March 17 COVID-19 updates: Home and Garden Show postponed; GF Clinic releases response operations; Red Cross needs blood donations; DMV changes; food pantries

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Home and Garden Show

The Home and Garden Show has been postponed from April to June 12-14 due to COVID-19.

Great Falls details COVID-19 plans

PATIENT SAFETY IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY. DURING THIS TIME, WE WILL BE SEPARATING SICK PATIENTS FROM WELL PATIENTS. We want our patients to feel confident that we have patients in the right healthcare setting to promote patient safety across all areas. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS.

  1. A 24/7 COVID-19 Helpline has been implemented. Please call ahead prior to visiting the Great Falls Clinic if you have fever, cough, and shortness of breath or have concerns you might have COVID-19.
  2. For questions related to COVID-19, please contact our helpline number at 406-454-7275. If phone lines are busy, patients are encouraged to leave a brief message with a call back number.
  3. We would like to ensure all departments within the Clinic are safe for normal visits and surgeries by maintaining a specific location for sick visits.

Effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020:

  1. All patients, visitors, vendors, and staff will be screened every day they enter the facility. All points of entry will be monitored and screened patients will be identified with a unique sticker each day to verify they have completed COVID-19 screening requirements at the door.
    • 1 station at Main Campus, 1400 29th Street South
    • 1 station at Hospital, 3010 15th Ave South
    • 3 stations at Specialty Center, 3000 15th Ave South
    • 1 station at Surgery Center, 1509 29th Street South
    • 1 station at Montana Plastic Surgery Center, 1600 9th St South
  1. In order to contain the spread of any unwanted germs, the Northwest Clinic at 1600 Division Road, Great Falls has been identified as the primary location to send patients that fail our screening test.
  2. If a patient presents with any COVID-type illness, they will not be seen in any location except for the Northwest Clinic.
  3. Northwest Clinic will only be accessible to evaluate patients with respiratory illness, (fever and/or cough, shortness of breath, sore throat) only. There will be no other entry allowed into this facility until further notice.
  4. Patients who require, or will likely need, hospital care related to COVID-19 complaints will be directed to our Emergency Department, 3010 15th Ave South.
  5. We understand testing costs may prohibit some patients from being tested, therefore, we are reviewing all costs for testing patients when screening for COVID-19 and adjustments will be made and communicated with providers. We are working to lower these costs to accommodate during the pandemic. Some of those tests include influenza, respiratory viral panel, and COVID-19 testing. Most commercial insurances have communicated that testing for COVID-19 specifically will not have an out of pocket impact on patients. Patients should be encouraged to reach out to their insurance company for specific details regarding these costs.
  6. The Great Falls Clinic does NOT have COVID-19 testing kits and those tests are directed to other laboratories once other tests are negative and COVID-19 is suspected.
  7. Northwest Clinic’s hours will also be extended through the weekend to manage this volume – Updated hours are as follows:
    • Northwest: Monday- Friday, 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
    • Northwest: Saturday- Sunday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    • Immediate Care Center- Monday- Friday, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
    • Immediate Care Center – Saturday- Sunday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
  8. Screening questions include the following:
    • Anyone exhibiting symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath
    • Who have traveled to the following areas in the last 14 days including: China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and Europe and;
    • Have been in contact with someone who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 virus and not wearing appropriate protective equipment will.
  1. We are working on a work-from-home policy to increase social distancing options for our staff.
  2. Visitors will be severely restricted in all settings and a policy will be presented with guidelines on the management of visitors.
  3. Students and volunteers have been cancelled to increase social distancing.
  4. We have removed all reading material and coffee percolators from our waiting areas to reduce possible contaminants.
  5. We will work with all patients requesting to reschedule, please call us at 406-454-2171.

Tips for our patients

We encourage all patients to:

  1. Practice social distancing, avoid large social gathering. Instead order take-out or buy a restaurant gift card for future use if you want to support a local business. Many local shops are offering curbside pick-up!
  2. Bring your own reading material to your next doctor’s appointment.
  3. Leave space between yourself and those in the waiting areas or check-in lines.
  4. If you are worried about attending your appointment, call ahead and ask questions.
  5. Cough or sneeze into your elbow.
  6. Instead of a hug or a handshake, give a peace sign or a shoe-to-shoe tap.
  7. Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer when you see it.
  8. Take care of yourself and your family.

Motor Vehicle Offices

Attorney General Tim Fox and Motor Vehicle Division Administrator Sarah Garcia announced changes on March 17.

For all driver licenses due to expire in March, April, or May of 2020, Fox and his staff are working with the governor’s office on the possibility of an executive order extending the renewal deadline by 90 days. The goal is to limit the need for visits to MVD stations during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Note that an extension of Montana’s deadline may not necessarily prevent a person from being cited by a law enforcement agency in another state.)

5 p.m. March 17 update: The governor just announced that he signed the executive order drafted and requested by Attorney General Fox, which extends for 90 days the renewal deadline for driver licenses that expire in March, April, or May.

It is not necessary to renew vehicle registrations in-person at a county treasurer’s office. Vehicle registrations can be renewed by mail and at www.dojmt.gov/driving. A vehicle registration’s grace period expires at the end of the month as shown on your license plate tab. If a customer renews online, they may do so up to one month after the date shown on their tab.

In order to implement social distancing, effective 3/18/2020, all Class D (non-commercial) driving tests will be suspended for 30 days. Because driving tests require people to share a confined space for an extended period, they increase the risk of COVID-19 spread. MVD will reassess the suspension in mid-April and determine if testing can resume on a full or limited basis.

Waiting areas, especially in many of the more rural MVD stations, can also increase the risk of COVID-19 spread. Effective 3/18/2020, MVD is limiting the number of people in each waiting area in order to help address social distancing concerns. Customers who enter a full waiting area can give their phone number to the staff and ask to be called when it is their turn for service.

Because MVD’s driver license station in Helena is located at AAA and AAA is closing to the public temporarily due to COVID-19, MVD is moving its driver license office to the Scott Hart Building at 302 N Roberts St.

“These changes and reminders are aimed at limiting public congregation and interaction while still allowing for the provision of important services,” Attorney General Fox said. “COVID-19 is changing how we go about our day-to-day lives, and it requires all of us to make adjustments. The important thing is that we work together as Montanans and help each other as family, friends, and neighbors.”

“We will continue to evaluate our driver, vehicle, and business services and determine how we can limit unnecessary public interactions, protect our employees, while still providing the services that Montanans rely on,” said MVD Administrator Garcia. “The COVID-19 situation is fluid, changing daily and so our response will adapt as necessary.”

Red Cross

The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Healthy individuals are needed now to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood, according to a release.

Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood with the Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

“As the coronavirus pandemic has grown here in the U.S., blood drive cancellations have grown at an alarming rate. To date, nearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to concerns about congregating at workplaces, college campuses and schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak. These cancellations have resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations. More than 80 percent of the blood the Red Cross collects comes from drives held at locations of this type,” according to a release.

The Red Cross is adding appointment slots at donation centers and expanding capacity at many community blood drives across the country over the next few weeks to ensure ample opportunities for donors to give.

The Red Cross expects the number of cancellations to continue to increase, which is causing heightened concern for blood collection organizations and hospitals across the country. This blood shortage could impact patients who need surgery, victims of car accidents and other emergencies, or patients suffering from cancer.

“I am looking at the refrigerator that contains only one day’s supply of blood for the hospital,” said Dr. Robertson Davenport, director of transfusion medicine at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. “The hospital is full. There are patients who need blood and cannot wait.”

“In our experience, the American public comes together to support those in need during times of shortage and that support is needed now more than ever during this unprecedented public health crisis,” said Chris Hrouda, president, Red Cross Biomedical Services. “Unfortunately, when people stop donating blood, it forces doctors to make hard choices about patient care, which is why we need those who are healthy and well to roll up a sleeve and give the gift of life.”

The Red Cross has implemented new measures to ensure blood drives and donation centers are even safer for our donors and staff, including:

  • Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.
  • Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process.
  • Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood donors.
  • Increasing enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment.

At each blood drive and donation center, Red Cross employees already follow thorough safety protocols to help prevent the spread of any type of infection, including:

  • Wearing gloves and changing gloves with each donor.
  • Routinely wiping down donor-touched areas.
  • Using sterile collection sets for every donation.
  • Preparing the arm for donation with an aseptic scrub.

There is no data or evidence that this coronavirus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases of transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus including this coronavirus worldwide.

“Volunteer donors are the unsung heroes for patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. If you are healthy, feeling well and eligible to give, please schedule an appointment to give now,” added Hrouda.

To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.

Food programs

School pantries are in need of cereal, noodles, rice, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly, according to Great Falls Public Schools.

You can drop donations at any school office between 8 .m. and 4 p.m.

Boys and Girls Club kitchen on March 17 will begin producing grab and go meals offered to club members and their families for pick up at their two locations on the westside and Parkdale.
A Boys and Girls Club YouTube channel has been established so that kids can access tutorial links, math and word games, art instructions, etc.

2 J’s Fresh owner Mike Vetere is donating and delivering food ingredients to supplement the Boys and Girls Club pantry and meals.

St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank continues supplementing the Boys and Girls Club pantry with fresh veggies, fruit, dairy via the the national Feeding America program..

SVDS Food Bank is in their 4th year of delivering fresh commodities to several “kid Kitchens” in GF via FRESH RESCUE with Sunburst Unlimited.

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Jenn Rowell
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