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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2020)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2020 A3 Balancing patient privacy and public safety EOC plans to request people who test positive for COVID-19 sign waivers to allow release of information to dispatch and law enforcement By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant County Health Department plans to ask those who test positive for the new coronavirus to vol- untarily share that informa- tion with the Emergency Operations Center and the local dispatch so both agen- cies can track the person and — if law enforcement or first responders are called out to the individual’s resi- dence — warn them to take precautions to keep from contracting the virus. Law enforcement and first responders, essential jobs critical to the infra- structure of a community during a crisis or disaster, are at a high risk of exposure and spread of the virus, said County Commissioner Sam Palmer, the public informa- tion officer for the county’s coronavirus response. Palmer said, in a rural area with limited resources, the community must be proactive about protecting law enforcement and first responders. A dispatcher’s questions could mean the difference between identifying a case in advance or getting a first responder infected, he said. The dispatch screening guidelines are supposed to be based on the state health authority guidelines. “Oregon Health Author- ity is asking that people let first responders know that they are positive for COVID-19 if they know that information and are able to provide it when con- tacting first responders,” said Lauren Wirtis, pub- lic information officer for the state’s COVID-19 Joint Information Center. Valerie Maynard, Grant County Emergency Com- munications Agency direc- tor, said these concerns about privacy and public health came up in the 1980s and 1990s with HIV. Maynard said, while she would follow the health department’s lead on whether or not to flag the residence of someone who tested positive for the virus, she still wants to run it by legal counsel. Contributed photo Law enforcement and first responders meet at the Emergency Operations Center. Maynard said there are precautions for various other diseases law enforcement and first responders should be taking when they go out on calls as well. Grant County Health Department Director Kim- berly Lindsay said she understands the reason why law enforcement and emer- gency workers would want to know ahead of time. “The health depart- ment is here to support our law enforcement and first responders,” Lindsay said. “These are unprecedented times.” However, the 1996 Health Insurance Porta- bility and Accountability Act ensures that a person’s health records remain undis- closed to the general pub- lic even after someone’s death. Thus, releasing the name of a person who con- tracted COVID-19 without a signed release would violate HIPAA. Palmer said those in the medical field, such as doc- tors, nurses, and medi- cal assistants, go through training on complying with HIPAA. Because the EOC staff are not in the medical field, they will not go through HIPAA training, he said. Palmer said, in lieu of HIPAA training, they have all signed documents stat- ing that if they were to share protected patient information they would go to jail. “Anyone who shares patient health information would go to jail,” Palmer said. Palmer said he has sent a proposal to state Rep. Mark Owens and Sen. Lynn Find- ley to take to the gover- nor that would allow him to share confirmed COVID- 19 cases with the EOC and dispatch without a signed release. Palmer said, with lim- ited personal protective equipment and limited law enforcement, the county does not have backup resources. “If you lose your quarter- back, you have no team,” he said. Cities in Grant County declaring a state of emergency Eagle file photo Grant County Undersheriff Zach Mobley, left, and Deputy Dave Dobler, incident commander of the county’s coronavirus response, address the Grant County Court. Emergency Operations Center training neighborhood watch Volunteers will drive private, unmarked cars but wear identifying vests By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County coronavi- rus response incident com- mander Dave Dobler said the emergency operations center would begin train- ing 11-15 volunteers this week to be on a neighbor- hood watch program in sig- nificant areas in the county. “They won’t be a posse or a renegade,” Dobler said. “They will be another set of eyes and ears in the county.” Dobler said the EOC is responding to concerns in the community about the possibility of crime increasing during the pub- lic health crisis. “People are worried about looters and sort of ‘Mad Max’ environment,” Dobler said. Dobler said, while he does not foresee a post-apocalyptic scenario, he still believes commu- nities that take a proactive approach see less crime. Dobler said it is the “Broken Windows The- ory,” a theory of policing that, once disorder begins in the neighborhood, things can quickly get out of con- trol, leading to more crime. County Commissioner Sam Palmer, the pub- lic information officer for the county’s coronavi- rus response, said Grant County is a small commu- nity with limited resources. “We have one grocery store, one gas station and one pharmacy,” Palmer said. “And if the situation continues to go on, pretty soon people will be coming in from somewhere else.” Dobler said the group of volunteers will go through specific training online. They will be given radios, and if they see something, they will report it to inci- dent command, who will report it to the sheriff’s office. Dobler said they will drive private, unmarked cars, but they will wear identifying vests. He said background checks will be completed, and they will sign volun- teer agreements. Dobler declined to pro- vide the names of the vol- unteers. The Eagle has sub- mitted a public records request. Registration is currently open for Painted Sky Summer Day Camp; first session starts June 15. Your child will have exposure to music, crafting, painting, theater, and so much more! Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Friday 8am - 5pm Friday Sharpe 8am - 5pm Mendy FNP Mendy Sharpe FNP Apppointments available S175346-1 Cities in Grant County are beginning to declare a state of emergency as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Oregon. John Day, Prairie City, Monument, Mt. Vernon and Canyon City have declared a state of emergency in preparation for the uncer- tain future of COVID-19 in Grant County. Prairie City Mayor Jim Hamsher said that Prai- rie City’s declaration helps promote proactive actions taken to protect the health and businesses of people in the city. Hamsher added that the declaration will also help by giving flexibility and the ability to make split-second decisions if needed or fill a public work position in case a staff member is sick or unavailable. Mt. Vernon City Recorder Tami Kowing said that the declaration will give protection for busi- nesses by providing them with an opportunity for fed- eral funding. Along with the declaration, Mt. Ver- non City Hall is now closed to the public, but payments can be made by drop box, mail or by phone. The city also decided to close their park. Canyon City Mayor Steve Fischer said that the statewide order from Gov. Kate Brown put a halt to everything they had already planned to stop with the declaration such as nones- sential businesses. “It does open us up so we can get some recovery if we have to incur any cost from COVID-19 through the state and federal govern- ment, and that’s what a lot of it is about,” Fischer said. Fischer talked to Corry Rider, the city recorder, and asked him if he would feel better if Canyon City City Hall were closed. Rider told Fischer there are few people that come in and nobody has come in unhealthy, so he is fine with city hall remain- ing open. Monument declared a state of emergency on March 23. “This is just a formality. The city needs to publicly declare a state of emergency to ensure the city can run at its entirety during this pan- demic,” the city of Monu- ment posted on their Face- book page to let community members know about the decision. The cities of Seneca, Dayville and Long Creek have not declared a state of emergency, but they are well aware of the situa- tion and are focused on the safety of the people in their communities. Seneca has closed their city office as of March 24 to walk-in traffic, but pay- ments and documents can be submitted through the drop box on the west side of the building. “The regular council meeting and public hear- ings for ordinances 98, 99 and 100 scheduled for April 14th have been can- celled,” said Seneca City Manager Raamin Burrell. “Notices will be reposted when the public hearings are rescheduled. Seneca is calling for any and all vol- unteers to help assist res- idents with supply runs. Please contact the City Office for information, 541-542-2161. Notices will be posted in Seneca.” Dayville Mayor Ilah Bennett said that the city lawyer contacted them and said the city has the ability to declare a state of emer- gency but at the moment the city is doing well. “As of right now, we are doing good,” Bennett said. “Everybody is conforming and doing what they need to do, and we’re fine and life is still carrying on the way it needs to with what restric- tions we’ve got.” S175345-1 139101 By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle 541-523-6377 541-963-6577 541-573-6377 541-576-2160 Learn more or register at PaintedSkyCenter.com/Kids-Art. Sessions are scheduled for June, July, and August. Reserve your child’s spot today! (In case of cancellations, payments will be refunded in full.) Stay connected, receive our updates, and at learn about free S180210-1 arts classes, museum exhibits, and artistic things to do at Facebook.com/ PaintedSkyCenter/.
