April 9, 2020
As of noon today, April 9, 2020, there are still only 3 cases of COVID-19 in Ravalli County. All cases were travel originated. The people that tested positive are in isolation and their contacts are being quarantined.
Events this weekend: Two religious organizations have been closely working with the Emergency Operation Center to hold their events Saturday in celebration of Easter. Incident Commander Calderwood: “We appreciate both of these organizations notifying us of their activities. Thank You. Both of these groups had plans in place to ensure distancing, and other safety and health measures to ensure their participants were protected.”
The Christian Veterans of the Bitterroot, will have a march Saturday, starting at Angler’s Roost to Lolo. Call 406-369-5813 for more information.
Hamilton Assembly of God is hosting a drive through Easter program Saturday. Call 406-363-2510 for more information.
————————————————
The Ravalli County COVID-19 Incident Management Team was organized March 17, 2020, at the request of Ravalli County officials to help County residents through the COVID-19 emergency.
Incident Management Team [IMT] is a term used in the United States to refer to a group that responds to an emergency. Although the IMT concept was originally developed for wildfire response, it has been expanded into what is now known as “All Hazards”.
Incident Commander Dr. Carol Calderwood: “I am proud of the Ravalli County Incident Management Team. Almost all of the members have additional full time jobs and took on this assignment without question. I am still an employee at Marcus Daly Hospital and other doctors are filling in behind me so I can fulfill my responsibilities of Incident Commander. Ravalli County has a great resource in all these people, and their combined expertise is invaluable during this time.”
For an IMT to know why it was formed, and for what purpose, there is a Leader’s Intent. The Leader’s Intent for the County’s COVID-19 Incident Management Teams is “To reduce morbidity [disease population] and mortality by implementation of current best practices to communicate, educate, reduce viral transmission, isolate patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, quarantine and/or monitor persons appropriately based on likelihood of prior exposure, and support the healthcare delivery infrastructure.
The objectives of the IMT are:
- Communication
- Education
- Community Transmission Reduction
- Isolation of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19
- Quarantine/Monitoring – Identify close contacts of cases to see if they warrant containment.
- Support healthcare delivery systems.
Members of the Ravalli County COVID-19 Incident Management Team:
Incident Commander – Dr. Carol Calderwood, Ravalli County Public Health Officer
Deputy Incident Commander – Brad Mohn, Hamilton Fire Chief
Liaison Officer – Brad Mohn, Hamilton Fire Chief
Marcus Daly Hospital, Law Enforcement, Cities, and Towns
Safety Officer – Steve Holton, Ravalli County Sheriff
Information Officer – Dixie Dies, National IMT Information
Operation Section Chief – John Palacio, Ravalli County Environmental Health Director
Public Health – Karyn Johnston, Ravalli County Public Health Nurse
Office of Emergency Management – Erik Hoover, Director
Emergency Operations Center – Krista Mohn, Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office