By Mira Brody EBS STAFF
BOZEMAN – On March 27, The Gallatin City-County Health Department and Bozeman Health partnered to provide an update on the COVID-19 situation in the Gallatin County following Gov. Steve Bullock’s announcement of a statewide shelter-in-place order.
The order requires residents to stay at home as much as possible except for essential activities such as movement necessary for health and safety, seeking medical care, picking up prescriptions and limiting trips to the grocery store to once a week. “Essential” employees may also report to their respective jobs.
The health department’s Health Officer Matt Kelley was
joined by Chief Nursing Officer Vickie Groeneweg at Bozeman Health to
communicate the importance of following the governor’s directive in order to
give healthcare workers on the frontline the best possible chance of fighting
COVID-19.
“All over our state, healthcare workers and emergency
personnel are sacrificing to serve us all,” Kelley said. “My request to you all
who are watching are to think about those men and women who are going to work
every day, sacrificing for us. Please make the sacrifice for them so we can
slow the spread of this disease and buy time for those working so hard.”
Groeneweg confirmed that a healthcare worker at Bozeman
Health has tested positive for COVID-19 and assured that strict protocols are
in place to mitigate sick workers as early as possible and that they are in the
process of contacting individuals who may have been in contact with the healthcare
worker who tested positive.
“At Bozeman Health, we are committed to three
mission-critical priorities: to keep staff safe and healthy, to keep our
patients safe and healthy, and to keep our community safe and healthy,” Groeneweg
said. She noted that heightened protocols at the hospital include visitor
restrictions, temporary suspension of nonessential medical services,
temperature and symptoms screening at every hospital entrance and adherence to
proper PPE protocol.
Kelley estimates that half of the cases in the county are
from travel and half are from community transmission. The health department
will not communicate where cases are in the county and are focusing their
efforts on providing only information that will keep community members safe and
healthy.
While Gallatin County has the highest number of cases in the
state, Kelley reminded people to look past the number and instead at the energy
and vigor of citizens as characteristics we can use as a resource of fighting
this pandemic together.
“Gallatin County is a crossroads and destination,” Kelley
said. “We’re home to a diverse economy and growing university. We have natural
beauty and attractions and I think those things help create the character of
our community. While some of those factors are probably also contributing to
the number of cases we have, I think it’s important that we also recognize that
those factors provide enormous sources of talent and energy and community assets
that help us to respond collectively to this challenge.”
Kelley assured that the health department and Bozeman Health
are working alongside emergency personnel, including law enforcement,
firefighters and elected officials to keep the community informed and safe as
cases increase in the county.