PRESTON AND TUCKER COUNTIES COVID-19 RESOURCES

Greetings to everyone in Preston and Tucker Counties, West Virginia, and beyond,

If you’re in need of food, childcare, medical assistance, mental health assistance, shelter, etc., the following sites have comprehensive lists of all these resources and more:

• Preston County Family Resource Network
• Tucker County Family Resource Network 
  

Also, the Tucker County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which is tasked with serving as a coordination and resource center for emergencies or potential emergencies has a Guide to Citizen Preparedness and an Emergency Operations Plan.
Here’s the link to the Preston County OEM.

This is a crisis on many levels: for some it is personal health, for others it is mental health, or even economic health. For some it is all of the above. As of 7/21/2020, the WV DHHR reports there are 5,199 confirmed cases and 101 deaths. This is a list of local resources and general information. This document will be updated and can be shared and printed. If you have questions, comments, or edits, please email Cory Chase at ChaseForWV@gmail.com. Here is a summary of what's included in case you’d like to skip to certain information:

1. Medical information for Preston County and Tucker County residents
2. What we know about the COVID-19 virus and best practices to slow the spread
3. Disaster Relief: Workforce WV Unemployment and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for self-employed/contract/gig workers.
4. How to Vote in WV with an Absentee Ballot: WV Primary Election has been moved to 6/9/2020
5. Real plans to help WVians and ask Governor Justice to respond effectively

While we should all err on the side of caution, we must also be aware that our medical system has a limited capacity and we can all take certain measures so that we do not overwhelm it. Being mindful of CDC recommended best practices of handwashing for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water is a good first step. The CDC website says “Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (e.g. tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, sinks).”  Here is a good video to explain how to shop safely and how to take precautions once you get home with your groceries.

This virus has shown just how fragile our world’s economy and our national and state healthcare system really is. Unfortunately, WV is not prepared for this pandemic. If you do have to interact with people who have the virus, here are the best practices to follow.

1. Medical Information for Preston and Tucker County Residents

Anybody in Preston County can get screened for a test here: Kingwood Elementary School (outside). Mon-Fri  10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm

To pre-screen call 304-329-7285.

Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood: 150 Memorial Drive, Kingwood, WV 26537  Phone: 304-329-1400 

“If you are concerned about the possibility of having COVID-19, please do not walk into a health department, hospital emergency department, urgent care or other health care facility to seek testing or treatment...call (304) 285-3798, to schedule a time for your evaluation.”

Anybody in Tucker County should be aware that there is a process to get a test at St. George Medical Clinic (for people without symptoms) and the School Based Clinic (for people with symptoms). Please contact them prior to your visit to get specific instructions. The Hotline is 681-399-9311 and is open Monday-Friday 8:00AM-4:00PM. Medical providers are ready to assist you. Also, Mt. Top Health Clinic in Thomas is testing. You must call them first to do a triage (the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition) BEFORE you can get a test. Call 304-463-3331 to reach Mt. Top Clinic.

St. George Clinic: 8591 Holly Meadows Road, Parsons, WV 26287
Medical Clinic Phone: 304-478-3339

School-Based Health Clinic (SBHC): 81 Tucker Valley School Rd., Hambleton, WV 26269 Phone: 304.478.6000 opt. 2

2. What We Know

• CoronaVirus, aka novel coronavirus infectious disease (Covid-19), which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is NOT the flu. We do not have a vaccination (yet...) and nobody has antibodies to fight it since it is “novel.”
• People can carry the virus and show little or no symptoms, which makes it easier to spread and less likely to be contained. This is why it's important to limit contact with other people and practice social distancing.
• The virus has a roughly five-day incubation period, during which you can have the virus and not feel the effects. People who get the virus have symptoms up to two weeks later (2-14 days after exposure); it can spread via surfaces and air-borne.
• Hand-washing for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap, wearing a mask, not engaging in close contact with others, avoiding large groups, etc. are all ways to slow the spread of this virus.
• A lot of people will get it and recover, some won’t, and some will die. Senior citizens and people with weak immune systems are more vulnerable. The virus can attack the lungs and heart and weaken one’s immune system making you more susceptible to pneumonia.
• There are confirmed cases in WV, including Tucker County.
• The best thing we can do: flatten the curve and stop flooding our healthcare system with people rushing to the emergency room.

Everybody has an opinion on this, but we should fall back on medical practitioners, epidemiologists and scientists who study these diseases and practice what they recommend. The WV DHHR has updates daily and I recommend that you read them. There are more cases being confirmed as more testing happens in WV. To read more about the basic recommendations, please visit:

CDC: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF and IF YOU THINK YOU ARE SICK.

WV DHHR: WV Department of Health and Human Resources.

3. Disaster Relief

Workforce WV has options for unemployment here. They have opened up unemployment benefits to self-employed, contractors and gig economy workers. Sign up began Friday, April 24.. This is in addition to regular unemployment that’s provided to employees. Sign up here or call 800-252-JOBS (5627).

The recently passed federal CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) also provides additional assistance if you have been affected by COVID-19 in some way. Learn more here.

4. How to Vote in WV with an Absentee Ballot

The Primary Election has been moved to June 9, 2020. Every voter in WV should be getting an absentee ballot in the mail. Or you can sign up online.  More information here. Voting by mail is highly recommended so that we aren’t putting our elderly poll workers into harm's way.

Here’s the paper application form. For Section 4a, please select the first box: “illness, injury or other medical reason which keeps me confined.”

County Clerk: Call your County Clerk and ask that an absentee ballot application be mailed to you. Submit your signed absentee ballot to your County Clerk by fax, US postal service or email.

You can also get an application from the County Clerk’s office:
Preston County: 106 W. Main St, Suite 103, Kingwood, WV 26537
304.329.007 // Linda Huggins, County Clerk – lhuggins@prestoncountywv.gov
Tucker County: 211 First Street, Suite 205, Parsons, WV 26287
304.478.2414 ext. 201 // Sherry Simmons, County Clerk t.cclerk@hotmail.com

5. Real Plans to Help West Virginians

Urge WV Governor Justice to Support a Responsible Coronavirus Action Plan. I’m supporting Steven Smith for Governor’s plan to fight this pandemic and to better prepare us for any other public health disasters. He’s recommended the following plan be adopted by Governor Justice:

• Make free, drive-thru testing available in every county.
• Follow the advice of doctors and err on the side of prevention. 
  Permit no water, gas, internet, phone, or electricity shut-offs. Permit no evictions.  
• Urge all public employees to work from home if they can (including school employees).
• Continue to support the existing county-level response to a possible hunger crisis.
• Pass “paid sick days” legislation for all workers.
• Guarantee safe child care options. 
• Ramp up tele-health options for people with mental health needs.
• Prioritize crisis management, transparency, and quick communication. 
• Pass “vote by mail” legislation for all West Virginia voters.
• Begin to buffer against a recession.

I encourage everyone living in WV to contact your representatives to express your concerns and needs. It’s their job to represent you, especially in times of crisis, and if they don’t hear from you then they can't properly represent you. Find you Senator(s) here // Find your House Delegate(s) here.

If you’d like to keep getting updates from Chase For WV, please sign up on our email list by clicking “Volunteer” (you don’t need to volunteer although we’d be grateful if you can). Please don’t hesitate to ask questions. Phone or Text: 304-599-4906 or ChaseForWV@gmail.com. We are all doing our best to connect local residents to the resources that they need as quickly as possible.

Take care,

Cory Chase

Chase For WV                

PO Box 700

Davis, WV 26260

Phone or Text: 304.599.4906

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