Primary Information Sources
www.gunnisoncounty.org/covid19
Gunnison Health and Human Services Facebook page
If you have any symptoms, please stay home and do not venture into public spaces, Gunnison Valley Health, your primary care physician, or the screening site. Instead we ask that you call the Call Center, open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. They will question callers to determine next steps. Before going to your doctor or the emergency room please call the Call Center at (970) 641-7660.
Hours
Call Center (970) 641-7660:
Seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Drive in screening:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Gunnison, 220 N Spruce St
Tuesday, Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Crested Butte, 818 Red Lady Ave
Definitions
Call Center Screening-a process to prioritize high risk individuals for an in-person screening.
Screening-folks who are higher risk and deemed necessary for an in-person screening at the drive-in centers.
Swabbing-the act of taking swab samples after a first call center screen and in person screen at the drive-in center.
Testing-swab samples are sent into the state testing facility for testing. Turnaround is 48-72 hours.
Highest Risk Individuals-Have COVID 19 symptoms, have chronic conditions such as: heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, weakened immune system, and are elderly.
Gunnison County Numbers
4 positive + 1 who is now in Denver
1 negative
Pending tests: 24
At home Isolation: These are folks the Health and Human Services have put in isolation and are continually monitoring. There are many more in self isolation but are not being actively monitored.
Healthcare workers: 2
Public: 25
Quarantined: O
Test Kits On Hand: 90
Call Center: Before 1PM there were 93 calls of which 27 were sent to the drive-in screening site.
Screening Site: 55 came through the site
Swabbed: 10 prioritized as high-risk individuals and health care workers
30-35 people clinically looked to be positive, but were not categorized as highest-risk. They were instead told to self-isolate.
This afternoon Emergency Services responded to a call for cardiac arrest. The coroner’s office is now investigating the cause of the cardiac arrest. The family’s spouse tested positive for flu.
The State of Colorado has confirmed the first death in El Paso County.
Public Health Order
By order of Joni Reynolds, Gunnison County Public Health Director, all events of 50 people or more are prohibited. Events with fewer than 50 people are prohibited unless meeting requirements outlined in the order. The goal of which is to reduce community transmission of COVID-19.
Additional Tests
Based on state guidelines, the 50 test kits that we had this morning were able to be stretched to 100. The prior method of swabbing included 2 swabs. Now state guidelines are allowing for one swab that can then be sent in for testing. Today at the screening site, there were 10 high risk and health care individuals who were swabbed and then samples sent to the state for testing. That brings the total available tests to 90. More tests are on order from the state, but won’t arrive until 3/29. There is a global shortage of tests available. We are making hard decisions now to flatten the curve and mitigate the impacts on the hospital for those that absolutely need care.
Screening Center
Day 1 of the screening center was a success. About 55 people were screened with in person visits from physicians. Of that, 10 were deemed necessary to swab. 30-35 individuals were showing positive clinical symptoms yet were not in the highest risk category and were sent home for self-isolation. Starting next week, the drive-in screening will be split between the Health and Human Services Office at 220 N Spruce St in Gunnison and the Crested Butte Community School parking lot at 818 Red Lady Ave in Crested Butte.
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be in Gunnison
- Tuesday and Thursday in Crested Butte.
Please call the Call Center at (970) 641-7660 first so that we can reserve resources for vulnerable populations.
Assistance to Isolated Populations
First and foremost, we ask that you step up for your neighbor.
Food and prescription deliveries have been set up for the elderly populations. Currently all these efforts are aimed at the elderly high-risk populations.
- Call Senior Transportation, who can connect you with someone to help with groceries: 970-596-6700.
- Call Young at Heart, who provides delivered meals three times a week: 970-641-2107
- If you are on Long Term Care Medicaid, speak to your caseworker about Medicaid meal delivery: 970-641-3244
Next week, we will launch deliveries for any of the isolated populations that need assistance with food or prescription pickup. More info to come soon.
Emergency Operations Center
After 9 continuous days of operational planning and response the Emergency Operations Center will be taking a day of rest on Sunday. Incident Commanders Joni Reynolds and CJ Malcom are calling for a day of rest in order to maintain long-term sustainability. Efforts are underway to build up staffing for a prolonged public health response and incident management. The call centers will remain open 7 days per week from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Flattening the Curve
It is essential that we make the difficult choices now so that we can sustain in the long term. We are having to use our limited resources wisely to help those that are most vulnerable. The 4 positive tests do not reflect the incidence of this virus in our community. We ask that the public take this EXTREMELY seriously and stay home if at all possible. If we can slow the spread of this illness, we can keep the healthcare system from being overwhelmed with those who need critical care. If this spreads too fast, our healthcare system and emergency department will quickly be overrun. Only your actions as a community can flatten this curve and keep enough hospital beds open.
National Emergency
The decision by the federal agencies to declare a national emergency will hopefully bring funding and supplies our way. We don’t yet know what that looks like.
Volunteer Information
If you would like to volunteer to assist with operations please review the list below with needed services:
- Picking Up/Transporting/Delivering needed supplies both in town and possibly out of town
- Supporting patients quarantined at home by safely delivering groceries, running errands, etc. so those affected do not need to venture into the community
- Interpreting for Spanish speaking residents
- Delivering meals and other needed items to non-infected seniors at home so they do not have to venture out into the community unnecessarily
- Call Center Staff to assist with answering questions especially with a medical background
For those that are interested in helping, please email or call Arden Anderson with the following information: Full name, phone number, email, and availability. Availability for weekends is particularly needed right now. If volunteering for the Call Center, having some medical training would be beneficial but is not required. Volunteers will NOT be physically exposed to potential patients.
Email: arden@gunnison.com
Phone: (970) 901-5739
Updates from the state
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) website