Gov. Eric Holcomb is looking at relaxing of his stay-at-home order for some portions of the state as soon as early May.

The governor, at his daily briefing on COVID-19 Thursday, talked about the possibility of reopening Indiana. He said he has been consulting with a consortium of governors from across the Midwest on how reopening might look.

On Thursday the governor’s office sent out a questionnaire to various business and community organizations in the state, asking for their plans to protect workers and customers when they reopen.

The governor said that he wanted their replies by next Wednesday to start making decisions.

Columbus Regional Health is still planning on an upcoming surge of patients with COVID-19.

Although that had been forecast for the last week of April or early May, CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue said the surge could be coming next week. Some areas of the state are hitting their surge already, but forecasts for our area still show it hasn’t hit here yet.

DeClue said the potential surge further stresses the need for maintaining protective measures.

Hospital officials said that they are prepared to care for COVID-19 patients in the existing Intensive Care Unit but they are also making plans to use other patient care areas if needed. To that end, the hospital has been transforming those areas into netative air flow spaces, which takes air from in a room and exhausts it outside. Typically, that sort of arrangement has been used for patients with tuberculosis.

The hospital has converted the ICU, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, and Outpatient Surgery areas and are ready for patient placement when needed. The hospital is prepared to take 12 patients in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and there are 19 patient rooms in the outpatient surgery unit that could be used.

Another nine patients who are COVID-19 positive but who don’t require an ICU-level of care could be treated in the Oupatient Cath Lab, which has also been converted to negative air flow.

From a patient’s perspective, the rooms will still look the same, hospital officials said.

Adam Spartz, Command Center and Inpatient Operations Director for the hospital, said “We all hope we don’t have to utilize any of these spaces, however, we are prepared as healthcare providers to deliver on the expectations we and the community have for CRH.”

Indiana now has 9,542 total cases of COVID-19 being reported, an increase of 611 cases since yesterday, and has had 477 deaths as of this afternoon’s update, an increase of 41 deaths from Wednesday’s numbers.

The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting that Bartholomew County has 116 confirmed cases, up by three cases from yesterday’s report. There have been five deaths so far from the coronavirus in Bartholomew County, an increase of one.

In other area counties, Decatur County has 160 cases and has had 14 deaths, an increase of 1. Jennings 63 cases and no deaths, Jackson 77 cases and no deaths, Brown 14 cases and 1 death, Johnson 358 cases and 30 deaths, an increase of five deaths, and 86 positive test results in Shelby County and 4 deaths, an increase of 1 death.

Thrive Alliance offering assistance phone line

Thrive Alliance reminds everyone that its resource center call line is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

With access to a comprehensive network of resources, the counselors in our resource center can connect those seeking information and assistance to Thrive Alliance services or to other community resources. This includes regularly updated resources available in our communities helping assist with needs directly related to the impact of COVID-19, such as food and other necessities.

The resource center can also be reached via the thrive-alliance.org website which includes a chat feature for anyone who prefers that option.

The resource center call line is (866) 644-6407.

Columbus Regional Health will be using a downtown landmark as a place for healthcare workers to stay while they work with COVID-19 patients or after they have been exposed to the illness.

Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for CRH, explains:

Calling it the “CRH Heroes House,”the hospital has made arrangements with Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana to use the former post office building at 7th and Washington Streets to house the workers, who may not want to go home to their families due to their exposure on the frontlines of the pandemic.

The building has been used previously as housing for LHP workers and is in the midst of being converted into the Fresh Start Recovery Center, a substance abuse recovery house for women and their children. The recovery center was supposed to open last month, but plans were put on hold due to the pandemic.

Plans are for the recovery home opening to be rescheduled after the current crisis.

The building can house up to 17 healthcare workers in individual rooms, each with a private bathroom. Community restaurants are stepping in to provide daily meals for the healthcare workers.

DeClue said that CRH currently has 23 healthcare workers who have been infected with the coronavirus. The hospital has been able to avoid any staffing shortages during the crisis, DeClue said.

DeClue said the hospital has eight COVID-19 patients with two in critical condition.

Columbus Regional Health is partnering with the Mayo Clinic and national blood research institute Versiti for a trial therapy option for COVID-19 patients. The Expanded Access to Convalescent Plasma Program provides plasma that has been gathered from those who have already recovered from the disease to current patients.

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood and it contains antibodies produced to fight off infection. The hope is that antibodies in the recovered patients’ blood may help those fighting the disease now.

According to the hospital it first used this protocol on Tuesday with a critically ill patient. The patient remains in critical condition.

Dr. Raymond Lee Kiser at CRH said the therapy is still considered experimental and it has promise in helping critically ill patients recover from COVID-19.

CRH is looking for donors to take part in the program.  Potential donors who are eligible for the program will be able to donate at a Versiti Blood Bank location in Indianapolis, and their plasma will be used to treat patients in Bartholomew County and surrounding areas.

In order to donate, a person must be at least 18 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and meet the following additional requirements:

• Have had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 by physician and laboratory testing
• Must be symptom free for 28 days before being eligible to donate
• If symptom free for 14-27 days, a negative test must be verified

Anyone with questions about the donation process or the Expanded Access Convalescent Plasma Program can contact the COVID-19 Triage Resource Center at 812-379-4449 or visit: crh.org/plasma.

Indiana now has 8,955 total cases of COVID-19 being reported, and has had 436 deaths as of this afternoon’s update, an increase of 49 deaths from yesterday’s numbers.

The Indiana Department of Health reported that Bartholomew County has 113 confirmed cases, up by three cases from yesterday’s report. There have been four deaths so far from the coronavirus in Bartholomew County, which remains unchanged from last week.

In other area counties, Decatur County has 155 cases and has had 13 deaths. Jennings 60 cases and no deaths, Jackson 74 cases and no deaths, Brown 14 cases and 1 death, Johnson 347 and 25 deaths and 79 positive test results in Shelby County and 3 deaths.

Program to help food pantries feed Hoosiers

Indiana residents who need help feeding their families during the COVID-19 pandemic will have greater access to assistance from food banks and pantries through a Disaster Household Distribution program approved by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

The disaster distribution program uses commodity foods from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is administered by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and is effective from today through May 14, 2020. The goal is to increase access to food assistance to those in need. Priority will be given to Hoosiers who are suffering significant economic losses.

During the COVID-19 response, food banks and partner agencies have largely shifted to drive-through distributions. Through the DHD program, current TEFAP food banks will use the network of new and existing mobile pantries to distribute food packages to families in need. It is anticipated a total of 250 sites, including mobile pantries, will assist with food distribution throughout the state, primarily in rural areas. Marion County will use Indianapolis Public School buses, community centers and a drive-through location at Gleaners Food Bank to ensure that families have easy access to food resources.

Each household receiving food through this program can receive one prepackaged 25-pound box that includes a variety of foods, including, but not limited to, canned and packaged fruits, vegetables, soups, sauces, noodles, beans, nuts, juices and meats. If frozen and/or refrigerated storage is available at a site, those items also will be distributed.

Individuals should contact their local food bank or pantry to determine whether they are participating in the DHD program. For additional information, please visit wic.in.gov or find a food pantry near you by using Indiana’s food assistance map.

The city of Columbus is partnering with an app maker to make it easier to have your large trash picked up.

The free app, Curb It, will allow you to schedule those occasional pickups of of large items or extra bags of trash. The items must be curbside and then an alert sent through the app will alert city crews that the items need to be removed, said Brian Burton, director of the department of public works.

Burton said that Columbus will be the first customer for the app produced by a Greenwood based company. City staff have been using the app behind the scenes for several months and have successfully scheduled more than 700 pickups using the app, he said.

The app also weeds out hazardous waste or other items, such as TVs that the city does not pick up, instead referring the user to a paid service to remove those.

The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the contract with the company yesterday morning. It will be at no cost to the city or residents. More information will be released on how to sign up and use the service once it is implemented. The estimated start date is in early May.