April 15, 2020 
Health Updates:

• Confirmed cases 286
• Deaths 17
• Cumulative Hospitalizations 54
• Current hospitalizations 18

Todays Live Update:

• update from Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz.

We will also be hearing from Superintendent Mike Dunn with Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101, who will be discussing:

• Nutrition services and child care services being offered by each district

• Learning from a distance with online and packet-based learning.

• The issues with connectivity and devices used for learning at home.

• The work being done to address high school seniors and the changing State Board of Education rules with respect to graduation requirements.

• Finding ways to virtually honor graduates when traditional “graduations” may not be possible or “safe”

Watch the Facebook live here.

News Releases:

Greater Spokane Inc. and Avista Announce Eastern Washington Telephone Town Hall 

(SPOKANE, Wash.) – Greater Spokane Inc. (GSI), Avista, Inland NW Partners and other organizations supporting the regionwide business recovery efforts under the umbrella initiative InlandBizStrong, are hosting a Telephone Town Hall on Friday, April 17 at 11 am PT. 

The call is a live Q&A format where participants can ask questions directly to the leaders of two important Washington State agencies – the Department of Commerce and the Employment Security Division – engaged in the economic recovery of our region. 

Our speakers on this call are: 

Lisa Brown, Director, Washington State Department of Commerce 

Suzi Levine, Commissioner, Washington State Employment Security Division 

Register here to participate and engage in the polling questions to provide valuable feedback to assist both employees and employers navigate the road to recovery. 

CONTACT: 

Cara Coon 
Greater Spokane Inc. 
509.321.3636 
ccoon@greaterspokane.org 

Policy Updates:

• Federal Updates
  • Food: On April 11, 2020, FEMA issued a new policy that addresses the purchase and distribution of food eligible for Public Assistance funding. 
  • Data: Lawmakers introduced legislation to compel federal health officials to post data daily that breaks down COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity.
• From the Governor's Office and Around the State
  • Equity and Information: A new resource explains the State JIC's “Current Language Access, Health Communication & Equity Efforts”
  • The Governor announced emergency orders effective through May 14 to:
    • Help the criminal justice system by suspending statutes of limitations for any crimes and waiving the one-year limitation on raising postconviction challenges to criminal convictions.
    • Aid commercial truckers by loosening some requirements related to extending or renewing commercial driver’s licenses and commercial learning permits.
    • Protect consumers from debt collectors by changing aspects of collections of judgements of consumer debt, including garnishments of bank accounts and wage garnishments.
• Local Highlights
  • Information: The Inland COVID-19 Response's Joint Information Center at the Emergency Coordination Center will now send daily newsletters. Click here to sign up for daily updates.
  • Business: The Business Recovery team is reviewing Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant applications. Spokane County has received over 1250 requests for assistance.

Around the State

Schools and Students: The Washington State Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a set of emergency rules giving school districts power to waive seniors’ required course credits, including those for elective classes and core classes such as math and English. The new rules are effective immediately and apply to public school districts, as well as private, charter and tribal compact schools.

Information: The Washington Department of Health is partnering with Washington 211 on COVID-19-related calls. Washington 211 replaces the department’s novel coronavirus call center. Callers can continue to dial 1-800-525-0127 and press # to be transferred to a Washington 211 call taker. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates by phone.

Community Updates:

Food and Supply Needs

My Spokane 311 and the Food Continuity Task Force are collaborating on the development and delivery of a “Food and Supply Needs” program. This program will be used to assess needs, and coordinate resources for Spokane County residents. The information collected will be used to connect community members with resources to help during this ongoing health emergency.

Individuals and families can access this program through online or telephone connections. To minimize wait times, if individuals are able to access the form online they are encouraged to do so. Households with limited English proficiency are encouraged to call My Spokane 311. Staff have access to telephonic interpreter services.

How to Access Resources:

• Access resources through either online or telephone connections.
o Online visit:
https://myspokane311.force.com/c…/request/MSFOODSUPN/details
o Telephone:
 Within City of Spokane boundaries, residents can call 311 Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
*interpreter services available
 For those outside City of Spokane boundaries, residents can call 509-755-2489 Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• After application is processed, the household will be contacted by a representative of the Food Continuity Task Force to connect to area food pantry or coordinate food delivery.

Food Donations

To contribute to Second Harvest and support the community wide initiative, please click here .

Supply Donations

The donation site at Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays but remains open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

• The Fig Tree Community Resources

• Spokane County Resources

Business Resources:

• Washington State Business Resources

• Business Recovery Resources from Greater Spokane, Inc.

• City of Spokane COVID-19 Business Resources

• Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm
• Connect businesses and individuals in the county to the right resources.

Health Resources:

• When to see a doctor 

• Provider and Insurance questions

• Drive through screening information

• Mental health information

About Inland COVID-19 Response Team

The Inland COVID-19 Response Team was formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to bring many cities, agencies, organizations, and governments together with the purpose of assisting communities throughout Spokane County navigate this public health crisis. Representatives from these agencies collaborate in a unified effort to implement efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, strategize plans for recovery, and keep the public well informed.