By Teri Knight, News Director
“I think we’re all cautious about what’s happening, not sure about all the answers here and it changes daily, as you well know”, Kyle Nordine, President and CEO of the Northfield Retirement Community. Seniors are more vulnerable in the spread of COVID-19, the coronavirus. They are taking precautions, in particular with those residents in the nursing home. NRC has created a staging area, “we’re doing screenings of individuals and asking some key questions about do you have a fever, do you have a cough, what’s your temperature, so on and so forth. We’re doing some screening of those visitors now and asking people who are only essential visitors to come and see their loved ones”. And they are screening everyone who comes in. Nordine said they’re
following protocols from the CDC, the MN Dept. of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. They’ve had disaster planning in place and run drills twice a year. Should there be an outbreak, they’re ready. Senior living has changed substantially over the past decade or so. The NRC offers 254 units with various levels of living depending on care needed. They don’t stop people from leaving to visit others but it makes it more difficult. What NRC officials have done is told all residents and family members about their visiting policy and have asked them not to come if they’ve traveled or been somewhere where the virus is, “as of yesterday we have an adjacent county to us that has a couple cases so that puts in some additional protocols that we need to tell our folks about”. They have posters up in the buildings and request people adhere to their cautions and are also suspending activities. They are in constant contact with the local health professionals and are making sure that they have the appropriate protective gear they need. Nordine said that the CDC and the MDH have told most nursing facilities and retirement communities to prepare for care in place, “in other words you’re probably not going to be able to ship them to a hospital unless they are really critical, that you should just make them safe and make them comfortable and, basically, go through the pieces of care that you need to in their current room and isolate them as best you can”. Listen to his full interview with more information on kymn.net. This is additional information from the MN Dept. of Health
No one hurt in downtown Faribault Apt. Fire
Around 3:30 yesterday afternoon, Faribault Fire, Police and North Ambulance responded to a fire at 114 Central Ave., an apartment building in downtown Faribault. Heavy smoke was coming from a second story window and there was a report that people were still inside. Fire Chief Dustin Dienst reports that crews made entry and began searching for the occupants but no one was found. The fire was in a bedroom on the Central Ave. side of the apartment. Crews made a quick knock and heavy damage was confined to the apartment where the fire started. The other apartment and commercial businesses sustained light to moderate smoke damage. Crews cleared the scene just after 5pm. Results of the fire investigation are not yet available. The full press release: Apt. Fire at 114 Central Ave
RCAUW offers flexibility on grant application due date
The Rice County Area United Way is offering flexibility on their March 16th grant proposal deadline. Executive Director Penny Hillemann said they know that agencies large and small are devoting their energies to considering what the COVID-19 outbreak means for their operations and their clients, and taking appropriate action. Workplaces and services may be significantly impacted as social distancing measures are taken to help prevent or slow the spread of the virus. If your organization hopes to submit a grant proposal but needs more time, please email Penny Hillemann at penny@ricecountyunitedway.org and let her know your situation.
Cancellations/postponements due to Coronavirus
St. Olaf Director of the Institute for Freedom & Community, Ed Santurri called this morning to say that as of this morning at 8:45, the March 16th lecture in their series on U.S. – China Relations has been cancelled. The lecture was on the State of the Presidential Election with Amy Walter and Reihan (Ryan) Salam. COVID-19 is affecting many gatherings, KYMN will keep you up to date as much as possible. The Rice County Master Gardeners Hort Day scheduled for Saturday, the 14th, has been cancelled. Refunds will be made. The City of Northfield has postponed the Mayor’s State of the City Address scheduled for Monday, March 16th. The Northfield Arts Guild has cancelled the performance of The Prince and The Pauper tonight. Check venue websites for updates as things are changing by the hour. State of the City postponed
