MILWAUKEE COUNTY People having trouble getting a test for the coronavirus will soon have more places to do so. By next week new testing sites will be open to patients with a variety of symptoms.

Daryl Kirchen from St. Francis has wanted to get tested for the coronavirus for the past week.

"I think there's a lot of people in their 30s and 40s that will get sick that don't expect it," Kirchen said.

He doesn't have a fever but said he does have a severe cough, pressure in his chest, and shortness of breath. A person at his workplace also tested positive.

However, when Kirchen called both his health care provider and others in the area, he said they wouldn't approve him to be tested.

"Basically said that testing isn't available for my group," Kirchen said.

Right now, coronavirus testing is available at various health care providers, each with their specifications but all requiring a phone or virtual screening ahead of time.

The only drive-thru testing site currently up and running is at Froedtert South's Pleasant Prairie Clinic, with more expected to open in the next week at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee.

Thursday, TMJ4 News also learned Ascension Medical Group would open multiple drive-thru testing spots early next week, including in West Allis, Franklin, and Milwaukee.

Medical Director Dr. Patricia Golden said as they treat more critical patients at their hospitals, they're designating these new drive-thru sites to those with milder symptoms and no fever.

"This is going to be the opportunity for us to do testing in you know more of the general population and help with the epidemiology of understanding this virus," Dr. Golden said.

She said the samples from critical patients are getting sent to the state and city labs for testing. They don't want to overburden those workers and will be sending the samples from the patients with milder symptoms to commercial labs.

By separating patients with different symptoms, Dr. Golden hopes to avoid cross-contamination.

"These are the patients really truly, we want to know that they're positive, but we also want to help recommend the social distancing as well as the quarantining at home while they test positive, and avoid being the spread of this into the general population," Dr. Golden said.

This is precisely what Kirchen hopes to do.

"I think that you know the key to fixing this is figuring out how to treat people earlier," Kirchen said.

Anyone who is an Ascension patient and wants to get tested first has to get screened by a nurse by either calling Ascension's coronavirus hotline at (833) 981-0711 or virtually using Ascension Online Care.

If you're not an Ascension patient, you can also get tested by calling Ascension's coronavirus hotline.

The nurse who screens you will then decide whether testing is warranted and whether you should be hospitalized or get tested at one of the drive-thru sites.

The first Ascension drive-thru testing sites in Southeastern Wisconsin will be located at the following places:

The three locations are expected to open next week. The opening date and times are still in the works.

Later on, Ascension drive-thru testing sites will also be at the following places:

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

Link:

Ascension to open drive-thru coronavirus testing sites for people with milder symptoms - WTMJ-TV

Posted: Mar 22, 2020 / 05:40 PM UTC / Updated: Mar 22, 2020 / 05:40 PM UTC

Ascension Lourdes and UHS Continue to Stress Virtual Walk-Ins for COVID Screening

Due to a limited supply of personal protective equipment and tests for COVID-19, in order to best treat our patients, we are limiting testing to only those patients who are most critical.

Because of this, we ask patients to not use our Primary Care practices, walk-ins or Emergency Departments simply because they want to be tested.

If you feel you may be ill, the best first step is to utilize a virtual walk-in visit at https://ascension.org/onlinecare or https://nyuhs.zipnosis.com.

Patients will be screened and evaluated by a provider in the safety of their homes.

If you cannot utilize the virtual walk-in, patients may call their primary care offices for telephonic screening first.

Patients who do not receive a COVID 19 test will be evaluated with careful consideration to their needs and given a plan of care to best support their recovery.

We are taking these measures to ensure the safety of our patients and staff by limiting unnecessary exposure.

Continued here:

Ascension Lourdes and UHS Continue to stress virtual walk-ins for COVID-19 screenings - WIVT - NewsChannel 34

WARREN, Mich. (DETROIT Up News Info) In response to the community's generous outreach and in anticipation of serving an increasing number of coronavirus patients (COVID-19), beginning Wednesday, Ascension Southeast Michigan hospitals will have a donation site for protective gear staff open at their Corporate Services Building located at 28000 Dequindre in Warren.

The donation box is located at the entrance of the central building opposite Dequindre under the portico. Donations may be accepted Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. at 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. at 4 p.m.

%MINIFYHTML84c0a0125ee659becf36419a7f9eeb2011%%MINIFYHTML84c0a0125ee659becf36419a7f9eeb2012%

Supplies accepted for donation include:

The safety of our patients, care teams and the community is our top priority, as we all work to stoptransmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and care for all those in need. Michigan Ascension alwaysFollow the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the use of personal protective equipment. We are accepting donations from companies and community members as a precautionary measure for unpredictable circumstances as we work to contain theCOVID-19 spread.

2020 Up News Info Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read more here:

Drive-Thru Donation Site Launches at Ascension Health Up News Info Detroit - Up News Info

One Medical is bringing its modernized, membership-based primary care model to Austin, and will partner with Ascension Texas to facilitate more seamless access and coordinated care across primary care and specialty care services.

One Medical's consumer-driven primary care platform combines seamless digital health and inviting in-office care convenient to where people work, shop, live and click. One Medical plans to launch in Austin with new medical office locations and its digital health services over the next 12 months, and will clinically and digitally integrate with Ascension Texas providers and sites of care in the community. Through this partnership, the two organizations aim to achieve greater care coordination between primary and specialty care settings, advance an exceptional experience for consumers and employers, and reduce administrative burdens and costs. Austin will be One Medical's 13th metropolitan market, following its anticipated entry into Atlanta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and Orange County, California in 2020.

"We greatly look forward to expanding to Austin in collaboration with Ascension Texas. Together, we will deliver streamlined access and a heightened experience across primary and specialty care settings, furthering our vision to delight our members with better health, better care, and lower costs," said John Singerling, Chief Network Officer of One Medical."

"As Ascension Texas primary care providers continue to serve the rapidly growing needs of the expanding Austin market, both in person and through virtual care, we look forward to welcoming One Medical providers to further care for the community," said Samson Jesudass, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Ascension Texas. "Through this collaboration, our specialists will work with primary care providers to offer seamless specialty care and services to those we together are privileged to serve."

View post:

One Medical and Ascension Texas to Collaborate - Patch.com

ASCENSION PARISH - Parish officials are taking the lead in living in accord with health and safety guidelines set out by the federal government.

Along those lines, beginning Friday, March 20, the 23rd Judicial District Court and Ascension Parish Court along with the Ascension, Assumption, and St. James Clerks of Courts will be open on a limited basis.

Their new hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This limited schedule will end Thursday, April 2.

The Court will continue to hear emergency and/or time-sensitive matters in criminal and civil cases as determined by each judicial division.

Anyone with questions regarding a case or court appearance should contact the appropriate judge's office.

Their office numbers are listed below:

Judge Verdigets of Division A, Judge Turner of Division E, Judge Stromberg of Division C, Judge Lanoux of Parish Court, and Hearing Officer Pat Douglas:

(225) 621-8500

Judge Kliebert of Division B:

(225) 562-2280

Judge St. Pierre (Ad Hoc) of Division D

(985) 369-8001

Follow this link:

Ascension, Assumption, St. James, and 23rd Judicial District Courts to function on limited schedule - WBRZ

ASCENSION- A distillery in Ascension Parish recognized the demand for sanitizer and the materials around them that could be used to make the product.

Now they are producing it and giving it away to customers and nonprofit organizations for free.

Sugarfield Spirits, which normally produces adult beverages, has switched gears to make another alcohol-based product that consumers like Ed McCloud can't wait to get their hands on.

"We've been looking for hand sanitizer all over the city of course and nobody has it," says McCloud.

Thursday, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau lifted its federal restrictions, allowing distilleries like Sugarfield Spirits to turn their alcohol into hand sanitizer.

"Everybody is really scared right now. There's a lot going on. Anything a business can do, we're going to do," Owner Andrew Soltau says.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus spread in Louisiana, Soltau saw an opportunity to fill a void.

Soltau has already made several gallons of hand sanitizer to hand out to those in need.

"We donated everything that we had to a local daycare that was in need.They were completely out so we gave them all that we had," says Soltau.

Sugarfield Spirits is still in the liquor business, but they say they will be doing their part to help in this time of need.

They hope to hand out a new batch of hand sanitizer to the general public and nonprofit groups as early as Friday.

Original post:

Ascension distillery uses alcohol to create sanitizer; giving it to those in need - WBRZ

GONZALES - At Ascension Oaks Nursing and Rehab Center, Cecil Vaughn is recovering from a stroke. For the many months he's been there, family visits have been a constant.

"My mom is here every day and she spends most of the days with him," Cecil's daughter Becky Smith said. "Then his family, his children, myself, my brother, his sisters, his mom, brothers-in-law, other family members are in and out every day, almost every day."

That big family is used to spending a lot of time together.

"Lots of hugs and touches and kisses," Smith said. "So this is really, really difficult for us."

Since last week, however, Cecil's family hasn't been able to visit him after new restrictions at nursing homes and assisted living facilities went into effect. Technology has helped keep them in touch.

"We've been seeing him through FaceTime and through the window," Smith said. "That's just the best we can do right now."

But not being able to physically visit the man they call 'Poppie' didn't stop his family from celebrating his 67th birthday Friday.

"It was no second thought about it," Smith said. "Even though there's a window between us, we had to celebrate his birthday and let him know we love him just as much if he's on this side of the glass or the other."

The party was complete with balloons, streamers, party hats, and even cake.

"He liked his cake so much he didn't want to share," Smith said. "He didn't want to share his cake, but he had a great day today. It was a great day."

Even though no one in Cecil's family could have predicted this was how they'd have to celebrate their patriarch, the party proved one thing.

"There's no social distancing that can stop the love of family," Smith said. "Love can go through windows and I believe that."

See the original post here:

Amid COVID-19 outbreak, Ascension Parish family holds birthday party for loved one in nursing home - WBRZ

Health care systems across central Wisconsin need help dealing with shortages of personal protective equipment and loose-fitting surgical masks as they combat a global pandemic.

Marshfield Clinic Health System and Aspirus facilities are accepting handmade surgical masks to help during the COVID-19 outbreak, the official name for the new coronavirus. Ascension Wisconsin is not accepting handmade masks.

All three healthcare systems are accepting donations of much-needed N95 masks, those tight-fitting masks that filter out 95% of small and large airborne particles, and other medical supplies.

Handmade masks can't replace the N95 masks or disposable surgical masksbecause their material can varyand are not rated for medical use by the FDA, but they will play a role as hospitals run out of masks and need ways to control the spread of the virus from patients.

The main benefactors of these masks will be patients with the coronavirus to help control the disease's spread when they're outside of quarantine or in the vicinity of uninfected people.For some health care workers across the country, using these handmade masks will be an absolute last resort and should be paired with some sort of face shield, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here's how to donate and what standards to follow for handmade masks.

The do-it-yourself nature of handmade masks leaves a lot of potential variability in materials, sewing and quality and so JOANN fabrics created a program last Fridayto give away free fabric, elastic and other materialsso people can make facemasks.

Marshfield Clinic is also providing guidance on how to make masks through instructions created by the Turban Project, aministry created by the women of the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Assembly #0830 in Ohio.

Andrew Krauss, an Aspirus spokesman, said people can donate handmade masks at the loading dock of any Aspirus hospital. He said to label such donations as "Donation: handmade masks."

Krauss said Aspirus facilities have enough supplies for now but the situation is fluid, and the health system continues to seek donations and find avenues to acquire more supplies.

"We have a great supply chain at Aspirus and continue to find new avenues for supplies such as (personal protective equipment). However, we are aware that this is a marathon and we continue to prepare for the long-haul," Krauss said in an email. "Were in a good spot for now, but this is a very fluid situation and we are monitoring our supplies very closely."

Marshfield Clinic over the weekend sent out a call for volunteers to donate sewn masks.

Teri Wilczek, the chief philanthropy officer for the clinic, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the clinic should be getting thousands of masks through its various drop-off spots from teachers, church groups, clubs and families.

The handmade masks at the clinic will be used by patients and family members at the clinic's facilities because they're not surgical masks. The clinic plans to wash and use them a second time.

"Sewn masks will help alleviate the shortage and will be distributed to patients to help provide a protective barrier, so that medical-grade N95 masks may be conserved for our health care providers," Marshfield Clinic wrote on its Facebook page.

RELATED: People are making DIY masks to fight coronavirus. But do they actually work?

RELATED: Wisconsin hospitals are short on on medical masks, so church groups, a flag factory and others are making them

Volunteers can reach Melissa Darr, who works in volunteer services at the Marshfield Medical Center, at darr.melissa@marshfieldclinic.org or at 715-387-7198. The clinic is updating its request for donations daily on its Facebook page.

Donation locationsfor Marshfield Clinic are:

Ascension will not accept handmade masksbut is taking donations of other medical supplies:

Contact Ascension Wisconsins Foundation partners at AscensionWIFoundations@ascension.org to make a donation. The foundation will arrange to pick up and deliver the donation to an Ascension facility. Ascension asks people to not drop off donations at a hospital.

"At this time, Ascension Wisconsin cannot accept donations that are handmade (ex: sewn face masks) and is working with local and state health officials to determine if such items could be an option in the future," according to a statement from Ascension.

Contact reporter Alan Hovorka at 715-345-2252 or ahovorka@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ajhovorka.

Read or Share this story: https://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/news/health/2020/03/25/coronavirus-handmade-masks-what-hospitals-accepting-them/2907309001/

Follow this link:

Coronavirus handmade masks: What hospitals are accepting them? - Stevens Point Journal

Ascension Via Christi is taking further steps to prevent COVID-19 at their hospitals.

They have asked volunteers not to report for their shifts and to stay home until further notice. Additionally, Hospital-based health education classes, support groups and tours have been suspended.

On-site hiring events at the hospital have been suspended and all interviews will be conducted by telephone rather than in person. Changes are also being made to the hospital cafeterias.

Buffets, salad bars, condiments and salad dressings have been replaced with pre-packaged items. The utensil dispensers are also being replaced with no-touch systems.

Those patients with non-emergency, but urgent care needs are asked to consider using the virtual visit system through Ascension Online Care. The cost has been reduced to $20 through the month of March by usingthe code HOME.

Last week, Ascension Via Christi revised its visitor guidelines and began cancelling or postponing previously scheduled non-essential travel, meetings and large group activities, such as its Wichita Medical Mission at Home, an annual day of free healthcare scheduled for April 18.

Working with local and state public health officials, we are trying to limit the number of people in the hospital to further reduce patients, visitors and associates risk for exposure, said Sam Antonios, MD, chief medical officer for Ascension Via Christi hospitals in a news release to the media.

See original here:

Ascension Via Christi taking further steps to prevent COVID-19 - KFDI

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) Ascension St. Vincent announced Sunday evening that it will cancel all non-urgent surgeries to ensure the hospital's resources for emergent health needs.

"As cases of COVID-19 increase, Ascension St. Vincent continues to diligently monitor the situation to ensure we are protecting our patients, employees and communities," St. Vincent said in a press release. "The following guidance was provided to our clinicians to assist in helping to manage their existing patients, protect against potential COVID-19 exposure and ensure the availability of resources to meet emergent health needs."

Starting Tuesday, March 17, all elective non-urgent surgeries will be canceled at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital Indianapolis.

Ascension St. Vincent says it is following the guidance of the CDC, Surgeon General, and American College of Surgeons which have recommended limiting elective services.

Examples of qualifying procedures include non-critical cardiac or neurosurgical procedures where deferral of care will not present risk of patient harm.

Examples of qualifying procedures include:

For patients having an outpatient procedure, the visitor will be allowed to stay with the patient until discharge.

Children 17 and younger will be permitted to have one parent or guardian stay with them post procedure.

Continued here:

St. Vincent Indianapolis to cancel all 'elective non-urgent' surgeries - WTHR

GONZALES A Prairieville man has been sentenced to eight years in prison but avoided being additionally charged as a habitual offender after he pleaded guilty to a string of car wash burglaries in Ascension Parish.

Prosecutors in Ascension say Gene McCauley, 41, cut through the roofs of the Sail Away Car Wash in Prairieville and the Galvez Carwash in Galvez six times in the first half of 2018 to steal the coins and cash inside the washes' storage rooms.

PRAIRIEVILLE Ascension Parish sheriff's deputies have arrested a Prairieville man they say they found using an electric grinder in the early

Ascension sheriff's deputies say they caught McCauley while he was on the roof of the Galvez Carwash about 5 a.m. May 31, 2018, after being called out the operation on La. 42 by a burglar alarm.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Before McCauley emerged on the roof, deputies said at the time that they could hear a grinder whining away inside the car wash storage room as he tried to break open a coin box.

In a plea deal, McCauley, 37225 Charlotte Ave., pleaded guilty to six counts of simple burglary in connection with the car wash break-ins.

Assistant District AttorneyPhil Maples also agreed to drop 12 other counts of theft and criminal damage to property, court filings show.

Twenty-third Judicial District Judge Thomas Kliebert Jr. accepted McCauley's guilty plea and handed down the sentence Monday.

View post:

Ascension car wash burglar who cut through roofs, cracked open cash boxes gets 8 years - The Advocate

A former graduate of Wagoner High School is achieving great things in the medical field. C. David Murr, MD, MBA has been appointed by Ascension St. John as Medical Director of Ambulatory Services.

In that role, he provides medical oversight of outpatient clinics in the Ascension St. John system. This includes primary care and some specialties across numerous sites in Tulsa and Bartlesville, as well as other locations in Northeast Oklahoma and Southeast Kansas.

Dr. Murr is involved in evaluating quality standards, implementation of new processes and improvements, working with government or insurance requirements and being a resource for all of the Ascension healthcare providers.

He participates in the health systems work around its Mission and is involved in clinician wellness as well.

Dr. Murr has been with Ascension St. John Hospital System since 2008 working in the urgent care centers. He most recently served as Associate Medical Director of Urgent Care, Occupational Healthcare and ministry-wide Associate and Occupational Health.

I was always interested in sciences, and some experiences at an early age with family illnesses introduced me to the healthcare world, Dr. Murr said. I wanted to be able to help others who were in need. Even if you cant fix the problem, reducing the suffering can still be a goal.

His initial thoughts as he started his education were to work as a family doctor in a small community. Yet as things progressed, he was exposed to new options. Other opportunities arose and life took a different turn.

Dr. Murr was able to participate in a joint program for his business degree while attending medical school. He met his wife, Dr. Indira Murr, an emergency medicine physician, in med school.

My continued training in family medicine allowed me to experience more of what being a doctor was really about, he admitted.

After he and his wife completed their residency programs in North Carolina, they decided to return to Oklahoma to be closer to family.

Dr. Murr is the son of Edgar and Laura Jeffers of Wagoner and Bobby and Barbara Murr of Little Rock, Ark., He grew up on a farm in Wagoner and graduated from high school in 1993.

He attended Baylor University in Waco, Tex. where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in chemistry. He continued his education at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Tex. and was honored as a DeBakey Scholar.

While in Houston, Dr. Murr received his Master of Business Administration from Rice University. He then completed his residency with East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Dr. Murr has served on numerous committees and leadership programs with St. John Hospital System. He will continue working with community outreach and involvement in health care.

Dr. Murr and his wife have three sons.

See more here:

Wagoner native appointed to new role with Ascension Medical Group - Tulsa World

The Louisiana Sportsman Show and the Bulls, Bands, and Barrels events this weekend at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center will go on as planned, as organizers urged visitors to take precautions against the novel coronavirus, a respiratory illness that has caused a global pandemic.

Theatre Baton Rouge, a Mid-City community theater troupe, had hoped Friday to go forward with with two plays this weekend, "Fox on the Fairway" and "A Doll's House, Part 2" but later announced those events would be canceled.

Kyle Rogers, general manager of Lamar-Dixon, issued a statement Friday morning saying the shows will go on but he also urged caution.

The events' "organizers are urging people to educate themselves on COVID-19 coronavirus, and take all necessary precautions," Rogers said in a statement.

The threat of the respiratory illness, which has already killed more than 5,000 people worldwide, has prompted the cancellation or postponement of public events locally and around the nation, including March Madness, the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament, the Masters golf championship, the Boston Marathon, the St. Patrick's Day parades in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and a number of events put on by BREC.

LSU, Southern and other universities around the nation are ending in-person classes and switching to online learning for the spring semester, and all Broadway performances in New York City have also canceled through April 12.

As the number of people in Louisiana with the coronavirus rose to 19 on Thursday more universities are moving online and virtually all sports

The owner of the Louisiana Sportsman Show, which began Thursday, resumed Friday morning and lasts through Sunday, didn't return a message for comment that was left with a staffer early Friday.

Attempts to reach the organizer of the Bulls, Bands, and Barrels event set for Saturday at Lamar-Dixon were unsuccessful. An email sent through the event's general contact portal on its website hadn't been returned early Friday.

Bulls, Bands, and Barrels heads to Bossier City on April 4.

Jenny Ballard, Theatre Baton Rouge's creative director, said the 327-theater decided to cancel its plays after Gov. John Bel Edwards ended all events with more than 250 people and have been informing patrons and volunteers.

"Fox on the Fairway" had its last run this weekend -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- but all those shows have been canceled. "A Doll's House, Part 2" was opening this weekend, but its shows will be rescheduled once theater officials have a clearer idea about the extent of coronavirus's impact on public gatherings, Ballard said.

She added the theater has also postponed classes, auditions and other group gatherings for the next several weeks. Only necessary staff will be working at the theater.

"We want to keep everyone in the building safe, and this was the only thing we could do," Ballard said.

Though the tally of those in Louisiana with presumptive positive tests for coronavirus had reached 33 by early Friday, none of those people were in Ascension or East Baton Rouge parishes, state health officials said. The events are aimed, however, at drawing a regional audience. Many of the positives tests have been in southeast Louisiana.

Ascension Parish government officials, who own and operate the multi-use event complex near Gonzales, have referred questions about the Louisiana Sportsman Show to its organizers because it is a private event.

Southern University's spring semester schedule is changing moving forward in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Louisiana, school l

In statements about both events going forward this week, officials urged visitors to follow state health warnings, including covering one's mouth while coughing, washing one's hands and staying home if one is sick.

The warnings in the statement also discussed state and federal authorities' warnings about social distancing, saying visitors should avoid close contact with those who are sick, at least six feet.

It wasn't clear from the statements how organizers or visitors would be able to maintain social distance at the open public events or how visitors would know who is sick and, thus, avoid them.

In Louisiana, coronavirus testing had reached fewer than 100 people as of Thursday. The virus, which can be spread through airborne droplets or by lingering on surfaces, has an extended incubation period.

If you have questions about coronavirus, please email our newsroom at online@theadvocate.com.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

The rest is here:

Sportsman, rodeo events go forward in Ascension; Baton Rouge theater canceled amid coronavirus fears - The Advocate

Emily Bloch @emdrums

SundayMar15,2020at8:51PM

St. Vincents Clay and Riverside are each treating a patient with the virus. In addition, The Mayo Clinic confirmed it was treating patients, but would not disclose how many.

Hospitals in Jacksonville and Clay County confirmed treating multiple patients with COVID-19 on Sunday evening.

As reported by Times-Union news partners First Coast News, Ascension St. Vincents Clay and Riverside are each treating a patient with the virus. In addition, The Mayo Clinic confirmed it was treating patients, but would not disclose how many.

COMPLETE COVERAGE | Coronavirus in Florida

"The health and safety of our patients, associates and visitors are always our top priorities," St. Vincents said in a statement.

"We have been working closely with government health officials including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health to care for two patients -- one at Ascension St. Vincents Clay County and one at Ascension St. Vincents Riverside -- who presented with symptoms of COVID-19 and have since tested positive. Out of respect for our patients privacy and their clinical care, we will not be sharing the identities of these patients or any clinical details."

This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to the Times-Union/jacksonville.com.

This news came hours after Baptist Health Center South released a statement confirming it was treating a patient with the coronavirus.

Currently, Duval is listed to have four positive coronavirus cases according to the Florida Department of Health. In Northeast Florida, nine Northeast Florida residents were listed as diagnosed with the virus.

Its unclear whether the patients being treated at Baptist Medical Center South, St. Vincents or The Mayo Clinic are included in the health department data.

Here is the original post:

Coronavirus: Mayo Clinic and St. Vincents confirm treating positive COVID-19 cases - The Florida Times-Union

Youve tracked your symptoms and you believe its not flu, allergies, strep or a cold. Can you get tested for the coronavirus?

Maybe. Local hospitals and doctors are following the national Centers for Disease Control and Preventions protocols and guidelines about who gets tested.

"We are adhering to the established protocols," says Dr. Maria Granzotti, chief medical officer at Ascension Texas.

That means they are looking at exposure risk factors such as whether someone has traveled in the last 14 days and where theyve traveled, or if they have been in direct contact with someone who has the virus as well as what their symptoms are.

"It doesnt help us to do inadvertent testing," Granzotti says. "We have to be very cognizant of who has the algorithm for testing to begin with."

They want to make sure that the tests are given to the right people, those with exposure to the virus, and not be used on people who dont have the risk factors.

The hospitals and doctors offices all have the swabs to do the test (its the same as the flu swab). What they dont have is the tests themselves. They are sending swabs from the people who meet the protocols to Austin Public Health right now. The tests then go to the CDC for confirmation.

Doctors are being told test results will be back within 48 hours, says Dr. Meena Iyer, the chief medical officer at Dell Childrens Medical Center of Central Texas.

While people wait, they will either go home to be isolated for 14 days until they know they are negative for the virus, or they will be in the hospital if they require that level of care.

Ascension Texas is evaluating commercial labs and "the appropriateness of their testing kits," Granzotti says.

If you think you might have the virus because youve been in contact with someone who has it or is being tested for it, call ahead to your doctors office so that your doctor can be ready to receive you and follow the protocols to keep the staff and other patients safe.

The doctors office will call the public health department to see if you meet the criteria to be tested.

If you cannot reach your doctors office, you can call the state public health COVID-19 hot line, 1-877-570-9779. You also can call Ascensions hot line for the coronavirus, 1-833-919-1680, which has nurses to answer questions and assess whether you need to be seen or tested.

Ascension also has online telemedicine in which you see a doctor virtually that doesnt require insurance. Download the app at ascension.org/onlinecare, and use the code HOME for a discounted $20 visit.

If you are having significant trouble breathing, call 911 instead of just showing up at the emergency room. This makes sure that the emergency room is prepared to receive you and that you get immediate treatment if you need it.

Right now, Ascension Texas hospitals are not seeing a lot of people flocking to the emergency room to get tested, which is a good thing.

"We are seeing a few and they are appropriately being identified," Granzotti says.

St. Davids HealthCare is also following the same protocol. On Friday, it released this statement after a presumptive case was acknowledged to be in one of its hospitals:

"As the COVID-19 scenario continues to unfold, it is important that we reserve our emergency departments for patients with emergent medical conditions. We are encouraging patients to access the most appropriate site of care for their medical needs."

The statement continues: "If a patient has flu-like symptoms or thinks they may have been exposed to COVID-19, they should call their primary care doctor or go to an urgent care clinic. If they are having trouble breathing or have some other type of related emergent condition, they should go to an emergency department."

Excerpt from:

You think you got coronavirus: Whats it take to get tested in Austin? - austin360

Google made waves in the fall when the WSJ reported thatthe tech company hadbeen working with Ascension since 2018 on a collaboration involving patient data, called Project Nightingale.While the partnership appears to be HIPAA compliant, thenews drew concerns among patients, providers and legislators.

Earlier this week, a group of three senators, including Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-LA),sent a follow-up letter to AscensionCEO Joseph Impiccicheregarding concerns they holdabout ProjectNightingale.

This is not the first letter the trio haspenned questioningtheproject. In November they sent a letter to Google raising a number of questions regarding the privacy and security of patient data, and received a reply in early December.

"However, because Googles response did not answer a number of our questions pertaining to Ascensions involvement, we are requesting additional details from Ascension to help us better understand how Project Nightingale protects the sensitive health information of American patients," the senators wrote in the morerecent letter.

The senators laid out a number of questions surrounding patient consent of data use and privacy concerns. The senators are pressuring the health system for more information regarding the number of Google employees with access to the data and exactly what information is in the records.

"Google, for example, did not provide us with a 'full and complete list of patient-level information'that the company is receiving from Ascension, nor did it provide an exact number of healthcare records that it had received under Project Nightingale," the letter read.

The senators also asked if patients had advancenotice of Googles retention of their EHR, and if they had the ability to opt out of data sharing. Specifically, the senators inquired about whether the patients data would be used for research purposes.

The senators point out that, in the December letter from Google, the tech giant said that "providing notice to patients of uses and retention of [personal health information] by a covered entity and its business associations is the responsibility of the covered entity." The senators asked Ascension to clarify exactly what patients knew about their data being used.

The March letter endsby asking if Ascension is aware of any data breeches that would "present a risk of any outside party obtaining access to personal health information."

WHY IT MATTERS

As big tech moves into healthcare, patient privacy has been a concern among stakeholders.

"While improving the sharing, accessibility, and search-ability of healthcare data for providers could almost certainly lead to improvements in care, the role of Google in developing such a tool warrants scrutiny," the senators wrote in the letter.

THE LARGER TREND

Last year, news broke that Google and the University of Chicago Medical Center were being sued for violating patients' privacyfollowing a data-sharing partnership that the two parties inked two years ago. The class action lawsuit, which was first reported on by theNew York Times, accused the hospital system of sharing data with the tech conglomerate that could be identifiable, namely doctor's notes and the time frame of their visits.

Google has also been in hot water on the other side of the pond. In 2016 theUK's NHS signed a deal with Deep Mindthat led to press andUK government criticism afteran investigative report by the New Scientistrevealed that Google would have access to a huge trove of patient data without the patients' express consent, a potential violation of NHS information governance principles.

Original post:

US senators question Ascension on its Google collaboration Project Nightingale - MobiHealthNews

The February employee of the month in Ascension Parish government is floodplain manager Marcia Shivers.

Shivers is the parishs expert dealing with Community Rating System, which is part of the National Flood Insurance Program, according to a news release.

The Community Rating System makes it possible for communities to win reductions in flood insurance premiums for their residents by enforcing higher floodplain management regulations.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Shivers has been recognized by FEMA, particularly after the 2016 flood, for her knowledge, her responsiveness and her work ethic, the release said.

A mother of three, she has worked for Ascension Parish government since 2003.

Link:

Floodplain manager is February employee of the month in Ascension Parish - The Advocate

WWE released The Ascension along with Sin Cara and Luke Harper all on the same day. Their non-compete clauses are all running up on March 7th, but The Ascension have already gotten back on the indies.

While speaking to Wrestling Inc, Konnor spoke about his recent WWE release. They only had three months left on their contracts, and they were just sitting at home.

He said that someone tried to get something started before his release, but he didnt elaborate. Konnor didnt the point in trying since WWE had pegged them as enhancement talents.

We only had two more months left. We literally had two more months left. We had been sitting at home for almost nine months. They had literally taken us off the road and we literally almost sat there throughout the last portion of our contract, and it just was one of those things where it was nice to be honest with you, and there was some more backstory to it as to why things kinda went the way that it did.

Basically, I had a discussion with one of the gentlemen there. They were talking about possibly making some things happen and my only question to them was why. There was really no point. There was nothing going on for us. We were clearly there to do one thing and that was to be quote unquote enhancement talent, and thats just the reality of it. So, you just kind of take a step back and youre just like, Man this isnt why I got into this business.

Konnor and Viktor are now on their own. Well have to see whats next for them in the pro wrestling world, but it sounds like their WWE release wasnt that devastating to discover.

Read the rest here:

WWE Released The Ascension Very Close To Contract Expiration - Ringside News

Doctor Who/ News

March 4, 2020

Its time to reveal DWTVs poll results for the ninth episode of Series 12, Ascension of the Cybermen, as voted for by you over the last week or so.

As always, we asked you to rate the episode on a scale from 1 to 10. We then took an average.

So far, the Series 12 episode ranking looks like this:

Ascension of the Cybermen has pushed the series average up to 6.70. Series 11 concluded its run with this exact same average. So with only one episode left, Series 12 is currently as consistent as Series 11. Not that this is a good thing in this case, as it would mean it would still be joint lowest ranked series of the whole revival.

Join us next week when we examine the results of The Timeless Children, the tenth and final episode of Series 12. Its sure to be another interesting one Until then, keep voting!

Please Support DWTV

Step back in time...

Comments

See the article here:

YOUR Verdict on "Ascension of the Cybermen" An Upgrade - Doctor Who TV

A CHURCH is set to be restored to mark its 50th birthday.

The Church of the Ascension, has received a grant from the National Lotterys heritage fund in order for repairs to be carried out at the Warren Lane site.

Its corroded concrete structure and bell tower will be renovated, while a project officer will also be employed to engage with the community and help residents to celebrate the churchs heritage.

Reverend Rebecca Roberts said: Im really excited about the plans for the Ascension.

I believe a church should be at the heart of its community, and the support of the National Lottery enables us to bring the Ascension back to the heart of the Woolston community again as a facility that can be a focal point for the community as it was originally intended to be.

A host of events are planned as part of the Ascension Festival on the weekend of May 22 to 25, which marks 50 years since the building was first opened.

The church will also host a monthly pop-up cinema showing iconic 1970s films, an exhibition exploring its role in the development of Woolston as we know it, musical concerts and a renewal of marriage vows ceremony for couples who were wed there.

Volunteers will support the celebrations and develop a work experience scheme with pupils at Fox Wood Special School.

Plans to construct the church had been mooted for several decades before the foundation stone was laid in 1968, but were delayed by the outbreak of war and rising costs.

Built on land donated by the Gorton family and designed by renowned modern day church architect George Pace, it eventually opened on Ascension Day 1970 at a time when Woolston was rapidly growing due to new housing developments.

More:

Church of the Ascension to be restored on 50th birthday - Warrington Guardian