|
Our second effort at a Zoom meeting brought 20 Rotarians together, with Tim Hunt giving the invocation and President Dan leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and reciting The Four Way Test. Erika Lahti joined us for the meeting. Keith Olson expressed sympathies to Bonnie Denzel on the lost of her father Bennie, a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Bonnie noted he was 91 and was still living at home, taking care of his own finances and as recently as the prior Friday was sitting on his new lawn mower ready to use it this season. I was privileged to get to know Bennie at a Young Life family retreat in Colorado many years ago and he was a wonderful person. All of us join in offering our sympathies to the Gerhardson family. Wally Cole reported that his wife Marcie was off work for two weeks and together the two of them took a three foot high pile of saved newspapers with articles about Rotarians in them and reduced it to about 11 inches as they cut out the articles. Thank you for this effort! Kathy Austvold indicated that Mark Bring returned to work just before everyone had to start working from home, which he is now doing. President Dan indicated next week we will induct a new member. Mary Pettit told us that her 18 month old granddaughter is fond of saying "Oh my Goodness," repeating an apparently favorite saying in her household, to which Keith Olson responded it is good the child doesn't live in Keith's home, as the repeated phrases would be a bit more ..., well lets say uncensored. Anthony Nordan told us a little about the remarkable work they have been doing at the Salvation Army in responding to the needs of many during the pandemic. They have been feeding up to 91 people at noon (out in the cold as they cannot serve inside) and distributing grocery bags of food, averaging 60 to 70 on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, less on Tuesdays and Thursdays because those are just what wasn't distributed the prior day. Anthony described it as a "bumpy road" and that staff and volunteers appreciate cards of encouragement. Katie Johnson was our program and she talked about how the virus really only came onto her radar at the end of February. On March 13, Lake Region made the decision to implement its Hospital Incident Command Center ("HICC"), for which they had previously conducted regular drills. Once invoked, an incident manager is put in place and the facility engaged in a coordinated response to the crisis with other partners in the community. Since March 13, it seems like some new protocol has been put in place every day or so, starting with visitor restrictions and moving on to, among others, cancelling elective surgeries, opening a respitory center, developing a drive-up testing process and significantly expanding the use of virtual appointments. More recently, they began having all staff screen their own temperature before each work day and Lake Region is setting up drive-up lab draws at both the hospital/clinic and the Cancer Center. Everyone at Lake Region is now required to wear masks, with different types of masks being used depending upon the circumstances. (Lake Region secured a very large shipment of cloth masks and they are available for free.) While cloth masks won't protect what comes in, they do keep one's germs to oneself, called "source control." Katie indicated because we all need social contact, they like to think of physical distancing, not social distancing. (This writer participated in another Rotary Zoom meeting where the presenter showed a slide saying "Lets Practice Social Distancing Distant Socializing".) Katie said it is important that we flatten the curve, or slow down the spread of COVID-l9. Lake Region has run 225 tests for the virus as of our meeting and is now using the Mayo Clinic to process the tests, which provides a 24 to 48 hour turnaround. Everything is moving closer to being able to get rapid test results but the big problem is getting the equipment needed to do the analysis. If someone is concerned they may have the symptoms associated with the disease, they should either go to Lake Region's website and use the chat box or they can call in and be directed to a COVID screening nurse. Katie also added that they are very concerned about people not seeking treatment for other ailments because of cost or because they are concerned about being exposed to the virus in the process, but that it is best to seek out medical advice. We were also told that Lake Region has partnered with Prairie Ridge Hospital & Health Services out of Elbow Lake, so that plans are in place to deal with the expected surge in virus patients, including different facilities for treating virus and non-virus related patients. The surge is expected to occur over the next several months and Katie believes Lake Region's plans for dealing with it will start being communicated publicly in the next week or so. The biggest concern at this point is staffing. Some employees have been displaced because some services have been temporarily discontinued, but they are maintaining a labor pool through the Incident Command Center. Lake Region may also be making a call for volunteers if and when the expected surge in cases occurs. As to personal protection equipment ("PPE"), Katie noted Excel Plastics has been making plastic visors for Lake Region's use, while Shoretex Products, Inc. has been making surgical gowns. Lake Region generates a daily report on PPE inventory and right now the need for gloves is in the red zone. Gowns could potentially become an issue. N-95 masks are in the yellow zone. Some distilleries are providing sanitizers. Additional ventilators have been ordered and it is hoped they will arrive before the expected surge. The Lake Region Foundation has established a COVID Relief & Response Fund, which can be used for staff support, supply needs, etc. As testing ramps up, the first in line with be those in congregate living situations (nursing homes, jails, etc.), besides health care providers. Katie said that throughout this process Lake Region has and will continue to try to safely protect everyone, patients, staff and the community. Physical distancing remains important and we should be conscientious of shared surfaces. |
.png)
