Local medical facilities, schools prepared for COVID-19

Hospitals Nursing homes Schools

SOUTH COUNTY — As more cases of novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, have been found in Washington state, local medical facilities and schools are making sure they are prepared if an outbreak takes place.

As of now, only one Grant County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, and that person passed away on Sunday, March 8. So far, Adams County has not had any cases.

Othello Community Hospital is one of the places preparing for possible COVID-19 cases.

“We’ve done a lot of work since January to make sure we have the right plans and procedures in place,” said Brandy Kissler, infection control for the Othello Community Hospital. “We already had other procedures in place for similar events. Back when SARS came, we had looked at our policies and procedures then. We now look to make tweaks.”

While the hospital hasn’t had to deal with any cases, it is prepared. It asks anyone who suspects that they may have COVID-19 and is in need of services to call first. Calling ahead to medical providers limits the exposure of others to the virus. It also helps staff understand the needs of the patient prior to arriving.

“Currently 40 to 70 percent of people can expect to be infected,” Kissler said. “It can range from a simple mild cold and cough to pneumonia. Of those infected, 80 percent will be mild cases.”

The hospital as well as other medical agencies are strongly encouraging residents to cover their coughs, use proper hand washing techniques and not share food items and utensils.

Just as the hospital has policies and procedures already in place to handle disease outbreak, so do nursing homes.

“We do have a lot of plans and policies in place for infectious diseases,” said Josh Loveless, administrator for Avalon Care Center in Othello. “We keep our patients and their families informed and abreast of what is going on.”

With vulnerable populations, such as those living in nursing homes, the prevention of spreading any communicable disease is very important. Health care facilities deal with other viruses, such as influenza, on a regular basis. These places already have policies in place to prevent and stop infectious diseases.

According to Loveless, the actions of the care facility near Seattle where the first COVID-19 patient died, demonstrate that the facility is dealing with the disease.

“They are addressing it at the facility level,” Loveless said. “Once people get it, they are making sure they are getting them the right treatment and quarantining their patients. That is evidence that they have programs and plans in place.”

Loveless said that while they can’t control the spread of virus throughout the community, they can control what happens inside the walls of their care facility. For now, he said that Avalon Care Center will continue to operate as always.

While medical facilities are preparing for a possible COVID-19 outbreak, so are local schools. School districts throughout the state are receiving direction from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and from their local educational service districts (ESD). In addition, many districts are also working with their local health department officials. The school districts in Othello, Warden, Royal City and Mattawa are no exception.

Othello: The Othello School District is regularly updating staff on the status of COVID-19, according to Dr. Chris Hurst, superintendent for the Othello School District. It is also reviewing its pandemic crisis plan.

If COVID-19 does get into schools, Hurst said that the district would work with Adams County Health District officials on whether school should be closed and the building disinfected.

“As a superintendent, I wouldn’t make that decision on my own,” Hurst said. “The Department of Health would have to be involved. I would rely on their expertise to make sure we were sanitizing efficiently and effectively.”

Hurst said that the district is communicating, not only with students’ families, but with the entire community. The district has plans to send out COVID-19 informational letters to every mailbox in Othello. It also has multiple ways of communicating directly with parents, such as text message, voice mail, Facebook and the district’s website. COVID-19 information will also be in the district’s “Vision” newsletter.

“We have a pretty solid communication system internally and externally,” Hurst said. “Just pray for a cure and that they find out more information.”

Until that happens, Othello School District staff and students are encouraged to practice good hand-washing techniques and use hand sanitizer.

Warden: Increased cleaning has become a priority for the Warden School District, according to Dr. David LaBounty, Warden School District superintendent. While the district already has cleaning and disinfecting protocols in place, it has increased its efforts.

“We have been taking additional steps, such as deep cleans and hitting all surfaces,” LaBounty said.

The district is communicating with staff and parents about what is going on. It has also taken the step of refraining from going to staff trainings on the west side of the mountains.

“We had some trainings in the Seattle/Renton area,” LaBounty said. “We didn’t really need those trainings. So why go?”

LaBounty said that he is thankful for how rural the Warden School District is. He doesn’t feel that is it necessary to put his staff and students at risk by traveling to places with high infection rates. For LaBounty, the safety of his schools is his number one concern.

“We want to be mindful,” LaBounty said. “We don’t want to create panic. If it comes to the point when it (COVID-19) comes into the system, we will follow state and regional advisory.”

Royal City: Like the other school districts, the Royal School District is also concentrating on preventing the spread of COVID-19. According to Superintendent Roger Trail, district cleaning staff is spending extra time to wipe down the surfaces in the various schools. In addition, bus drivers are wiping down bus seats.

“Kids are resilient,” Trail said. “We want to be preventative to keep everyone safe.”

Trail regularly meets with the district’s leadership team to update them on what is happening with COVID-19. The district has also sent home a letter for students and parents. In addition, it has a variety of other communication systems in place that they can use to keep parents, students and staff informed.

Trail is in communication with Dr. Alexander L. Brzezny, health officer for the Grant County Health District.

“Our main plan is to continue to work with Dr. Brzezny,” Trail said. “He will give us the next steps.”

While Trail hopes it isn’t necessary, closing school is an option on the table.

“For now, we’re making sure the premises are clean, and we’re teaching hand-washing,” Trail said.

Mattawa: The Wahluke School District is also doing its part to prevent COVID-19. Carrie Harris, the nurse for the Wahluke School District said that the district has sent home flyers and is encouraging hand-washing. The district is also updating its website daily with the latest information on COVID-19. Harris said that getting out factual information is one of the biggest issues she is facing in the district.

In spite of the challenges, Harris doesn’t see any school closures on the horizon for the district. The sicknesses that are present in the district are students with coughs and vomiting, symptoms of other viruses, not COVID-19.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@suntribunenews.com.