Covid-19 Community Update: 12 May

Warm Springs, OR May 12, 2020

Contact: Louie Pitt, Jr.
Director Government Affairs & Planning
Email: louie.pitt@wstribes.org
Phones: 541-553-3540/541-777-1359

“As of 4:30p on 5/11/2020 – Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center has sent in or tested 252 tests samples, with 237 Negative, 0 pending, 15 cases, 4 have Recovered. Note – the STATE lab is taking 24-48 hours for results. Our testing capability currently stands at 129 STATE and 313 ABBOTT test kits.” Hyllis Dauphinais, CEO, Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center

The Warm Springs medical staff have expanded their use of known health approaches to protect the health of our community-“Today, the medical staff started working on their plan to do some community surveillance testing. This surveillance testing is meant to monitor and proactively test our high-risk community members. High risk include our elderly patients in long-term care (High Lookee), ECE essential staff, Healthcare works, especially those who are involved with the testing processes and our First Responder personnel within the community who are in close contact with potentially positive community members. The team continues to work out the details of this plan, however today they began our initial surveillance testing and I am happy to report that all surveillance tests returned a negative result. As our testing capability increases (number of test kits available), we hope to be able to expand the surveillance testing more broadly, but at this time the team has a specific high-risk population that they have identified. More to come.” Hyllis Dauphinais, CoVID-19 Brief & Update

Our regional partner, a neighbor if I may, St. Charles Incident Command System dropped by to share information with the Warm Springs ICS. Their team reports that much of their current work has transitioned from response to recovery activity and assistances to the business community as Oregon begins to open up non-essential services…..They plan to continue to move slowly as they work to open their own healthcare services to the community. “ CoVID-19 Brief & Update St. Charles’ Chief Information Officer, Jeremiah Brickhouse “……assured us that they are available and want to assist Warm Springs with any needs we may have and presented the team with a donation of face coverings they brought to support our community needs.”

We appreciate the focus on our valuable elderly residents of High Lookee. Nationally we see that a large percentage of the impact of COVID-19 has been in long-term care facilities. Please be reminded that our Tribal Council wants our tribal and community members to remain vigilant-mask up, social distance, avoid crowds, wash hands frequently…..everywhere you go, on or off-reservation.

STAY HOME STAY SAFE

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