Local response: Valley doctor praises effort in battle against coronavirus

PALMER — At the seventh COVID-19 press conference hosted by the Mat-Su Borough, medical professionals discussed the preparation of local medical facilities and health care workers prior to the arrival of the coronavirus in Alaska and the expanded criteria for testing. Currently, 20 of the 335 positive cases in Alaska come from the Mat-Su Borough, with only four of those 20 cases attributed to travel.

“We continue to be proud of the fact that our state is the least affected and our borough is one of the least affected in that state. We’ve done an excellent job. All of you are to be commended for your efforts. So far because of this we have been allowed to reopen slowly and gradually. We are the guinea pigs, I believe for the country and I really want to encourage people as the previous speakers have talked about in being extra diligent now,” said Capstone Clinic founder Dr. Wade Erickson. “This is the time for Valley citizens to shine with our generosity, with our caution and show the rest of the world what it’s like to reopen.”

Erickson was the first to offer COVID-19 testing at the Capstone location in Wasilla. Currently 10 facilities in the Valley have capacity to test for COVID-19. Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services Director Ken Barkley said that 1,110 tests have been conducted in the Valley, although the state Department of Health and Social Services data hub only shows 792 tests in the Valley. While drive-through screenings have been set up at multiple locations in the Valley, Barkley said that the borough is working on drive-through screening locations in outlying communities around the core area of the Mat-Su Valley. As the spread of COVID-19 has moved across the world, ice and snow are melting and moving down into streams. Barkley said that the Emergency Services Department responded to four structure fires last week, two of which were on Tuesday night and continue to monitor flooding around the Valley.

“We do have a lot of flooding going on right now in the Mat-Su Borough. Our Public Works Department Director Terry Dolan and his team are on top of it but if you have those needs you can call the roads hotline for those issues but check on your neighbor and make sure they are doing okay,” said Barkley. “Keep your prayers for those that we have lost during this pandemic. They’re not forgotten and we can’t forget them and just pray for them and their families.”

Borough Mayor Vern Halter shared his excitement at a video put together by first responders around the Valley thanking Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink for her work. Also an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Tom Quimby, directs the Emergency Department at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and also chairs the COVID-19 task force that was set up early this year. Quimby thanked the community for the gift of time and personal protective equipment and joked about the massive donations of food to health care professionals.

“The community has been just wonderful in stepping up to sew and make masks and gowns. I actually have a personal example here. I was walking through the department the other day and I looked over and I found this gown that I recognized as my favorite bed sheets from when I was a kid and I checked with my mom who lives in Eagle River and she made this,” said Quimby.

At the request of Halter, Quimby donned his mother’s handiwork as he answered questions at the podium.

“Lots of people said this isn’t something we could see coming, that’s not necessarily true. We’ve seen many emerging diseases over the last couple decades. We’ve had incidences of major pandemics that have affected the globe in the past so a lot of us have been watching for this and we recognized early that this was happening and we took steps to become just as prepared as possible,” said Quimby.

As head of the COVID-19 task force, Quimby discussed how MSRMC changed protocols to prepare for the arrival of the virus that has not as of Wednesday been inside the hospital itself.

“To date we have not had a single identified patient in our hospital that has had COVID,” said Quimby.

Quimby oversaw dramatic increase of capacity for patients at MSRMC as well as additional negative pressure rooms to remove air from a room rather than having it redistributed throughout the hospital. More ventilators were acquired and staff were trained on how better to use ventilators. Quimby said that the hospital has been in regular communication with other health care providers throughout the community and an alternate care site has been arranged at Maple Springs in Palmer which could house up to 60 patients in negative pressure areas.

Mat-Su Health Foundation CEO Elizabeth Ripley asked that Valley residents consider supporting non profit organizations.

“During this pandemic, people are still dealing with other challenges and needs,” said Ripley.

Ripley said that nonprofits that serve vulnerable populations have increased demand during the pandemic and noted incentives from the Federal government to donate. The MSHF has granted over $738,000 to 20 organizations including The Children’s Place, the Upper Susitna Food Pantry, and Set Free Alaska among others. Ripley also said that Alaska State Trooper B Detachment Captain Tony April reported to her that Domestic Violence crimes are up 33 percent from year to year. Ripley provided phone numbers for Alaska Family Services, R.O.C.K. Mat-Su and Connect Mat-Su through the United Way.

As the criteria to be tested for COVID-19 in Alaska has broadened, Erickson said that Capstone has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people getting tested. Currently, anyone with any symptom that correlates with COVID-19 can be tested.

“As we liberalize the qualifications for getting tested, we will see the percentage of tested folks rise, we will see the number of positivity hopefully fall,” said Erickson.

Erickson said that 583 people total had been screened for COVID-19 at Capstone including 28 people who had been tested on Abbott point of care machines. The rapid testing machines are not yet available to the public, but 28 first responders have been tested on the Abott machines at Capstone.

“I expect that as we open up we will see and increased number of cases. if we are smart about this, the number of cases that require hospitalization will stay low. In other words, we want low risk patients or people to acquire to this disease in order to be able to initiate herd immunity,” said Erickson. “Until we have a vaccine, herd immunity is our number one way to get back to normal and number one way to protect our high risk citizens.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.