ROUNDUP: Fenechs donate 10,000 face masks

Apr. 14--The COVID-19 Community Response Fund, created by United Way of Elkhart & LaGrange Counties and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, has received a gift of 10,000 N95 respirator face masks, donated by Bill and Kristin Fenech.

The protective face masks will be distributed to Elkhart General Hospital, Goshen Health and local nursing homes to protect health care workers from contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus, United Way officials state in a news release. Demand for the masks is outpacing supply nationwide.

Representatives from both Beacon Health System and Goshen Health indicated they welcome the gift of masks, which are essential items of personal protective equipment to help fight the spread of COVID-19. United Way and the Community Foundation began distributing masks Tuesday in accordance with the donors' request.

Elkhart County has 11 new cases

Elkhart County has 11 new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Indiana Department of Health's Tuesday afternoon numbers. That brings the total of coronavirus cases to 100 in the county. There remain three deaths in the county and 1,039 people tested.

In LaGrange County, the numbers were the same as Monday: 13 positive cases, one death and 63 tested.

In Noble County, the number of positive cases increased by two to 17. The county remains at one death and, so far, 100 people have been tested. On Tuesday afternoon, the Noble County Health Department reported multiple cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported at Lutheran Life Villages -- Village at Kendallville, a long-term care facility in Noble County. No further information about the patients was released due to privacy laws.

"We are working with state officials to implement infection control protocols to help prevent further spread within the facility," Noble County Health officials said in a news release.

In Kosciusko County, there was an increase of one positive case, bringing the total to 19. The county remains at one death and 309 people have been tested.

Statewide, there are 8,527 people who have tested positive, an increase of 313 since Monday. There have been 387 deaths, up by 37. And so far 46,017 people have been tested, an increase of 1,502.

Virtual visits expanded at Goshen Health

Virtual visits are now offered at Goshen Center for Cancer Care, Goshen Heart & Vascular Center and Goshen Physicians Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, in addition to Goshen Physicians family medicine offices. In fact, nearly all Goshen Health locations -- as well as home-based services such as home care and hospice -- are equipped to schedule virtual visits, Goshen Health officials said in a news release.

One of the primary goals of virtual visits is to reduce the transmission of germs, enabling patients to get the health care they need from the safety of their homes, Goshen Health officials said.

"We are excited to see that a number of patients have already begun using this service," said Randy Christophel, Goshen Health President and CEO. "We are hearing from patients, their family members and providers that they appreciate these virtual visits, how easy and safe they are."

Virtual visits can replace office visits for most of the reasons patients schedule a primary care appointment, namely colds, the flu, a cough, fever, sore throat, nausea, pink eye or urinary tract infection. If a patient is experiencing flu-like symptoms or may have COVID-19, primary care providers can screen, evaluate symptoms and provide next steps -- including referrals to in-person care, as needed.

In addition, many specialty care appointments can be done virtually, such as new patient appointments and follow-up visits.

The cost of a virtual visit is covered by most health insurance plans. Patients can call their provider to schedule a virtual visit.

Virtual programs bring state parks into homes

Instead of working on the frontline at state parks these days, interpretive naturalists are working online.

As a result, at-home "park visitors" who are unable to enjoy state park features interpreters normally provide, such as in-person nature hikes and programs, can enjoy virtual hikes, presentations and live streaming programs from their homes.

Topics include wildflower walks, nature talks, live captive animal feedings, history programs, craft tutorials, pre-school programs, property tours and more. Program length ranges from five to 50 minutes.

"People's day-to-day activities have changed, slowed, or stopped altogether because of COVID-19, but nature keeps on moving," said Ginger Murphy, deputy director for stewardship for Indiana State Parks. "Our interpretive naturalists are dedicated to sharing the outdoors, virtually, to keep Hoosiers engaged and uplifted."

Upcoming virtual programs can be found at calendar.dnr.IN.gov. Locate them by typing "Virtual" in the Keyword Search. People can also go to stateparks.IN.gov and click next to the turtle photo on "Find a Virtual Program." All state parks virtual programs are listed together at stateparks.IN.gov/10352.htm.

People can visit their favorite park's Facebook page to look for videos. Search the page using #VirtualINStatePark, where people can also check out past virtual programs. As an example of where to start, the Parks Department suggests searching for Brown County State Park and Monroe Lake.

More programs are added every day, so keep checking in, parks officials said.

Hospitality workers can apply for assistance

Adults 18 and older who have worked on a part-time or full-time basis in the hospitality industry in Indiana for at least 90 days in the last year are eligible for consideration for a one-time $500 relief grant.

To apply, go online to https://inrlarelief.com/

The Hospitality Relief Fund was created by the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association to give back to employees of the hospitality industry who are reeling in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and who were among the first to face economic fallout.

Contact tracking, how does it work?

When the Elkhart County Health Department receives information on a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, many processes go into action. First, health officials said, the Community Health Nurses will speak directly with the patient or the delegate the patient assigns. The patient is told to self-isolate at home until seven days from the time symptoms began and three days fever free without fever-reducing medication, and symptoms are improving. All three of those have to be happening to be released from isolation.

Next, anyone who has direct contact with the patient will be contacted to make them aware they have been in contact with a person who has tested positive. The nurses will remind those people of the symptoms and have them self-quarantine at home for 14 days from the last day of contact with the infected person. Close contacts may be quarantined longer than the infected person due to time it takes to incubate.

Close contacts are those people who have been within six feet of a COVID-19-positive person for 10 minutes or longer.

If no symptoms appear after 14 days, the person who had contact with the COVID-19-positive person is no longer considered to be at-risk.

The employer of the COVID-19-positive person will be contacted as well, and told they need to inform anyone who had immediate contact with the COVID-19-positive patient. Those with direct contact need to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. After 14 days, the person could go back to work if the person is not showing symptoms, health officials said.

Duo Form launches new DUO intubation boxes

Duo Form announced recently it has launched its new DUO intubation boxes used to help protect medical workers against the novel coronavirus. The DUO intubation boxes provide additional protection between medical staff and patients when performing endotracheal intubation in a patient with known or suspected COVID-19.

Intubating a COVID-19 patient is considered an extremely high-risk procedure for medical staff and the box is designed to reduce this risk by containing the aerosols generated by the patient during the intubation procedure, company officials said.

The DUO Intubation Box is different from other similar products on the market, as it is designed to come apart in four pieces for easy cleaning and disinfecting and collapses flat for easy storage and shipping, company officials said. The box can also be kept over the patient's head during transport; for example, from the ER to the ICU or for utilization in extubating a patient from a ventilator -- a known cough-inducing procedure.

"The Duo Box provides additional protection between the medical staff and a high-risk patient during an intubation. This box is designed to reduce risk by containing fine particulate matter and liquids produced by the patient during the intubation process," said Mike Gonser, director of Duo New Product Development. "We just want to be able to help protect our health care workers and help the nation end the pandemic."

"We are currently ramping up production with the goal of manufacturing 50 boxes per day within one week of launch, and ramping up from there," Gonser said.

Also, since last week, the Edwardsburg Thermoforming company has begun to produce up to 1,200 polycarbonate face shields per day, expanding distribution to both Michigan and Indiana hospitals, local medical facilities, local civic entities including police and fire squads, retirement homes and more.

Duo Form is beginning to promote the availability of these masks to other local essential frontline workers including: retail, grocery and restaurant staff. The face shields are washable.

For more information to buy in bulk, contact [email protected]. Individual shields are available for purchase direct on https://www.duoformplastics.com/shop.

Also launching Monday is the new Duo Retail Safety Shield designed for use anywhere a cashier would come in contact with a customer. The modified sneeze-guard is designed to block virus-containing droplets, released by coughing, sneezing and speaking.

Sheila Selman can be reached at [email protected] or 574-533-2151, ext. 240311. Follow Sheila on Twitter @sselman_TGN.

Sheila Selman can be reached at [email protected] or 574-533-2151, ext. 240311. Follow Sheila on Twitter @sselman_TGN.

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