Testing, Vaccines, and Risk Levels: The Latest on COVID-19 In Oregon
Winter is fast approaching, and we find ourselves in the middle of a very nasty spike in COVID-19 infection, statewide. This poses a deadly risk to every Oregonian--but not all risk is equal. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our state leadership and public health officials have been working to adapt our guidance to incorporate new information and understanding of how this disease spreads. With this spike, the Governor and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have created new guidance that takes into consideration the risk levels present in each county in the state, and what they mean for the people living there. We'll walk through some of the major headlines from Oregon from recent weeks, and break down what they mean for you.
Q&A with OHA: Oregon's Public Health Conversation
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has been spearheading dozens of efforts to quell the COVID-19 pandemic--massive data collection, testing expansion, policy changes, guidance development, standing up the field of contact tracing, research into emerging medical evidence from here and around the world, and so much more. In addition to that work, they have created regular ways to communicate this work with various communities in Oregon. As part of the community service array in Oregon, OSSA has been joining the weekly Community Partner information calls that OHA has hosted. We have also joined a few of the media conferences hosted by OHA for media questions and answers. Today we'll share some of the interesting discussions we've heard regarding COVID-19 in Oregon.
Finding the Path Forward
Our society is currently consumed with finding a way back to “normal” after months of staying home. But what of the other part of that line–staying safe? We have succeeded in “flattening the curve” here in Oregon, meaning that we have slowed this disease from tearing through our population at the deadly pace at which it began. But we have done so at great cost, through the extraordinary measures of closing down businesses, schools, recreation, and non-essential medical care. How do we keep from undoing all of our good work by allowing the virus to travel freely among us? This is a question we will be grappling with for months to come.
The COVID-19 Impact on Oregon’s Budget
We are all tired. Tired from worrying about how we’ll meet our needs without work or support. Tired from caring for our families and keeping them well and safe. Tired from adjusting, constantly, to our changing world. And the last thing we all want to talk about right now are budget reductions. That is true for our government officials, our state agency leadership, and each and every person attached to social services in Oregon. But, this is where we are–the Office of Developmental Disabilities, at the request of the Governor’s Office, has released a proposal of reduction options this week. So, let’s set our tired aside for a moment, and review the facts, and what to expect in the days and weeks to come.
Social and Emotional Wellness While Staying Home
Oregonians all across the state have worked hard to keep up with the changing rules and realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. It asks of us a near-constant recalculation that is exhausting: is it okay for me to engage in this action? How can I get this need met safely? Am I doing everything I can do for the people who matter to me? What can I do now to prepare for what’s next? Our logical brains are overloaded, and our emotions are all over the place, as we grieve habits and people lost to us, and worry about the world around us. How do we maintain our emotional and mental wellness, in this time and place?
COVID-19 and Oregon's Brokerage Community
Oregonians are all working incredibly hard to keep up with the changing rules and realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. For our social service entities, this has meant delaying long-term projects and other critical work in order to pick up the work of sharing goods, resources, and information with their communities. Health and safety in the time of COVID-19 is an ever-changing effort. It requires an immense amount of extra work, communication, and personal connection with people, even as in-person contact is limited.
Resource Round-Up: Economic Impact (COVID-19 Stimulus) Payments
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has our entire society sprinting to keep up with new realities, and taking action to respond and manage the impact. Our Oregon IDD advocacy community has been working to keep abreast of that information flow, and share it with people in the ways that they need. The federal Economic Impact Payments are the stimulus funds coming to most Americans to help mitigate the personal financial impact of COVID-19’s protective measures. For members of our community, this is good news, quickly followed by a host of questions centered around what this money will mean for you and the disability and medical benefits you may rely upon.
Questions Corner: Medical Support in the Time of COVID-19
Many of our usual ways of getting things done have been up-ended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting our medical needs has been affected by our efforts to contain the disease, and the tremendous stress that illness is putting upon our health systems. We’ve put together some tips and resources to help you nevigate the changing world, and get the help you need.
COVID-19: Staying Apart, Getting Together
You’re being good. You’re following the Governor’s Executive Order to stay home and save lives. You have checked out some amazing virtual tours and resources, and now all that is missing is . . . someone with whom to talk it over.
Good news: video chatting is easier than ever before. Thanks in large part to the improvements in phone cameras, and a couple of new video chat applications, you can be face-to-face with a friend in no time.
Questions Corner: DD Services in the Time of COVID-19
If you are enrolled and receiving DD services, chances are you have felt the shift in those routines, along with everything else. You may be wondering what is allowed, in this new world, and how you can get your needs met. We’d like to help by sharing the information we have currently. Please note that, due to the incredibly fast rate of change in the pandemic situation, change in policy is happening quickly as well. It’s important that policy move quickly to keep up with changing needs. However, that pace of change means that what was true yesterday may not be true today. We hope you will have patience with your Personal Agents and providers as they scramble to keep on top of the latest guidance.
Resource Round-Up! Staying Apart, Getting Away
We in the Brokerage community 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.
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.
Leadership Changes at OSSA: Laura Noppenberger
Our organization is welcoming new leadership for the first time in nearly five years. We’ll be posting a series of articles over the next couple of weeks to introduce our new officers. We invite you to follow along and get to know us a little bit better.
Laura breaks the mold of this posting series, and that is nothing new for her. She has been serving OSSA as our Treasurer since 2017, when Bill Uhlman stepped down from his position as Director of Eastern Oregon Support Services Brokerage and with OSSA. Laura deftly took over both leadership at Eastern Oregon Support Services Brokerage, and the Treasurer responsibilities for OSSA, and has spent the last two years breaking new ground, including helping the association take on our first-ever employee.
Oregon Needs Assessment: The Power of Diverse Supports
Change can be scary. As we have talked about previously, the new Oregon Needs Assessment (ONA) will result in changes to personal resource allocations sometime in the next year or two. Our lives aren’t always predictable, and when our supports aren’t either, it can be difficult. We will always advocate for stable, secure DD service funding to improve the lives of Oregonians with developmental disabilities. But what else can we do to combat the ups and downs of public funding levels? Let’s talk more about that.
Check-In: The Oregon Needs Assessment and Service Hours
As you have heard from us before, the Oregon Needs Assessment (ONA) is currently being rolled out across the service system. By now, you should have received an ONA assessment from one of the new ONA Assessors located in case management agencies across Oregon. As a part of that process, you were probably told that the assessment is not yet tied to the allocation of services, which still happens through other means. But, when will that change, and what will the impact be on your services? Read on for an update on everything we know, to date.