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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2020)
2A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS On The Record PeaceHealth, KCST offering now weekly COVID-19 updates To keep the communi- ty up to date on the lat- est information about the COVID-19 pandemic, PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center and Coast Radio Florence this week kicked off a new weekly series called PeaceHealth COVID-19 Check-In. The show, featuring Peace Harbor providers and other experts, aims to pro- vide the latest information about the impact of the new coronavirus on the Florence community and how the hospital is preparing and responding. The 10-minute show airs live at 8:30 a.m. on KCST 106.9 AM. The first segment aired this week and is posted on the Coast Radio website. Host George Henry spoke with Dr. Ron Shearer, med- ical director at Peace Har- bor, and Dr. William Fos- ter, medical director of the Emergency Department. The show will air until COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health threat. ODOE issues clarification on temporary suspension of self-service fueling Oregon’s C OVID-19 Statewide Joint Informa- tion Center and the Ore- gon Department of Ener- gy (ODOE) are providing additional clarification related to the recent an- nouncement from the Of- fice of the State Fire Mar- shal, which temporarily suspended Oregon’s ban on self-service gas sta- tions. This temporary sus- pension does not make self-service mandatory. The intention is to ensure fuel is available to essen- tial personnel who need to travel. The Oregon Fuels As- sociation (OFA) states, “This change allows gas station attendants to help these customers while avoiding face-to-face, hand-to-hand cont ac t and apply social distanc- ing practices. Attendants will sanitize equipment and fuel noz- zles and assist customers with refueling as needed.” ODOE is responsible for maintaining a reliable source of fuel for Ore- gonians. The gas station workforce has recently reduced by as much as 50 percent due to illness, childcare issues and safety concerns according to the fuel industry. Self-ser vice allows some gas stations to con- tinue operations with fewer staff and ensures Oregonians can refuel their vehicles. OFA adds, “Unattend- ed self-service will only happen if and when a gas station owner exhausts all staffing options.” Those stations that do not have an attendant on hand are required to post safety signs for social distanc- ing as well as instructions for how to operate a fuel pump. This temporary suspen- sion is currently in effect through April 11 and may be extended by the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Amidst the COVID-19, the goal of this change is to make re- fueling safer for both cus- tomers and service station attendants, while keeping stations open. This does not affect existing areas of the state already authorized for self-service refueling un- der Oregon law. For more informa- tion, contact Oregon COVID-19 Joint Infor- mation Center (JIC) staff at 503-373-7872 or email media.COVID-19@state. or.us Oregon releases healthcare system action plan to fight COVID-19 New projections show that social distancing must be maintained to protect health care systems. The fight against the coronavirus depends heavily on Oregon hospi- tals having enough beds to treat the coming surge in patients who will be- come seriously ill with the COVID-19. Monday, Or- egon health officials and hospitals announced a joint statewide action plan to dramatically bolster the state’s ability to treat people with COVID-19 illness who need hospital care. The plan was developed by the “Governor’s Joint Task Force for Health Care Systems Response to COVID-19,” convened by the Oregon Health Au- thority (OHA). It includes a broad range of health systems, health care pro- viders, human services or- ganizations, public health and public safety agencies, insurers and other orga- nizations needed in the battle. The plan addresses four urgent actions necessary to expand the Oregon health care system’s capac- ity and maintain its capa- bility as the state braces for a projected spike in new coronavirus cases: 1. Procure and distrib- ute critical medical sup- plies, including person- al protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers and ventilators. 2. Optimize hospital ca- pacity to be able to treat COVID-19 cases. 3. Mobilize the health care workforce to respond to COVID-19. 4. Maintain a unified, coordinated and transpar- ent emergency response to COVID-19. New projections of COVID-19 cases in Or- egon show the state is at a critical moment in the fight against the disease. Social distancing mea- sures could alter the tra- jectory of new infections, which gives Oregon’s health care system the chance to ramp up to meet the coming surge. But the state has little margin for error. A return to “business as usual” or slight differences in actual infection rates (compared to projected ones) could swamp hospitals with more coronavirus cases than they could treat. Governor Brown said, “Hospital leaders and health officials are doing their part to find beds, secure supplies and pro- tect health care workers. Oregonians can make a difference too: stay home and save lives. We all have a role to play in an unprec- edented, unified effort across Oregon to stop the coronavirus from taking the tragic toll we’ve seen it claim elsewhere.” State agencies, hospitals and health care providers have already begun to im- plement the plan. • The state is collecting PPE for redistribution to facilities in need. • Regional hospitals have signed mutual aid agreements to shift equip- ment, workforce and pa- tients from over-burdened facilities to others with ad- equate capacity. • The state is working with providers to stand- up alternate care locations (such as the Oregon Med- ical Station), identify and develop new alternate care sites, enable ambula- tory care centers to house patients and re-purpose long-term care facilities. • The state and hospitals are sharing hospital bed utilization data so hospi- tals can manage the use of beds and equipment across their region. • The state is develop- ing childcare options for health care workers, so their work isn’t interrupt- ed by school closings and family responsibilities. OHA Director Pat- rick Allen said, “Oregon’s health care system began preparing for a pandemic years ago, which gave us a head start on this plan. “From expanding test- ing to securing more ven- tilators for Oregon hospi- tals, we are united by a set of common strategies to save lives in every corner of the state.” The latest models state health officials released today forecast the follow- ing outcomes for 3 differ- ent scenarios: • Return to business as usual: If Oregon lifted all the social distancing mea- sures state leaders have instituted in recent weeks, there will be an estimated 15,000 cumulative infec- tions by May 8 (within a range of 5,900-26,000). Approximately 1,100 peo- ple would need inpatient beds (850 AAC/250 ICU) across Oregon. • Maintain bans on large gatherings and indefinite school closures: There would be an estimated 6,100 cumulative infec- tions by May 8 (within a range of 2,000-12,000) and 340 people will need inpatient beds (260 AAC/80 ICU). • Maintain aggressive interventions put into place on Monday, March 23 (i.e.., Stay Home, Save Lives) with high public adherence: There will be an estimated 1,000 (with- in a possible range of 700- 3,800) cumulative infec- tions by May 8. Under this scenario, hospitals would have to boost capacity by a small- er number of beds. The models show that only aggressive interven- tions, like the Stay Home, Save Lives executive order Governor Brown issued on March 23, are predict- ed to decrease the number of active infections. The models state health officials released today were prepared by the In- stitute for Disease Mod- eling. While similar to projections completed earlier by researchers at Oregon Health and Sci- ences University (OHSU), these newer models from IDM take into account the impact of communi- ty-level social distancing interventions, which were not incorporated into the OHSU study. Researchers from OHSU and other hos- pitals are collaborating with OHA to forecast the COVID-19 burden for their specific hospitals based on this information. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer at OHA, said: “These projec- tions tell us the sacrifices Oregonians are making right now can save lives. At the same time, they paint a dark picture of what could happen. We can’t afford to drop our guard.” Buying or Selling? I can help. Brian Jagoe Principal Broker 541 999-1314 2083 15th St – Enjoy this 3 bdrm, 2 ½ bath home in a private setting. This great home has Trane heating and air conditioning. The downstairs master has a bath and large wrap-around walk-in closet. 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