April 22, 2020
First responders battle COVID-19 St. Charles County Ambulance District and St. Charles County Police Department look to protect the public and themselves in the pandemic
Around Town CenterPointe Hospital resumes admissions after rigorous measures to contain COVID-19. Pg. 3 Care Service Food Pantry delivers Easter baskets for children in need. Pg. 3
Special Section
By Brett Auten Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lives have been considerably altered. While many have adjusted to new work or school routines, the county’s first responders have had to readjust as well. From the onset of the coronavirus, St. Charles County Ambulance District has worked closely with partners across the continuum of emergency services. Public health, emergency communications, emergency management, fire protection and others began collaborating to develop a plan that would ensure safety for residents and responders. An early and significant protocol change occurred at the emergency dispatch level with the implementation of pandemic screening. When a citizen calls 911, dispatchers ask a series of detailed questions in an attempt to determine the risk of the patient potentially being affected by COVID-19. When crews arrive on scenes, several notable changes have taken place. The first was the implementation of a doorway assessment. No longer are crews positioning themselves next to a patient from the onset of a call. Now, they’re asking screening questions from six-plus feet away. In addition to the doorway assessment, SCCAD is limiting the number of first responders that are sent into scenes to limit exposure. Probably the most notable protocol change for SCCAD has been the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) on all calls. Residents who have called 911 in the past are used to seeing the team arrive in gloves. But today, a respirator mask and eye protection are all part of the ensemble and if the situa-
Senior Living. Pg. 5
School SCCC to offer remote summer courses. Pg. 6
Features
Photo provided by St. Charles County Ambulance District St. Charles County Ambulance District Lieutenants Joanna McGaughey and Ashley Pease put on personal protective equipment at the start of one of their shifts.
tion is determined to be high-risk, a gown is also worn. John Romeo is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer who has worked at SCCAD for 17 years and has worked in the field for 20-plus years. He said the team of paramedics has reported a wide swath of community reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Some are exercising what could be argued is an over-abundance of caution, and some are not exhibiting enough,” he said. “The vast majority, however, are doing exactly what we need them to do. Some of the information out there paints a picture that is different than the reality of our situation. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the information. Take time to unplug each day, and make sure your
decisions are guided by accurate, fact-based information from trusted sources.” St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz said that all agencies have modified their routines for police work. “In our experience, the public has largely cooperated and has been patient and are abiding by what our government officials have put in place,” Frisz said. “We are not seeing a rise in domestic violence calls. We have not seen an uptick in crime, there has been a slight decrease, and there have been fewer traffic accidents.” Frisz said there are a handful of calls every day to report possible gatherings of more than 10 people or a lack of social distancing but he See ‘BATTLE’ page 2
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