Where to Get Information About COVID-19 in Oregon
The world around us has turned, and we all find ourselves in a strange land of restriction and changed routines. We are all relearning the rules of daily life together, apart from one another. It is normal to feel anxious about how you will manage, and what will happen next. It can help to establish some trusted sources of information for updates and guidance, as we all find our way through to the other side.
COVID-19 is disrupting communities all across the world in an unprecedented modern pandemic.
The Oregon Health Authority is Oregon's Medicaid agency, and our link to the federal government. They have created a comprehensive COVID-19 website pulling together all kinds of information to keep up with the changing reality. In addition to the latest updated count of illness and death in our state, there is a massive list of frequently asked questions to help calm your worries with knowledge. Scroll down further to find tabs with information on topics such as testing, childcare, home care workers, and pregnancy. Scroll all the way to the bottom for a series of videos on things like hand hygiene and when to seek medical care.There are some information sources out there specific to the DD community, which will be essential for people who want to stay on top of developments:
Personal Support Workers and their employers can find some information and resources on the Oregon Home Care Commission's site devoted to COVID-19.
The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services sends out messages from their Director, Lilia Teninty, on a regular basis. You can find those and subscribe to get updates here.
A letter went out to people who receive services in their community or home, as well as the providers who serve this community; it can be found here. A separate letter went out to people in residential services and their providers, which can be read here.
As we move through this public health situation together, the services that you receive may be disrupted. Like every other Oregonian, you probably already have experienced changes--limits on where you can go and who you can see, new worries about getting necessary supplies and medicines. This is a time for planning and preparing. Who is in your life? Are there other ways to connect with them that don't put you in direct contact? Are there other (indirect) ways to be supported to do the things you need to do each day? You can use this worksheet on circles of support from Independence Northwest to begin to list out who is in your life, and what role they might play in this changed world in which we find ourselves. Find definitions for the worksheet here.
We will be sharing more information and ideas for how to support one another as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to change our shared landscape. It feels lonely right now, and frighteningly different. But the truth is, our future is shared, and we are all experiencing this together. We are making decisions that affect each other, and we are caring for one another by staying home, and taking care of ourselves. Thank you for joining the effort of the Oregon DD community to make it through this crisis stronger, and with our connections intact.