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.
Richland County Emergency Management Director, Darin Gudgeon announced that as of 2:00pm Thursday, April 23rd the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 5,052 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 51,456 have tested negative, there were 257 deaths, and 1,318 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of those that tested positive for COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, 26% have been hospitalized. There are 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Richland County, 212 have tested negative, and there has been 1 death as a result of COVID-19 at this time.
The Richland Hospital Incident Command Team has started the planning process to begin phasing in a re-opening of their facility for voluntary medical procedures. Patients needing hands-on medical care should always call the main number (608) 647-6321 BEFORE coming to the hospital. Additional information about the online or telemedicine services currently being offered can be found at https://www.richlandhospital.com/online-services/. The Richland Hospital Coronavirus Hotline remains available 24 hours/day and patients should call (608) 604-9953 BEFORE coming to the hospital. COVID-19 testing is still being offered out of the Richland Hospital “Respiratory Illness Evaluation” drive-thru service 7 days a week to anyone displaying symptoms.
The “Whole Community Recovery” Steering Committee has been meeting regularly to identify the economic impact of COVID-19 on Richland County families and determine a suitable long-term recovery structure for our citizens. This committee will bring together key individuals in sectors such as finance, education, business, industry, and mental health in an effort to bring assistance to all that have been impacted. The local needs and available resources for each of the sectors will be studied to link those affected with an appropriate level of case management.
The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Eagle Country’s Richland Center Office is now offering options for grocery delivery to Richland County citizens. To inquire or make a reservation, contact Transportation Secretary, Linda Batten at 608-647-4616.
Richland County Community Partners shared the status of their individual organization’s emergency response, reviewed staffing and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) needs and local inventory, continued efforts to assist small business owners, and discussed priority topics to support the community through the recovery process.
If you have a COVID-19 question that you want our community partners to answer, please call Richland County Health & Human Services at 608-647-8821 and submit your question to the receptionist or email the question to rchhs@co.richland.wi.us. Citizens are encouraged to check out the Richland County COVID-19 Dashboard which offers helpful data to better understand the impact of the pandemic globally and locally: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us/2020/04/21/richland-county-covid-19-dashboard/. 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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