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 Wednesday, April 15th the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 3,721 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 39,326 have tested negative, there were 182 deaths, and 1,091 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of those that tested positive for COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, 29% have been hospitalized. There are now 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Richland County, 161 have tested negative, and there has been 1 death as a result of COVID-19 at this time. Kohout also reported that the first 2 individuals who tested positive with COVID-19 in Richland County are “feeling better and have been released from quarantine”.
The Richland Hospital Coronavirus Hotline remains available 24 hours/day and patients should call (608) 604-9953 BEFORE coming to the hospital. The Richland Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 testing out of their “Respiratory Illness Evaluation” drive-thru service every day from 8am-5pm, even on weekends and holidays, for Tier 1 and Tier 2 priorities only. Patients needing hands-on medical care should always call the hospital main number (608) 647-6321 before coming to the hospital. Additional information about the online or telemedicine services being offered can be found at https://www.richlandhospital.com/online-services/.
Richland County Health & Human Services Director, Tracy Thorsen reported that the agency is now offering a “Richland County COVID Responder Support Line”. This is a free, anonymous support line for any medical or emergency responder (medical staff, EMTs, law enforcement, fire fighters, etc.) who would like to speak with a behavioral health professional in order to decompress or debrief about the stresses of dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Richland County Economic Development Director, Jasen Glasbrenner announced that a “Town Hall Conference Call” has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 21st at 2:30pm with Congressman Ron Kind’s Office. Richland County small business owners and local banks are encouraged to attend this roundtable discussion via teleconference.
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, considered disinfection options utilizing UV lights, continued efforts to assist small business owners, and discussed priority topics to support the community through the recovery process.
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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