Coronavirus Update – April 15, 2020

Coronavirus updates for Grant County for Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Our guest today is U.S. Senator Tom Udall, senior senator from NM, who will be talking with us about the latest on the federal coronavirus relief packages and the benefits to New Mexicans.

Coronavirus Update is a local radio show that provides the latest information you need to know on local community strategies to slow the spread of the Coronavirus and protect yourself, your family and our community during this public health crisis. Brought to you by Gila-Mimbres Community Radio, Gila Resources Information Project, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Grant County and National Center for Frontier Communities.

Send us your updates to coronavirusupdategrantcounty@gmail.com

NM Dept of Health COVID-19 Hotline 1-855-600-3453 or visit cv.nmhealth.org

Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-833-551-0518 or visit newmexico.gov

NM Crisis & Access Line, 24/7, 1-855-662-7474; nmcrisisline.com

Message from Grant County’s health care providers – video

Donations to Community COVID-19 Response – Grant County Community Foundation

Coronavirus Update Resource Page – gmcr.org/coronavirus-resources

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CVU is broadcast live weekdays at Noon and
rebroadcast following Democracy Now! at 6pm and 8am

Or listen to this episode at your convenience via this link…
CVU / Coronavirus Update – April 15, 2020

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April 15, 2020 – Updates as of 10 am – Please note: Because we are producing this show remotely, these updates are current as of 10 am. Information on this page can change quickly, including Coronavirus Updates from previous days. Please visit gmcr.org/category/coronavirus-update to see the latest updates.

As of Today – Wednesday, April 15 – 1,407 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Mexico, with 36 deaths, 82 hospitalized individuals, and 340 recoveries according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

Grant County currently has 10 positive cases of coronavirus.

The Department of Health reports that given the infectious nature of the virus it is likely other residents are infected but yet to be tested or confirmed positive. To that end, all New Mexicans have been instructed to stay home except for outings absolutely necessary for health, safety and welfare. These additional restrictions have been enacted to aggressively minimize person-to-person contact and ensure spread is mitigated.

For more information, go to cv.nmhealth.org

As a reminder — New Mexicans who report symptoms of COVID-19 infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, are advised to call their health care provider or the COVID-19 hotline immediately at 1-855-600-3453

NEW PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURANT, GROCERY STORE AND FOOD DELIVERY WORKERS

The New Mexico Environment Department announced yesterday that it recommends that employees working in restaurants, food establishments and grocery stores wear gloves and a face covering when providing customers take-out, door/curbside service, or delivering food. (press release)

“Wearing a face covering and gloves is an essential step restaurants and food delivery services can take to fight the spread of COVID-19,” said NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney. “The Environment Department is ensuring these best practices are followed by conducting routine and complaint-based inspections of restaurants.”

Most people – including employees in the food service industry – should avoid using N-95 respirators or surgical masks, as these should be reserved for medical personnel. Using gloves and face coverings does not diminish the importance of maintaining social distancing of at least six feet and utilizing proper handwashing techniques.

The New Mexico Department of Health recommends that New Mexicans wear cloth, non-medical face coverings when traveling outside the home for essential outings in alignment with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

More information at cv.nmhealth.org

NEW COVID-19 DATA PORTAL FOR NEW MEXICO

Yesterday, the state of New Mexico launched a web portal with more COVID-19 data specific to positive cases and testing in the state. (press release)

The data dashboard currently includes county-by-county breakdowns of positive cases by age, gender and ethnicity. The portal also includes reporting about testing by county.

For Grant County, the data portal reports 10 cases of COVID-19 with 70% of them male and 30% female, 3 individuals are between the ages of 20 and 29, 3 cases between 30 – 39 years of age, 2 cases between 40 and 49 years of age, 1 between 50 – 59 years of age, and 1 between 60 – 69 years of age. 289 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Grant County.

The state Department of Health has conducted extensive testing in Native American communities where clusters of illness have been identified, which at least in part explains the disproportionate share of the Native American population in the state’s total positive tests. Native Americans account for 36.68% of the state’s cases.

The state will endeavor to update the data at least twice weekly on the Health Department’s COVID-19 microsite, cv.nmhealth.org.

If and when more data can be reported accurately, the state will update the portal to include it.

The data portal page can be found at cv.nmhealth.org/dashboard.

NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORT RESOURCE

The state of New Mexico has launched NMConnect, a new smartphone app that provides free 24-hour crisis and non-crisis support and access to behavioral health professionals who can text or talk via phone with individuals needing a listening ear or referrals to longer-term support. The app links users to the New Mexico Crisis Access Line (NMCAL), which provides safety net services statewide. NMCAL is still available via phone 24/7 toll-free by calling 1-855-NMCRISIS (1-855-662-7474).

The NMConnect app will help close gaps in access to behavioral health services by providing direct contact to professionals. NMConnect also provides resources including self-care tips for people in recovery from substance use and other behavioral health challenges, and information on COVID-19 and New Mexico’s response.

The NMConnect app, available now for iPhone and Android smart phones, includes a “one touch” button for connection to a mental health professional on the State of New Mexico’s 24-hour crisis and access hotline. For non-crisis support, including help finding a therapist or support group, or to just to engage with someone that has been there, the “Text Warmline” option connects people to a certified peer support specialist for non-emergency support (available from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and a “Call Warmline” option is available for peer to peer phone conversations with someone in recovery from their own mental health diagnosis, (available from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.).

Download the app from the App Store for iPhones or from the Google Play app store for Android phones.

More information at www.nmcrisisline.com/

Please visit our website at GMCR.org for all of today’s updates and additional COVID-19 resources – gmcr.org/coronavirus-resources

And remember to send us your updates and questions — email us at coronavirusupdategrantcounty@gmail.com or post on facebook @GilaMimbresCom munityRadio.

If you missed part of today’s show, Coronavirus Update is rebroadcast at 6pm and 8 am Monday through Friday and past shows are available 24/7 at gmcr.org/category/coronavirus-update