The Western Governors' Association keeps you updated on news of the West. Here are the top stories for the week starting March 23, 2020. Photo courtesy of WyoFile.
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a formidable challenge to our nation, with case numbers rising sharply in recent weeks.
As Jim Ogsbury notes in his recent Executive Director’s Notebook, Governors across the country have been working tirelessly to combat the disease’s spread, implementing measures such as limitations on social gatherings, stay-at-home orders, and non-essential business closures.
But for businesses deemed essential, halting operations or working remote isn’t an option. Truck drivers, for example, are vital components in the supply chain for everything from food and household goods to lifesaving medical supplies.
“We are in a way isolated, but on the other hand we’re stopping at rest stops and travel stops with people from all over the world,” cross-country commercial driver Ron Morgan told WyoFile.
In addition to the heightened risk of exposure, truck drivers also must deal with a shortage of supplies such as hand sanitizer and non-perishable foods, which can make an already difficult job that much harder.
Healthcare workers across the country are already struggling to keep up with an influx of patients. Telehealth, the process of providing remote care through digital mediums, is one potential solution to that increased strain, but in many cases, demand exceeds the resources available.
“When you look at telehealth and who it was designed to help, it was those folks that reside in rural communities,” Chip Lyon, director of business development for Banner Health, told The Colorado Sun. “And I think what this pandemic has done is really highlight the fact that we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Much of that work revolves around overcoming financial barriers, a difficult task for rural hospitals already operating in the red. Consequently, Colorado has recently expanded telehealth services to allow Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics and Indian Health Services to bill the state’s public health insurance program for remote treatment.
Learn more about WGA’s efforts to expand telehealth access.
Traveling nurses and doctors, according to NPR, are also stepping up to fill gaps in rural healthcare coverage. Aya Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest staffing companies, recently deployed approximately 300 clinicians to rural hospitals, while also working to mobilize an additional 1,300 more in the near future.
To speed this process, many states have temporarily eased their licensing requirements, allowing traveling doctors and nurses to avoid redundant applications and screening.
"Making the process easier and accepting out of state licenses from other areas immediately opens up supply chain channels that were not available to them prior to this change," said April Hansen, a vice president at Aya.
Although cities like New York have been hit especially hard by COVID-19, rural communities are by no means immune to the virus’s disastrous ramifications.
To start, High Country News reports that in the West, nearly 100,000 people aged 65 or older live in counties without a hospital bed. But COVID-19 can present a variety of challenges to everyday life, even for rural residents who manage to stay healthy.
As schools around the country close their doors for the foreseeable future, a troubling lack of broadband access means many students could be completely cut off from their education.
In fact, according to Politico, nearly 12 million children live in homes without high-speed Internet, a good portion of whom reside in rural areas.
“I appreciate that we want to pivot really fast to technology, but we've got to first recognize that there are lots and lots of kids in this country who are not connected at home, and that’s a challenge,” said FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “And this experience really is a clarion call that we should start addressing the homework gap.”
This so-called “homework gap” – a term coined by Rosenworcel to describe the phenomenon of unequal broadband access amongst students – has been present long before COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Nevertheless, the disease is an important reminder of the that dire consequences that such a disparity can create.
Find out what WGA is doing to help expand broadband access in rural areas.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a frightening experience for the entire nation, and the West is no exception. However, there are still glimmers of hope.
In Teton County, Wyoming, One22, a non-profit that aids those who face health, financial and cultural challenges, is helping to support residents dealing with the fallout of the virus, WyoFile reports.
“Fortunately, and quite miraculously, we’ve had some donors with incredible vision [give] hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to relieve distress,” said Executive Director Sharel Lund. “We worked around the clock this week to redesign our financial aid, streamline and lower the barrier to entry and get it out when it is needed.”
Elsewhere in the state, distillers and brewers, including the Natrona County-based Backwards Distilling Company, are converting their production facilities to make hand sanitizer in the wake of a national shortage, according to The Casper Star-Tribune. Adult beverage companies in Colorado are following suit as well, in some cases producing up to 20 liters a day.
"We are deeply troubled not just by the rapid spread of this virus, but also by the scarcity of medical and hygiene products necessary for treating it," Lee Spirits co-owner Nick Lee told Westword. "Our distillery has the capacity to contribute to a solution, making it an easy decision for us to become a temporary manufacturer of hand sanitizer."
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