Behind the Scenes of Spokane’s Coronavirus Response
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Wondering what’s going on in Spokane this week? We round up all the latest interesting news in Spokane here – chat about the latest Spokane news over at our new Facebook group here!
Miss out on our previous news stories? You can find all the news you missed here!
The “brain”: Emergency Coordination Center at the heart of Spokane’s COVID-19 response [The Spokesman-Review]
Summary: In an unassuming, out-of-the-way building near Spokane Community College, scores of elected leaders, emergency responders and public health officials coordinate their response to the crisis facing Spokane County
But in the Emergency Coordination Center, the current challenge is unlike any its leaders have ever taken on before.
ES Analysis: If you’ve ever wondered who is coordinating the behind the scenes response to a major event, like the current COVID-19 pandemic, this article from Adam Shanks at The Spokesman-Review does an excellent job explaining it all!
Having worked in an Emergency Operations Center in my previous career, this is a fascinating look behind the scenes of how Spokane’s Emergency Coordination Center works and all of the tireless work that goes into making sure the people of Spokane (and the surrounding areas) are safe. There is a whole team making sure the city is prepared and safe – a must read!
Spokane Regional Health District announces new hours for drive-thru coronavirus screening site [KHQ]
Summary: The drive-thru COVID-19 clinic at the Spokane County Fairgrounds now has new hours.
According to the Spokane County Regional Health District, the new hours are as follows:
Monday – Friday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
ES Analysis: This is important news for anyone who is seeking to be tested for COVID-19. You will want to speak to your doctor or another health professional before arriving on site.
Learn more about screening and testing over at our ‘Everything You Need to Know About the Coronavirus in Spokane.’
With their salons closed, hair professionals are at loose ends [The Spokesman-Review]
Summary: The storefront of Bliss Hair Studio is usually full of stylists chatting with their clients and women sitting with foil in their hair.
On Thursday the storefront was empty.
ES Analysis: Although it seems like such a small thing to focus on (oh no, we can’t go to the salon or barbershop for a haircut or color) this highlights a bigger problem in parts of this industry: for many stylists and barbers, they work as independent contractors.
This means they are not employees and are therefore generally not provided health insurance or allowed access to unemployment insurance if they’re not working.
Luckily, the new stimulus bill recently passed by Congress does allow independent contractors to file for unemployment insurance, but keep this in mind when we do get to go back to our stylists and barbers: they’re small business owners too, even if they don’t have employees. Let’s support all of our small business owners!
Spokane high schooler uses 3D printer to create face shields for healthcare workers [KXLY]
Summary: Instead of spending his weekend watching T.V., Connor Duncan spent it watching his 3D printer go to work…
Connor, a sophomore at North Central High School and aspiring orthopedic surgeon, decided to combine his love for math, science and his 3D printer to create protective face shields for healthcare workers facing a shortage of medical equipment…
ES Analysis: This is a great, heart-warming story by Taylor Graham of KXLY about an ingenious student who’s using his time off from school to better than Spokane community. What more could you want from this story? Go Connor!
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