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Health Department updates COVID-19 employer task force

The Public Health Advisory Board discussed updates for community safety and next year’s budget on July 2

By Nick Sadigh

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A view of the front of the Whatcom County Health Department building. The department has implemented guidelines and community reminders for safety precautions. // Photo by Nick Sadigh

Whatcom County came together to promote safety guidelines in hopes of moving to Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Safe, Stay Healthy plan. The Whatcom County Health Department will hold meetings for training and brainstorming measures against COVID-19. Businesses and organizations have started applying to be a part of the board. 

Whatcom County is in Phase 2 and has a long way to go, said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department.

The Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board, made up of elected specialists, is meant to help counsel the health department and relay information about the pandemic to the community. Their job is to implement decisions made at meetings, connect with the community and collaborate with the City Council, Whatcom Unified Command and the Health Department.  The board voted to implement the employer task force during their April 23 meeting. 

The task force is designed to engage and actively remind the community what practices should be followed during the pandemic. The board sent out applications to all major sectors of business in Whatcom County, and so far all that applied have been accepted.  Businesses are applying and being accepted into the task force as of the time of publication. Currently, there are 139 participating businesses and organizations ranging from car dealerships to churches to gyms to grocery stores.     

The board created posters that encourage people to wear masks, wash their hands and engage in social distancing. The posters will also include websites to find information about COVID-19 and how to prevent it.

“Everyone needs clear, straightforward guidance right now,” said Holly O’Neil, adviser for the Health Department.

The guidelines for Phase 2 include social distancing, wearing masks in public spaces, and gathering in groups of five or fewer.

“One of the biggest factors we’re facing is very clear resistance to our measures,” said Dr. Gregory Stern, who works at St. Joseph PeaceHealth Hospital and advises the Whatcom County Health Department.

The goal of the task force meetings is to brainstorm techniques that will encourage the community to social distance and wear their masks. The meetings also focus on ways to distribute resources to the public through online forums and websites.  

The task force, partnered with the nonprofit North Sound Accountable Community Health, has been responsible for handing out over 40,000 facial coverings to the community. The task force has also designed posters and stickers, and will aid in training focusing on preventative measures.

“A health department cannot do this alone,” Stern said. “We need the community to take action and listen; otherwise this isn’t going away anytime soon.”

According to the Washington State Department of Health, there were 152 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Whatcom County from June 18 to July 2. While St. Joseph Hospital beds are at a higher than normal capacity, only .8% of beds are occupied by people with COVID-19 cases.

St. Joseph closely communicated with the Health Department, including daily briefings with Stern.

“There is very close cooperation. We worked with the Health Department in case of an excess in cases and shortage in beds, to plan triage and care,” said Bev Mayhew, media adviser for PeaceHealth Northwest, which operates St. Joseph Hospital. “The procurement of PPE [personal protection equipment] and distribution throughout the county was in cooperation with the Health Department.”

Mayhew said the hospital has not seen a major rise in hospitalization, but it is prepared for excess cases.

“Last week was our worst week in the number of cases,” said Lautenbach.

The week of June 22 now has the highest number, with 26 confirmed cases.   

The advisory board also approved a new website, Whatcom Together, which was pitched to the City Council on July 6. Whatcom Together is meant to replace Whatcom Unified Command, Whatcom County’s website for updates, information and resources regarding COVID-19.

Whatcom Together includes forums and webinars in which task force members will share tips and have an active voice in the community.

“We’re fighting this common enemy together,” said Chi-Na Stoane, director of the advisory board.

This meeting had to push two items from the agenda to the next meeting: The Child and Family Action Plan review, to support families affected by homelessness, and Health protection for immigrant families, a program to help immigrant families as well as addressing racism as a public health issue. 

The advisory board proposed adding a COVID-19 expert to the 2020-21 budget. Their job would focus on community outreach, implementing proactive health measures and advising the public. 

As Whatcom County prepares for new phases, the pandemic has started to affect younger people more severely, Lautenbach said. With the age demographic changing, studies show it is due to not following social distancing guidelines. “In the month of June, we’ve seen a complete flip in age. Our 60-and-up demographic has had a decrease in numbers while ages 18 to 59 have seen a drastic increase, especially 18 to 24. We believe this is due to socialization and large group gatherings,” said Lautenbach.

Whatcom County resident Kimberly Mullin was exposed to the virus back in May. She said more people need to listen to the precautions.

“Places like Trader Joe’s are setting a precedent. They continue to hand out hand sanitizer and masks, keep count of how many people are in the store at a time, and require [social] distancing,” Mullin said. “Having gone through it, this makes me feel safer. Other places have people all up in your business and do not enforce wearing a mask. It terrifies me.”

Mullin was not hospitalized for her case due to her oxygen levels, but said the whole ordeal was something from a nightmare. 

“It feels like you are constantly drowning and gasping for air,” Mullin said. 


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