Disaster Response

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Texarkana Texas Chosen For COVID-19 Treatment Center

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TEXARKANA, TX—Judge Bobby Howell and Texarkana, Texas Mayor Bob Bruggeman received notification this week from the Texas Department of Emergency Management that Texarkana has been chosen as a site for a regional monoclonal antibody infusion treatment center in the battle against COVID-19. It is anticipated that the site will be operational within the week, and is located at 401 Industrial Boulevard, Nash, TX. While the treatment is an outpatient process, patients must have a physician’s order to seek the antibody infusion, called Regeneron. Patients are a candidate for the treatment if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

65 years of age or olderObesity or being overweightPregnancyChronic Kidney DiseaseDiabetesImmunosuppressive DiseaseReceiving Immunosuppressive TreatmentCardiovascular disease or hypertensionChronic lung diseasesSickle Cell DiseaseNeurodevelopmental disorders or other conditions that confer medical complexityHaving a medical related technological dependence

If you have received a positive COVID-19 result and think you may be a candidate for this treatment, please consult your physician. The treatment is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19, who require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19, or who require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to COVID-19 in those on chronic oxygen therapy due to underlying non-COVID-19 related comorbidity. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response

Four States News Adds School COVID Search to COVID Page

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Arkansas: The Four States News has updated the COVID information page to include a link to data for school COVID infection rates. The link can be found on the COVID Information Page just below the “More Deadly than the Flu” Chart. Click on the link, Arkansas COVID School Search, and the reader will be taken to an outside database which is keeping up with infection rates in Arkansas schools since August 16, 2021. In addition to the school resources, other information such as state, national, and global COVID infections may be tracked on the Four States News page. The cover page also features a red header which will take readers directly to the page, Four States News. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Arkansas, Disaster Response

The COVID-19 Impact in Arkansas

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Opinion: COVID-19 is no joke, and I strongly disagree with anyone who says it is a joke, conspiracy, or something not to be taken seriously. It is getting to where more families are being impacted by this disease. If the family is lucky, there will be a mild case, but in others, death comes knocking with a brutal vengeance. While people still debate the virus, masks, and the vaccine, few of those people at the edge of death debate it. In fact, the majority of the people showing up in the hospitals, ending up on ventilators, and eventually dying are often begging for the vaccine when they initially come in the door sick. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response, Essays/Opinion

COVID on the Rise in Texarkana Region

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TEXARKANA, TX— COVID 19 cases continue to increase in Bowie County and the Texarkana region. Hospitalizations due to COVID remain high, and available resources to care for COVID patients are still critically low. While local officials continue to monitor case counts, and stay updated on CDC guidelines, individuals are encouraged to follow the advice of their primary care physician and stay current on recommendations from the CDC for ways to stay healthy: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Free COVID-19 testing will return to the Texarkana-Bowie County Family Health Center this Friday, August 27, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Walk-ins are accepted, or individuals can preregister at http://www.allamericantesting.com. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response

Care Providers Oklahoma Responds to President Joe Biden’s Nursing Home Vaccine Mandate

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New Requirements Could Cause Unprecedented Workforce Catastrophe

OKLAHOMA CITY – Care Providers Oklahoma, the association representing Oklahoma’s skilled nursing professionals and residents, today released the following statement in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement that all skilled nursing staff must be vaccinated:

“Oklahoma’s skilled nursing facilities, through a combination of successful vaccination campaigns and rigorous safety protocols, are now clearly the safest places in Oklahoma for vulnerable seniors when it comes to COVID protection. In the week of August 8-14, for example, the state’s Epidemiology Report indicates that skilled nursing and long-term care (LTC) settings had just 44 new COVID cases among residents across over 600 facilities, representing just .28% of the state’s total portion of new cases. That number has fallen precipitously since the last week of December 2020, when skilled nursing/LTC reported 443 new cases among residents, representing 2.4% of the state’s total caseload. As the Delta variant continues to explode across the state and country, Oklahoma nursing homes have largely kept COVID under control and offered the most successful protection to their residents available anywhere. “For that reason, it is extremely frustrating and disappointing to see the Biden Administration single out nursing homes as the only health care provider facing a federal vaccination mandate. More importantly, this mandate will transform the current workforce shortage in the skilled nursing profession (where administrators report upwards of 20% of jobs are going unfilled) into an untenable crisis that could result in facility closures and the complete abandonment of vulnerable seniors.“Today, approximately 49% of Oklahoma’s skilled nursing staff and 82% of our residents are fully vaccinated, which significantly outpaces the state average of 42%. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response, McCurtain County, Oklahoma

UA Hope-Texarkana COVID-19 Mask Update From The Chancellor

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Effective immediately (August 12, 2021), masks are required in all University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana campus indoor settings, including hallways, classrooms, common areas, and shared spaces of all buildings.  Personal offices are excluded when alone. “It has become necessary that UAHT take an active role in maintaining the safety of our students while educating them on our campus,” said Laura Clark, Interim Chancellor.  “Today, the UA Board of Trustees approved a Delta Facemask Resolution. While we know that there is much debate and court challenges regarding mask mandates, the UAHT administration has chosen to institute a mask mandate on our campuses.”  

According to the CDC Level of Community Transmission statistics, all of the UAHT service areas are at the substantial or high-risk level of community transmission, as is all Arkansas.  “UAHT administration will monitor the CDC rating and evaluate the rating scale weekly,” said Clark. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response, U of A Hope/Texarkana

COVID Cases Rise in Bowie County

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TEXARKANA, TX— COVID cases are back on the rise in Bowie County and the Texarkana region. Hospitalizations due to COVID are also increasing, and available resources to care for COVID patients are critically low. “It is imperative, now more than ever, that the residents of Bowie County and the Texarkana region seek out a COVID vaccine,” Local Health Authority Dr. Matt Young said. “We are seeing sick patients come through the clinic and emergency rooms at an alarming rate, and most of them are unvaccinated. This new Delta variant is moving quickly through our area and affecting younger populations more acutely. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response

COVID Update Miller County and Vaccinations 7-14-2021

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The Office of Emergency Management is following the upward trend of the positivity rate within Miller County and the surrounding metro area. While an exact number of new positive COVID-19 cases is unavailable, the medical community is advising more cases of COVID-19 patients are being seen. OEM works closely with area medical facilities, practitioners, state and local Emergency Management agencies to track the trends of the virus. Medical facilities in our area have recorded inpatient care of COVID-related illnesses in the last seven days that closely match that of hospitalizations from March 2021. In February 2021, Miller County Emergency Management normally recorded 175 new positive COVID cases every ten days. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response, Miller County

Parents – A COVID Vaccine Warning

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Currently the only vaccine approved for under 18 years of age is Pfizer

As summer approaches, many parents will be considering vaccine options for their children 12 years of age to 18 years of age. The only vaccine currently approved by the CDC for this age group is the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and the Janssen are approved for 18 years of age and up. Moderna makers are currently testing for 12 years and up, and they have reported positive responses; however, the CDC has not approved or reviewed the testing results as of this date (5-25-2021). Scheduling a vaccine can be a confusing process. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response

Joint Operations Center Bowie County/City of Texarkana, TX

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TEXARKANA, TX- Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came out with new guidance saying individuals who are fully vaccinated no longer must wear a mask indoors or outdoors. As a reminder, private business owners and property owners may continue to ask patrons to wear a mask to protect staff and other customers. For individuals in our region who are still in need of a vaccine, CHRISTUS St. Michael is now offering vaccines on their Spirit St. Michael Mobile Unit. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Disaster Response