COVID-19 Joint Information Center Update: May 20, 2020

Posted: May 20, 2020

Coronavirus, Daily COVID-19 Briefings

The Washington County, Maryland Joint Information Center (JIC) provides the following update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to receive Washington County daily briefings delivered to your inbox.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

Continue to support local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic by ordering takeout. Visit https://www.wcltv.com/restaurants to find a list of your favorite restaurants. Support our local restaurants by ordering carryout, curbside pickup, delivery, or gift cards.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are ways to slow the spread of COVID-19 while picking up takeout food.

• Order & pay online or over the phone when possible.

• Accept take-out without in-person contact or stay at least 6 feet away from others.

• Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after bringing home your food.

Learn more about slowing the spread of COVID-19 when running essential errands by visiting https://bit.ly/34ucuqJ.

WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The health department’s Behavioral Health Division is dedicated to providing important services to the community through these difficult times. We have reduced our hours to Monday- Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please see the following updates about our Harm Reduction Program (Narcan) and Tobacco Free For Life Program:

The Tobacco Free for Life program has temporarily suspended their classes, however those who are in need of free nicotine replacement therapy patches, gum and/or lozenges can still receive them. Please call 240-313-3310 to arrange drop off or pick up. This pertains to individuals who were attending TFFL classes when the shut-down occurred or those who have attended since January 2020 (we would have signed paperwork for you). Once classes start up again we’ll be able to get the necessary paperwork filled out by new class participants so they can begin getting free patches, gum and lozenges.

The Harm Reduction Program is continuing to supply the community with Narcan. If you are interesting in getting Narcan or need to replace your expired Narcan please call 240-313-3310. We are able to provide pick up services outside our building at 925 N. Burhans Blvd in Hagerstown. In accordance with social distancing guidelines we ask that you stay in your car and one of our employees will deliver the Narcan to you.

If you are interested in Narcan outside of office hours please go to the following pharmacy:

Williamsport Pharmacy

100 E Potomac St

Williamsport, MD 21795

Express Pharmacy

25 N Cannon Avenue

Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

Reed’s Pharmacy

343 N Pennsylvania Ave

Hancock, MD 21750

Sharpsburg Pharmacy

17316 Shepherdstown Pike

Sharpsburg, MD 21782

Smithsburg Pharmacy

22030 Jefferson Blvd

Smithsburg, MD 21783

MERITUS HEALTH

BLOOD DRIVE COMING THURSDAY, MAY 28th

With no known end date in the fight against coronavirus, the American Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come. Mitigation measures being taken at all blood drives help ensure blood recipient safety, as well as staff and donor safety in reducing contact with those who may potentially have this respiratory infection. Help keep hospital shelves stocked during this uncertain time by making an appointment for the next blood drive being hosted in this community: Thursday, May 28, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Robinwood Professional Center’s atrium (Blue entrance). Appointments are required and can be made at RedCrossBlood.org under the search term “Robinwood.”

Meritus Health thanks the community for their continued support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please watch their thank you video here.

#MeritusHealthCareHeroes Community Support

COVID-19 TESTING EXPANDS TO THOSE WITH NO SYMPTOMS

Click on the map to right to access the closest COVID-19 testing site.

COVID-19 testing is now available to those who do not currently have symptoms of the coronavirus, but suspect or are concerned that they have been exposed. No appointments or referrals are needed to be tested. Testing is now available for all ages. Meritus Health’s screening centers include:

Drive-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available behind Meritus Medical Plaza, at 13620 Crayton Blvd. Hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and weekends from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walk-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available at 24 N. Walnut St, Hagerstown, MD. The walk-thru screening center is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FREE TELEHEALTH VISITS AVAILABLE

Meritus Health continues to offer FREE telehealth visits. These visits will allow patients to speak directly with a primary care provider to discuss health concerns.

Telehealth visits are available from 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday. To request a telehealth visit please complete the form below.

BOOK YOUR TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT HERE

VIRTUAL VISITS CONNECT PATIENTS AND FAMILIES

Meritus Health is now offering virtual visits to connect patients in the hospital with their families and friends. To setup a virtual visit, please contact the program’s coordinator at 240-313-3163.

WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Please stay tuned to www.hagerstown.org for the latest information on COVID-19 relief resources, local restaurants that remain open for business, and more!

The Chamber is focusing on ways that we can lead the way with recovery efforts for businesses. Please watch the video below to see how the Chamber is preparing to safely return to the office.

Upcoming Webinars

Thu, May 21, 2020 1:00 PM EST

Together We Rise Webinar: Business Town Hall on Recovery & Reopening

Tickets

Thursday, May 21st, 12:00 p.m.

FREE WEBINAR hosted by ThinkHR: “Returning to Work: Post COVID-19 Workplace Health & Safety

As businesses prepare to reopen offices and workplaces, ThinkHR is getting thousands of questions regarding the responsibility to provide safe and healthy working environments.

Join us for our upcoming webinar as Kara Govro, Senior Legal Editor, discusses what employers can do to prepare their workplaces for the return of employees. During this 60-minute informational webinar, Kara will also explore infectious disease control strategies for specific business profiles (size, industry, setting). Can’t make the webinar? Register and we’ll send you a recording.

Attention Employers:

Visit www.washcorises.net to stay informed regarding the latest updates to the recovery and reopening in Washington County.

The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions for the application. Click here to view the application and instructions.

The purpose of this page is to help the public distinguish between rumors and facts regarding the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Rumors can easily circulate within communities during a crisis. Do your part to the stop the spread of disinformation by doing 3 easy things; don’t believe the rumors, don’t pass them along and go to trusted sources of information to get the facts about the state of Maryland’s (COVID-19) response.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES & INFORMATION

SEEKING VENDORS FOR LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKETS

The Washington County Department of Business Development is reaching out to the local agricultural community in find vendors for various local markets across the County. If you or someone you know is interested in being a vendor at a local market, please contact Washington County Agricultural Business Specialist, Leslie Hart, at [email protected] or 301-573-7039.

WASHINGTON COUNTY FARM BUREAU TO HOLD FREE MILK DISTRIBUTION

The Washington County Department of Business Development announces theWashington County Farm Bureau will be distributing free milk to the community on Saturday, May 23, 2020.

The milk distribution will be held in the parking lot adjacent to the Washington County Transit Transfer Center located at 123 Franklin St, Hagerstown, MD. The hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or until 2,100 gallons of milk have been distributed. This new location allows for easier access to those that may reside in Hagerstown, as the distribution point is now within walking distance of downtown.

The Washington County Farm Bureau is taking advanced orders from local nonprofit organizations, food pantries, and any organizations that have the ability to further distribute milk to clients. Please share this email with any Washington County nonprofits or food pantries that may benefit from this free milk distribution.

Please reply to Leslie Hart ([email protected]) and Matt Schnebly ([email protected]) by this Friday, May 15, 2020 with the information below. The milk will be held for pick up at 123 Franklin Street, Hagerstown, MD.

Please provide your organization name
Contact person and cell phone
Name of person picking up the milk and their cell phone number
Total number of gallons your organization would like to pick up
Please pick up your milk between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

The Washington County Farm Bureau is dedicated to this community along with the agricultural community and local dairy farms. Your support is greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a monetary donation to the FREE MILK initiative, please contact Matt Schnebly at 717-360-4699. Please direct any questions to Leslie Hart or Matt Schnebly.

COVID-19 RELATED PHISHING

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security or DHS and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA continue to see indications of Advanced Persistent Threat or APT groups targeting health care, pharmaceutical, academia and medical research organizations, as well as individuals, using COVID-19 related scams and phishing emails.

Examples of Phishing email subject lines may include:

2020 Coronavirus Updates
Coronavirus Updates
2019-nCov: New confirmed cases in your city
2019-nCov: Coronavirus outbreak in your city (Emergency).

These emails contain a call to action, encouraging users to visit a website that malicious cyber actors use for stealing valuable data, such as usernames and passwords, credit card information and other personal information. Be sure your passwords are strong and carefully monitor your email, texts and phone calls during this vulnerable time.