, but it is a strangely familiar feeling now.
We are not leaving home, we are not going to school, or
work, or hanging with friends. We are cooking and baking
new things together. We are playing games. We are having
dinner together each night and talking about new things each
day. I know we will look back and marvel at the things we
did together, and how it shaped our lives in new ways, but I
am extremely sad for all our seniors and the many milestones
they are missing.
I
JENESSA MALLORY, STUDENT
W
ords can’t express how hard this has
been for me and the senior class.
Personally, I am extremely sad and
angry about the whole situation.
I feel like no body really understands
because they all got their graduations, their
proms, their yearbooks, and were able to
say goodbye to this chapter of their life and
I don’t get that. It’s like I’ve been robbed of
everything that’s supposed to make high
school worth it and now I’m so upset that
I’m not sure if I want to go back or continue
school online. I’m just so confused and
there’s so many questions that are not being
answered.
Jenessa Mallory is the student body pres-
ident; her mom, Lori, is president of the
Creswell boosters club.
READ MORE OF “OUR STORIES” INSIDE
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Check out the 2020-21 Creswell Chamber
of Commerce’s Newcomers and Visitors
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Also:
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* Message from Mayor Zettervall
* Service Directory
* Message from Chief Wooten
|
ON E DOL L A R
PREPARING
FOR THE PEAK
BY ERIN TIERNEY
THE CHRONICLE
They came and were relieved to find we
MAIL ING L ABEL BELOW
SI NCE 19 0 9
Cottage Grove PeaceHealth
seeing ‘calm before the storm’
“We’re fine right now, but things are
Lodging Association (ORLA), a
OW N E D
Like a calm before the storm, the
emergency room has been a little
quieter lately for nurse manager
Heather Lyda.
Projections this week indicate
that — assuming full social distanc-
ing through May 2020 — COVID-
19 hospital resource needs will peak
on April 21 at fi ve deaths a day in
Oregon, according to data from The
Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation (IHME), an independent
population health research center
at the University of Washington
Medicine.
With social restrictions in place
and people hesitant to go out,
Lyda said that The PeaceHealth
Cottage Grove Community Medical
Center’s emergency department
is seeing “a dramatic decrease in
volume” of patients. She said is a
national trend hospitals see before
the virus peaks.
Decreasing medical visits are
being felt throughout the south-
ern Willamette Valley. Due to low
patient volumes,
on Mond ay,
April
13,
PeaceHealth’s
Dexter Clinic
will
offer
routine in-per-
son offi ce visits
on Mondays
only, in addi-
Lyda
tion to telephone
visits Mondays
through Thursdays until further
notice.
At the COVID-19 peak in
Oregon, IHME indicates that 227
of the 2,657 beds and 47 of the 210
ICU beds would be needed, along
with 40 ventilators. The study indi-
cates that there will be 171 COVID-
19 deaths projected by Aug. 4 in
Oregon.
Still weeks away from the
projected peak in the state, the
hospital is in full-force preparation
for what it might experience.
“We are learning more and more
every day from other places that
are being overwhelmed by the
See VIRUS – 9
Schools reopen – with
virtual classrooms
BY ALIYA HALL
THE CHRONICLE
As schools continue to follow
the measures of the “Stay Home,
Save Lives” order, the Oregon
Department of Education foresees a
strong possibility that students may
not come back to schools before the
academic year ends. To continue
education, schools are shifting from
offering supplementary education
to providing “Distance Learning
for All.”
Each district needs to have their
plan in place by April 13, and
schools in the Southern Willamette
Valley are already getting tools
in place to make that transition as
seamless as possible.
“This may appear at fi rst glance
to be a nuance, but it is a signifi -
cant assignment. We at Springfi eld
School District embrace this chal-
lenge, because it will be best
for our students,” Springfield
Superintendent Todd Hamilton said
in a press release. “This request will
be a big lift for us as a community.
Our teachers are quickly learning
the ropes of distance learning and
will be ready to help.”
In Creswell, Superintendent Mike
Johnson said that staff is eager to
make distance learning happening
and are “working hard at it.”
“They’re motivated to connect
with kids and miss them,” he said.
See SCHOOLS – 9
WE HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
AND WE CAN DELIVER IT
175 E Oregon Ave.
Creswell , OR 97426
P:(541) 895-2413
F:(541) 895-24 36
www. o r e g o n h ea l th ma r t . c o m