Tuesday, July 28th, Adena Health System officials will celebrate the placing of the final beam in the construction of the Adena Orthopedic and Robotic Surgery Center.
Construction began on the $70-million, five-story facility in November of 2019 with expected completion in summer 2021.
The center will house the region’s largest robot-assisted surgery program and Adena’s nationally accredited orthopedics program. Additionally, the facility will be home to specialized care for spine, sports medicine, neurology, general surgery, podiatry and other specialties.
The ceremony will be closed to the public, but those wishing to can watch via a live video presentation on the Adena Health System Facebook Page.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today provided the following updates on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UPDATED COUNTY RISK LEVELS
Governor DeWine announced today that new public health data has led the Ohio Department of Health to designate 23 counties as being in a Red Alert Level 3 Public Emergency as defined by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System.
Allen County is also on Ohio’s Watch List because it is closely nearing Purple Alert Level 4.
Franklin and Licking counties, despite meeting fewer indicators, remain at Red Alert Level 3 due to meeting the CDC guidelines for high incidence of COVID-19.
Butler, Lorain, Summit, and Wood counties were downgraded to Orange Alert Level 2, however, these counties remain at the CDC definition of moderately high incidence of COVID-19. Both Wood and Butler counties nearly meet the definition of high incidence.
“Overall, the downgrade in the risk levels in these four counties tells us that the measures to mitigate COVID-19 spread in red counties – including increased diligence in social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and reducing interactions with others outside your household – may be helping to slow the spread in these counties,” said Governor DeWine. “We are cautiously optimistic about this, but these are still high levels of spread, and citizens across Ohio must continue to be vigilant.”
Detailed information on each Red Alert Level 3 county can be found on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System’s website. The system was developed to provide local health departments, community leaders, and the public with data and information on the severity of the COVID-19 spread in the counties in which they live. The system consists of four levels with specific risk-level guidelines. Each level is calculated with data gathered on seven public health indicators.
Ohio’s statewide mask order goes into effect at 6:00 tonight.
IMPORTANCE OF SELF-QUARANTINES
Following an outbreak at an Ohio long-term care facility in which more than two dozen residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19, Governor DeWine continued to encourage Ohioans to self-quarantine for 14-days after traveling to high-risk areas.
Contact tracing found that the long-term care facility’s outbreak occurred due to a group of people who traveled to a high-risk area outside of Ohio and became sick upon return. Members of the group did not isolate and spread the virus into the nursing facility.
“When we look at the way this virus is progressing, we have to do everything we can to stop it in its tracks, and that may mean deferring a vacation so you’re not putting yourself or your friends and family at risk,” said Governor DeWine. “This may mean that you need to stay home from work, but these are critical sacrifices that we are calling on all Ohioans to make when necessary.”
BROADBAND EXPANSION
Lt. Governor Jon Husted today announced the next steps in OhioBroadband’s plans to expand broadband access across the state.
In an effort to provide schools with the ability to search, review and compare prices for purchasing hotspots and equipment, a Request for Information (RFI) will be issued to internet providers for everything from hotspots to laptops to tablets.
Respondents to the RFI will need to provide the specific equipment they have available, number of units available, price, and amount of time it would take to implement an order. This RFI will be specific to K-12 plans and will be housed in a single location, giving every school district a chance to compare what is available and make the best decision for their district and their students.
Additionally, pending upcoming Controlling Board approval, schools can apply for a dollar to dollar matching grant program with the state for hotspots, in-home internet, and internet-enabled devices to students. This funding will be facilitated through the federal CARES Act and will total $50 million. Schools will have the flexibility to use the funding through a connectivity plan that makes the most sense for their student population and district.
The Lt. Governor also announced the launch of a new E-Permitting system through InnovateOhio and the Ohio Department of Transportation. The new system fulfills a goal outlined in the December 2019, Ohio Broadband Strategy, and replaces a paper-only right-of-way permitting system with an online process that is more convenient for permit requesters and is expected to reallocate 24,000 hours of labor per year.
CURRENT COVID-19 DATA
There are 80,186 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 3,256 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 9,968 people have been hospitalized, including 2,403 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
Wednesday afternoon, citing concern from reports, Governor Mike DeWine addressed county fairs again in a Coronavirus news conference.
“We came out with about three pages of what we thought were very simple orders and some protocol to be followed by the fairs” said DeWine. “What we’ve unfortunately started to see is some fairs that were not following that. Some were, some were not… We had one county fair, so far, we know of 19 cases that arose out of that county fair. We’ve also seen pictures of some fairs where people were not social distancing. We see grandstands full of people.”
DeWine added he wants to see the fairs continue, “but, they have to follow the rules. They also have to follow what their local health department says.” With DeWine’s new order Wednesday, those attending fairs after 6pm Thursday will have to wear masks.
While the Governor didn’t single out a fair in particular, the Pickaway County Fair shared the following statement on Thursday via Facebook:
The statement concludes with the Pickaway County Fair Board inviting Pickaway County Public Health, Pickaway County Commissioners and Ohio Fair Managers Association representatives to a special meeting Monday, July 27 at 7pm in Heritage Hall to discuss how the health department’s data links the fair to the increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
The PCPH posting on social media Wednesday showed 45 active cases of COVID-19 among residents of Pickaway County, with a ten day trend of 79 cases. Ten days after the fair had closed, the state issued the Ohio Public Health Advisory System grading COVID-19 related concerns for counties across the state to be updated weekly. The second week, Pickaway County was added as a Level 3 status “Public Health Emergency for very high exposure and spread, recommending residents limit activities as much as possible”. The county has remained at Level 3.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has moved to require face coverings for all Ohioans when in public in all 88 counties effective 6pm July 23rd.
The directive comes a day before the Ohio Public Health Advisory System is updated. The Governor said there are some counties in Level 1 (Yellow) and 2 (Orange) Public Emergency which will likely be graded Level 3 (Red) Public Emergency with the new map to be released Wednesday.
Most of Ohio’s metropolitan areas are already in Red status (very high exposure and spread, limit activities as much as possible).
In recent days over a ten county region Litter Media has been following since the state began reporting cases in March, shows an increase of 278 cases since Friday July 17th to Tuesday’s statewide report – 136 of those have been reported in Fairfield County. The counties being tracked include, Fairfield, Fayette, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton.
DeWine also addressed county fairs after a Wednesday conference call fair representatives across the state. “We came out with about three pages of what we thought were very simple orders and some protocol to be followed by the fairs” said DeWine. “What we’ve unfortunately started to see is some fairs that were not following that. Some were, some were not… We had one county fair, so far, we know of 19 cases that arose out of that county fair. We’ve also seen pictures of some fairs where people were not social distancing. We see grandstands full of people.”
DeWine added he wants to see the fairs continue, “but, they have to follow the rules. They also have to follow what their local health department says.” With DeWine’s new order Wednesday, those attending fairs after 6pm Thursday will have to wear masks.
The Governor also added a travel advisory for those wishing to visit Ohio from states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher. Those states include Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas.
Today, I’m announcing a travel advisory for all individuals coming into #Ohio from states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for #COVID19 and recommend that those individuals self-quarantine for 14 days. pic.twitter.com/hrtbAOvDiv
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 22, 2020
The Ross County Health District released Tuesday recommendations to further limit COVID-19 spread: wash hands often, wear a mask plus stay six feet from others, and stay home if sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. It is also important to avoid crowded areas or places where social distancing and physical distancing is not possible, especially for those who are vulnerable or have underlying health issues.
The RCHD is working with several partners across Ross County including County Commissioners, Mayor Feeney and the City of Chillicothe, United Way of Ross County, Ross County Community Action, Adena Health System, Chillicothe-Ross County Foundation and Chillicothe and Ross County Public Libraries to ensuring access to masks. Free masks are available at several locations throughout the county with more sites being added in the coming weeks. Locations can be found: htp://rosscountyhealth.org/2020/07/free-masks/.
For more information about COVID-19 activity in Ross County, visit rosscountyhealth.org. To report a COVID-19 related complaint visit htp://rosscountyhealth.org/covid-19complaint/
The Ross County Health District reports 201 cases of COVID-19 as of 2pm July 21, 2020.
The report shows 22 new cases among residents since July 14th and 29 among the CCI inmate population during that time totaling 51 new cases over the last week.
Those numbers come from data collected and reported daily by the Ross County Health Department.
Among the numbers collected and reviewed by the Public Health Nursing Division, Ross County has had 34 hospitalizations, four deaths, 67 confirmed recovered cases and 23 with no known contact with a positive case which is determined possible community spread.
As Dogwood Pass staff prepped their wild west town in Pike County for a Civil War reenactment, they were happy to have some extra help through Goodwill’s Summer Youth Program.
The annual paid work experience program provides local teens their first experiences in the job market. Goodwill of South Central Ohio partners with local employers, provides a job coach, and pays the teens’ wages during the five-week program which ends July 31.
It’s a program Mike Montgomery said Dogwood Pass has really enjoyed over the years.
“The reason we do it is to help the kids and let them learn how to support themselves,” Montgomery said. “It’s a great thing.”
At Dogwood Pass, youths have an opportunity to explore a variety of job tasks from clearing brush to running a fence line. One year, they even helped build one of the town’s buildings.
This year, there were 53 teens from Hocking, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, and Vinton counties who participated in the Summer Youth Program. The program was structured a little differently this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a remote option was added. The 19 teens who opted for the remote experience took three-hour classes four days a week with Goodwill employment specialists. Lessons included education on career exploration, job seeking skills, post-secondary option, and self-advocacy.
“Summer Youth looks a little different this year with COVID, but we are so grateful to have the communities’ help. It allows our participants to enjoy their summers and learn skills needed for their futures as well as earn some money,” said Cana Horner, missions coordinator for Goodwill of South Central Ohio.
Other employers who worked with the program this year include: Cooks Creek Golf Club in South Bloomfield; Millstone Southern Smoked BBQ in Logan; North River Place Apartments in Chillicothe; Shawnee Valley Campground and Kayak Rental in Chillicothe, Waverly YMCA; and Rural King in Waverly. Goodwill stores in Chillicothe, Circleville, and Waverly also were job sites.
Goodwill has been offering the summer youth job program for more than a decade. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities makes referrals to Goodwill for the program and helps with funding.
For more information on Goodwill, go online to GWISCO.org and follow them on Facebook.
Goodwill Job Coach Carlene Beverly works with Summer Youth participant Katelyn Beckley at the Circleville Goodwill store. Photo submitted by Goodwill Industries of South Central Ohio
Citing a recent spike in COVID-19 related numbers across the state and locally, Adena Health System is returning to full visitor restrictions implemented earlier during the pandemic.
The Fayette County Fair opened Sunday and runs through Saturday July 25th, 2020 in Washington Court House.
The Fair’s grandstand entertainment includes a rodeo Monday at 7pm, NTPA Truck and Tractor Pull Tuesday at 7pm, OCRA Harness Racing at 4:30pm Wednesday, McGuffey Lane at 7pm Thursday, Stock Truck Pull Friday at 6pm and Smash-It Demolition Derby Saturday at 7pm.
The Junior Fair Livestock Sale begins at 9am Saturday.
Admission is $6 and amusement rides run each day from 1pm-11am.
The fairgrounds are accessible via the US 22 exit from US 35.
Fayette County is coded Yellow by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, meaning Level 1 Public Emergency: Active exposure and spread of COVID-19. As of 2pm Monday, the Fayette County Department of Health reported 65 total cases of COVID-19 countywide including six active cases with 59 recovered.
For the first time since 1988, the rumble of thousands of motorcycles won’t be a part of Labor Day weekend in Chillicothe.
Easyriders announced the cancellation of the event Thursday. The annual biker rodeo was to have been September 3rd-7th, 2020.
The announcement was made on the organization’s website, “At the direction of local health officials, we must regretfully confirm the cancellation of our September event, the Easyriders Rodeo in Chillicothe, Ohio.”
Easyriders also cancelled its events in Pennsylvania (June) and Michigan (August).
In a report by the Chillicothe Gazette, the Easyriders agreed to a contract with the Ross County Fair Board worth at least $60,000. In the report last November, Fair Board President Bryan Bethel stated the rodeo generates a minimum of $500,000 to the local economy.
The rodeo is one of the largest events at the fairgrounds outside of the Ross County Fair itself which will be scaled back to a Junior Fair Livestock Show next month.
