SL Area Chamber and Franklin County Discussion on April 15
April 16, 2020
The transcript of the question and answer session with Franklin County Public Health Director, Katie Strack, is edited for content and length.
This interview occurred on 4/15/20 and is updated with current information.
This is Patrick Murphy with the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and we are doing a quick question and answer session with the Franklin County Department of Public Health. I wanted to thank Katie Strack for being with us today to help answer some questions about what's happening with the COVID-19 response at a county level and what can we look at in terms of guidance on how to deal with what everyone is trying to work through. So I want to thank Katie for being on the call today. Thank you, Katie.
Oh, you’re very welcome
Given that we started seeing it up here a lot later than they saw it downstate, is there an anticipated peak date for this area?
The amount of follow up and thought and intention and everything that you folks are doing to keep track of this just seems dizzying. And there's so much that you’re doing to try to track this and keep track of everything that it's interesting that the three counties coordinated at some level on trying to think of a way that we can find some common diagnostic tools to deal with some of this outbreak.
It did allow the ability and we did encourage many providers: don’t forget your diagnostic talent. They didn't go away just because COVID is novel and just because this is new and just because we're in a pandemic. It's ok to diagnose by clinical signs and symptoms this disease. And so I believe that that afforded providers back confidence that they had all along and that is: use your talents. You're a provider. Diagnose it and let us take it from there. So it is quite a bit of work that we’re undergoing right now.
Switching gears a little bit, what kind of information and guidance is being sent to the local businesses to make sure that they’re aware of the proper public health guidance. More simply put, what are the current guidelines and who is deciding what they are?
Very recently updated guidance came out by the state Health Department and Agriculture and Markets which are predominantly the regulators for businesses where there's groceries or food. Note I said “updated” because this guidance - all guidance - has changed multiple, multiple times. So what happened potentially Monday is no longer the guidance by Thursday. So very recently the state DOH and the Agriculture and Markets put together a joint guidance to help those folks and local businesses provide as much as possible different types of strategies to reduce transmission of the disease within their communities and within their stores .
Who is helping put out these guidelines at Department of Health and Ags and Market? What is the “quality control” that's occurring to make sure that these businesses are following these guidelines?
I would say that in order to prepare the guidance I know that the state epidemiologists are involved for Ag and Markets and also may include disease specialists, maybe veterinarians because Ag and Markets cover a very large area. So the best I could say is that either the CDC scientists and experts put it together or the state and Ag and Markets experts put it together...as the guidance change, it's not like they got it wrong in the first place. It's like things changed and so we have to adapt because no one’s been in this pandemic before. So it would be incumbent upon the regulators to ensure that the businesses are following the guidelines. So they are the ultimate quality control. They are what's called the “permit issuing official” and so it would be incumbent upon them to go ahead and visit the businesses. I know sometimes if something comes into the EOC where folks are asking the question, somebody at the EOC or myself would be referring them specifically to: maybe you need environmental health at the state Health Department. Maybe you need Agriculture and Markets depending upon what your question is. So any quality control follow-up and guidance and any type of findings and any type of punitive activities would come from the regulators and that would be the state Department of Health and Agriculture and Markets.
The only thing I would add also is...the requirement for face coverings. If in fact anyone is dealing with the public...A simple kerchief across the face is adequate and meets the requirement. I know many organizations are making face masks - I don’t know what else to call them. I should say face covering because I would like to reserve face masks for those that are the surgical masks and the particulate respirator masks...So although that standard did come out I would think it maybe would be a little hard for folks to be able to comply with that and there's no option. They have to comply. So you may see people with kerchiefs around their faces in order to comply with the regulation. So that's the hard part about it is, where do you get the supply? And the supply chain has of course been an issue.
Since this interview occurred the Chamber has sourced reusable cloth face masks for essential employees interacting with the public. Contact director@slareachamber.org to request masks.
And if there’s questions locally for folks in Franklin County what’s the hotline number if they have questions about the status of things - about needing to get assistance or volunteering?
Franklin County Emergency Operations Center
(518) 481-1111
Alice Hyde (medical questions)
(518) 481-2700
Adirondack Medical Center (medical questions)
(518) 897-2432
Office of Aging delivering meals to 60+
(518) 481-1526
Behavioral Health
(518) 521-5818
People traveling to the north country must self quarantine for 14 days. Stay home unless you have to go out. Wash your hands. Disinfect anything. Keep paper towels in your car. If you have to pump gas you can use napkin or paper towel on gas pumps. Wash your hands as soon as you get home and it's one ABC or two happy birthdays!
I think a lot of people have been going through their ABCs and happy birthdays. So I appreciate your time today Katie, I know you're incredibly busy and you have a lot going on so on behalf of our members thank you for your time and helping to answer some of our questions. Thank you Katie.
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