Richland Center, WI: A virtual Emergency Operations Center meeting was held again this morning to share information between Richland County officials and community partners in a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Health Manager/Local Health Officer Rose Kohout announced that as of 2:00pm Monday, March 30th the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 1,221 confirmed cases for COVID-19, 15,856 have tested negative, and there were 14 deaths related to COVID-19. There remain 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Richland County at this time. Kohout noted that the number of negative cases reduced from 16,550 (as reported yesterday) because the state corrected the data reported to only include Wisconsin residents. Kohout stated that she believes there are more confirmed cases coming, and encouraged Richland County citizens to maintain social distancing and stay home if possible, as “estimates provided by researchers indicate that we are likely to reach a peak of confirmed cases by April 26th”.
The Richland Hospital Coronavirus Hotline is available 24 hours/day and patients should call (608) 604-9953 BEFORE coming to the hospital. The Richland Hospital continues to test only patients in Tier 1 or Tier 2 priorities as outlined in COVID-19 Health Alert #3. The hospital is accepting donations of handmade masks from the community and details can be found at https://www.richlandhospital.com/coronavirus-updates/. Please drop off any donated masks at the Richland Center City Hall (450 S. Main Street, Richland Center, WI) and hospital staff will pick them up. Copies of the mask pattern will be available at the drop-off location, if community members are not able to print or access the patterns online.
The Richland Hospital continues to see and treat non-COVID patients who need “essential” medical care, but many of these are being converted to telemedicine appointments to maximize “Safer At Home” and social distancing opportunities. Some patients are being directed to the Muscoda Health Center or Spring Green Medical Center if they need hands-on care. Patients needing “essential” medical care should always call the hospital main number 647-6321 before coming to the hospital. Additional information about the online services being offered can be found at https://www.richlandhospital.com/online-services/.
Richland County Administrator Clinton Langreck reported that at this time most Richland County offices continue to be closed to the public, and if possible, staff are working from home while continuing to conduct business via phone, mail, and email when possible. Additional instructions on accessing county services and informational updates can be found on the Richland County COVID-19 website https://covid.co.richland.wi.us.
All University of Wisconsin-Platteville/Richland, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Richland School District, and Ithaca School District buildings and playgrounds remain closed to the public until further notice. These schools continue online learning and a meal delivery program for students.
All community partners continue to work in groups of 10 or less people and practice social distancing of six feet between people. The Greater Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Office continues to offer valuable information for area businesses; including small business resources and consumer resources for individuals looking for local employment opportunities. Additional information can be found on their website www.gorcchamber.com.
For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, follow Richland County Health & Human Services on Facebook or consult the following websites:
- Richland County: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
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