BY JULIE DOCKSTADER HEAPS

Getting educated about COVID-19 and community protocols may not only help slow the spread of the virus. You may also help mitigate a surge in a pandemic that has taken but 2 ½ months to travel from Asia to Star Valley.

On a more personal note. Trusting reliable healthcare sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Wyoming Department of Health, and local healthcare services such as Star Valley Health, can calm raw nerves midst confusion and uncertainty.

“The best reason you have to be educated through the proper resources is you can remain calm,” said Joel Johnson, vice president of communications for Star Valley Health. “You can prepare yourself and your family and not help spread the virus throughout the community.

“If we have a surge, it’s going to be three to six weeks after these other big metropolitan areas. So if we’re following the information from the CDC [and local health officials], we can keep things smaller in our areas. Reduce the spread.”

Foreseeing the inevitable, Star Valley Health formed an incident command team as early as January – weeks before the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Wyoming was announced on March 11 by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), Johnson related.

“We’ve been watching the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and guidelines they’ve been giving out, the Wyoming Department of Health, and county public health to make sure we’re all on the same page and giving the same information out.”

To get everyone “on the same page,” Johnson added, health officials like those with Star Valley Health use local, regional and state media resources to reach as many people as possible. And during this particular media interview, Johnson was referring to the cooperation between Star Valley Health and SVI Media in disseminating correct pandemic protocols.

“All of us are trying to dispel any rumors out there so people have correct facts,” he added.

Speaking of the impacts COVID-19 is having on the lives of Wyoming citizens and healthcare workers, SVI Media publisher Dan Dockstader sought to reassure listeners and readers of the Star Valley Independent, svinews.com and the SVI Radio Network: “The staff of SVI Media will continue to provide up-to-date coverage on where the virus has spread, what areas are seeing the greatest impact, and the attending economic repercussions.

“To keep our listeners and readers informed, SVI Media and the SVI Radio Network will provide daily updates from reliable healthcare and community sources on the latest testing and isolation protocols as well as where and how to access community resources.

“And because citizens of our state – in particular those in Star Valley – watch out for their neighbors, we will ensure outreach programs, such as the statewide hunger initiative task force in conjunction with local food pantries, are publicized.”

These resources will be kept updated not only in the print edition of the Star Valley Independent, but also several times a day online via svinews.com and the new SVI Media app, launched last week.

“On the first night Lincoln County announced its first positive COVID-19 test, our app registered 100 hits per second for a short time,” Dockstader added. “And keep your radios tuned to SWIFT 98.7 FM in Star Valley and THE SPUR, 105.3 FM in Kemmerer, Diamondville and Bridger Valley – the SVI Radio Network. The morning show, Weekday Wake Up is loaded with news and interviews related to current conditions.”

SVI Media reported the state’s first confirmed virus case on March 11 – an adult female from Sheridan County. On March 14, the staff reported the first case in Eastern Idaho. Since then, new cases have been reported as soon as healthcare officials confirmed positive tests.

In the weeks since then, staff members have worked in conjunction with healthcare and government officials to inform the public about such efforts as emergency disaster funds for local businesses in the economic wake of COVID-19, federal responses to COVID-19 and CARES Act, and efforts of everyday neighbors to help one another and respond to the needs of the elderly and shut-ins.

Some of these efforts have come through the Wyoming News Exchange, of which SVI Media is a part. Also, articles and radio interviews have originated with SVI staff. Duke Dance and Dahl Erickson have run daily interviews related to healthcare on the SVI Radio Network. And articles in the Independent, on svinews.com and on the new app have highlighted efforts and local needs, including local and regional food pantries’ initiatives.

Articles in recent days have included the following:

• An April 4 report explained that Gov. Mark Gordon had ordered all out-of-state visitors to Wyoming to self-quarantine for 14 days and extended until the end of April the orders closing schools and some businesses in the state. Gov. Gordon explained: “Visitors from neighboring states have strained the resources of many Wyoming communities, so we’re asking them to do the right thing to protect the health of our citizens and the resources of our rural health care facilities.”
• An April 1 article reported Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress calling for aid and support of Wyoming coal and ash industries and for ranchers.
• In an April 3 report, Dr. Cris Krell of South Lincoln Medical Center and Tori Probst, leader of the incident command team at Star Valley Health, discussed in separate radio interviews protocols and treatments for COVID-19 and dispelled several myths related to the virus.
• And in this week’s Star Valley Independent, editor Sarah Hale wrote of valley residents lifting the spirits of residents at Star Valley Care Center by painting the windows of those having birthdays.

To read or listen to news and reports on svinews.com, click here or download the new SVI Media app on your device’s app store. To get COVID-19 information from Star Valley Health, click here. For up-to-date information from the Wyoming Department of Health, click here. The latter includes a map and statistics of the latest positive cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming.

And to share news with SVI Media, call “our team” at 307-885-5727. Staff members are observing social distancing protocols, but welcome phone calls from the Star Valley public.