SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
Oregon Responds To Coronavirus Crisis
State to set up temporary
mobile hospital in Salem
■ The 250-bed hospital will free up beds across the state for coronavirus patients
“All the things we’ve been
trying to do, as grievously
hard as they are for the
economy, are single-
mindedly aimed at the
notion of making sure we
don’t run out of hospital
capacity.”
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon is erecting a 250-
bed temporary hospital in
Salem to free up other hospi-
tal beds around the state for
coronavirus patients.
The Oregon Medical
Station is a mobile emer-
gency hospital that the state
purchased several years ago
in case of a health crisis. Gov.
Kate Brown said the facility,
which is being set up at the
Oregon State Fairgrounds,
should be operational by
Friday.
The state’s overriding goal
is to slow the progression
of COVID-19, so as not to
overwhelm Oregon’s health
care system. Brown and other
state offi cials said that is why
restaurants, bars, schools and
all large events have been
closed.
“All the things we’ve
been trying to do, as griev-
ously hard as they are for the
economy, are single-mindedly
aimed at the notion of mak-
ing sure we don’t run out of
hospital capacity,” Pat Allen,
the director of the Oregon
Health Authority, told the
Legislature’s Joint Special
Committee on Coronavirus
Response on Wednesday.
“This is a situation that
will not last for weeks. This
will last for months and
potentially a lot of months,”
Allen said.
Along with setting up the
temporary hospital in Salem,
offi cials want existing hospi-
tals to create 1,000 temporary
MEALS
Continued from Page 1A
“We’re a social environ-
ment,” Brown said. “Our
whole business is built on
people being social and go-
ing out to eat and visit with
friends. We can’t just become
a takeout restaurant. We’re
not designed for that.”
He is offering the take-
out service — as are many
restaurants in Baker City and
elsewhere — for a couple of
reasons.
First, Brown is supplying
free meals to people who
have lost their job due to the
restaurant and bar restric-
tions.
Brown said about 32% of
the meals prepared Wednes-
day were donated to people
who have been laid off.
He also gave people 21 and
older a free growler of beer,
although starting Thursday
he had a small charge for
that.
Second, he’s using the
money collected from paying
customers to create a “Pay It
Forward Fund” that will help
his own and other employees
affected by the pandemic.
“We feel for this whole
industry,” Brown said. “We’re
trying to stay positive. But
it’s out of our hands.”
Brown said customers
have been supportive and
gracious.
“People have been tipping
outrageously,” he said. “I
think they’re just happy that
we’re trying to do something.”
According to the Oregon
Employment Department,
“food service and drinking es-
tablishments” employ about
500 people in Baker County
— about 11% of all private
jobs in the county.
Brown said adding a
temporary takeout service at
— Pat Allen, director,
Oregon Health Authority
Capital Press fi le photo
The Jackman-Long Building at the Oregon State Fair and lack of medical personnel and
Exposition Center is the site of an emergency hospital
supplies. However, the state
being built by the state.
is contracting with private
beds statewide. Offi cials also
are exploring whether hotel,
college dorm rooms or other
places could be used.
“Are there facilities we can
literally stand up in parking
lots?” Allen said.
These would be “stepdown”
facilities, requiring fewer tra-
ditional medical staff. Allen
said they could serve patients
who normally would be
released from hospitals into
nursing homes and other care
facilities, which now have
been closed to the public; less-
sick patients who otherwise
would be sent to regular
hospitals; and homeless
individuals and others who
no longer require hospitaliza-
tion but cannot continue their
recovery at home.
Retired health profession-
als and others with medical
training could be tapped to
help staff these facilities.
“The idea is to basically
within the next three to four
weeks stand up as much of
that kind of collection of care
as we possibly can,” Allen
said.
Current statistics suggest
about 20% of COVID-19 cases
require signifi cant medical in-
tervention, though including
5% to 8% who must be cared
for in ICUs, he said.
The number of cases is
accelerating. As of Wednesday
morning, 75 cases had been
reported so far this year, up
from 39 on Sunday. Forty-
seven of those 75 cases were
in people age 55 or older.
Nineteen were among people
aged 35-54.
Cases have been identifi ed
in 14 of Oregon’s 36 counties,
but the number will grow as
testing expands.
Multnomah and Linn coun-
ties operated drive-through
testing centers in response to
localized outbreaks, but Allen
said that is impractical on
a statewide basis due to the
labs to run tests in addition
to the state medical lab. Some
health providers are testing
patients as needed.
Allen explained that dis-
ease outbreaks follow a bell
curve. Cases unfold slowly
at fi rst and then spike up
before declining, which is why
Oregon offi cials talk of “fl at-
tening the curve” — reducing
the overall spike in cases. The
goal is to decrease the impact
on the health care system
at any one time, although
it could extend the overall
length of the outbreak.
Without such action, Al-
len said, the exponentially
increasing cases of severe
COVID-19 will quickly exceed
the capacity of overall hospi-
tal beds in Oregon, beds in
intensive care units, ventila-
tors and skilled medical staff.
If that happens, Allen
told legislators, hard deci-
sions will have to be made
about who gets care and who
doesn’t.
Baker County
Jail makes
changes due
to coronavirus
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
Sheriff Travis Ash has implemented changes in the
way prisoners are lodged at the Baker County Jail
because of the coronavirus pandemic taking place
throughout the state and the nation.
Although there have been no reports of anyone
testing positive for the coronavirus Covid-19 in Baker
County, Ash said his strategy is designed to keep the
disease from entering the building.
“This jail (which opened in 1991) is old,” Ash said.
“All air is shared.”
Because there is no way to isolate an
inmate who might be ill with the virus,
Ash said his plan is designed to keep ill-
ness out of the building, which in addition
to the jail, houses the Sheriff’s Depart-
ment and the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.
Ash
“The Dispatch Center is critical for
the county,” Ash said. “We’re trying to
preserve the building as much as we can.”
The jail holds 45 prisoners, but there were just 22 in
custody Wednesday. That extra space provides another
layer of protection for the inmates and jail staff, Ash
said.
Patrol deputies, who spend most of their time out in
the fi eld, come into the offi ce as needed.
His employees self-report any illness and stay home
if they are not well.
“We are still operating as normal, but we’re trying
to limit the number of people coming and going,” Ash
said.
Another change in policy calls for city, county and
state police offi cers to only take into custody those who
are required by law to be lodged at the jail. All others
will be cited and released and given a date to appear
in court.
Mandatory arrests would include suspects accused
of domestic violence crimes, stalking, violating re-
straining orders, and failure to appear and no-bail war-
rants. Suspects in all Ballot Measure 11 crimes, such
as murder, rape and robbery, also are required to be
taken into custody. The Ballot Measure 11 crimes carry
mandatory minimum prison terms upon conviction.
During normal times Baker County law enforce-
ment offi cers place people accused of misdemeanor
crimes in jail, unlike larger jurisdictions that don’t
have the space, Ash said.
“We are unique,” he said. “We have room and we do
house low-level misdemeanors.”
The reduction in people being taken into custody
also coincides with a paring down of court hearings
and trials in Baker County Circuit Court, Ash said.
Other steps taken to maintain a healthy environ-
ment at the jail include canceling all visitations, work
release and work crew outings, Ash said.
The front door at the Sheriff’s Department has been
closed and service to the public such as civil process
work and fi ngerprinting will be conducted by appoint-
ment only.
More information is available by calling the Sheriff’s
Offi ce at 541-523-6415.
good for 90 to 110 days.
“If this lasts for 90 days,
most of the beer in stock
will be out of date,” Brown
said. “That’s what we’re up
against.”
— Tyler Brown, owner of Barley Brown’s Brew Pub and
Conversely, brewers can’t
Tasting Room
rapidly respond to a sudden
resurgence in demand.
Sumpter Junction wasn’t fea- as pumps and hoses, along
It takes 21 days to produce
sible, mainly because there
with managing the beer
a batch of Pallet Jack that’s
are several fast food restau- that’s already been brewed.
ready to serve, Brown said.
rants nearby that already
The issue is simple.
“We can’t just turn the
have drive-throughs.
With bars mainly shut
volume up,” he said.
He said employees brought down statewide, Brown’s
He’s concerned that even
food from Sumpter Junction concerned about whether
when the governor lifts the
to Barley Brown’s for prepa- he’ll even be able to sell the
restrictions, demand for beer
SALEM (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday
ration in takeout meals. He
beer that’s fermenting or has won’t rise quickly because
that during the coronavirus outbreak she wants a
also donated some of the food already been transferred to
some bars won’t survive the
statewide eviction moratorium, to suspend enforcement
to employees from both res-
kegs — about 800 kegs in
closure.
on expired automobile tabs and driver licenses and has
taurants who have been laid total at the brewery, which is
“I think that’s the biggest
asked the federal government for a one-year extension for
off. Total employment among in the same building as the
concern,” Brown said.
compliance to the REAL ID act.
his family’s establishments
Tap Room.
He’s not sure whether the
She also said during a media briefing that she was not
has dropped from 45 to about
About 70% of Barley
pub will continue to offer a
at this time enacting more stringent social distancing
10, Brown said.
Brown’s beer goes to Portland limited takeout menu after
requirements like those imposed by California and New
He said cooks at the pub
— an average of about 150
the current food stocks are
York this week. Brown has already ordered a six-week
are being creative in tailor-
kegs per week, Brown said.
depleted. The decision will
statewide school closure, a ban on gatherings of more than
ing the takeout menu items
Unlike many craft brewer- depend in part on whether
25 people and shutdown of bar and restaurant operations
based on the food that needs ies, Barley Brown’s beer is
employees are comfortable
other than takeout and delivery for at least four weeks.
to be used — meat and fresh available on draft only — it’s continuing the service.
Brown did, however, say she was evaluating the situa-
produce from Sumpter Junc- not bottled for sale in grocery
The situation is inherently
tion daily.
tion, for instance.
and convenience stores.
unpredictable because there’s
“For me the bottom line is that if there is evidence that
Although Baker County’s
That has been advanta-
nothing to compare it to,
Oregonians are not complying with the aggressive mea-
visitor industry peaks during geous to Barley Brown’s as
Brown said.
sures in place I will have to take more aggressive action,”
the summer, Brown said
its beers — in particular
“Nobody had a plan for a
she said. “I am encouraging and urging Oregonians to
March is typically his busiest its Pallet Jack IPA — have
pandemic,” he said. “The only
stay home. I want to say don’t travel for spring break, stay
month of the spring due in
gained a reputation across
comparable thing probably is
home.”
part to spring vacation.
Oregon and beyond the
Prohibition.”
As a result, both the pub
state’s borders.
Still running
Computer not
and Sumpter Junction had
“We’ve carved out a really
unsupported
running as
relatively large amounts of
good niche that way,” Brown
Windows 7?
fast as when
food stocked in anticipation. said.
Had the governor given
But that niche is no help
We’ll help you
it was new?
even a few days of advance
now because customers have
avoid critical
Let us install
notice before imposing the re- very limited access to Barley
issues by installing
lightning-fast
strictions on restaurants and Brown’s beer.
Windows
10!
solid state drive!
bars, Brown said he could
Brown is also worried
have cut back on his orders. about the length of the res-
On the brewing side —
taurant and bar restrictions
Barley Brown’s has won
because beer is perishable.
more than 80 awards for its
Although some stouts can
beers since opening 22 years last for two or three years
ago — Brown said he has
if stored properly, Barley
temporarily suspended brew- Brown’s most popular and
ing. Workers are focusing on highest-volume beers, includ-
deferred maintenance such
ing Pallet Jack, generally are
“We’re a social environment. Our whole business is
built on people being social and going out to eat and
visit with friends. We can’t just become a takeout
restaurant. We’re not designed for that.”
Brown wants
extension on
REAL ID Act