The Cook County Chamber of Commerce has arranged for experts from North Shore Health, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the Cook County Department of Public Health and Human Services to provide a briefing for county business owners, managers and staff on how businesses can effectively prepare for the arrival of a new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID- 19, as well as other infectious diseases. Join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, in the multipurpose room at North Shore Health, 515 Fifth Avenue West, Grand Marais.
It’s March. The 2020 tourism summer high season, which will bring tens of thousands of visitors to Cook County from many parts of the world, is less than three months away. Also inevitably coming soon to the county, it would seem, is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a disease, which originated in China, has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide and appears to be spreading quickly in parts of the United States.
High numbers of visitors and the spread of a disease causing virus seem a worrisome combination. The initial point of contact between residents of Cook County and visitors very often are businesses, ranging from service stations and restaurants to lodging and gift stores. So how should Cook County businesses best prepare to keep everyone as safe as possible?
If you ask Cook County public health officials, the answer you get is pretty down-to-earth: Deal effectively with coronavirus by taking the same steps you should already be taking to deal with other threats from infectious diseases.
So that county business people can hear this practical advice first hand, the Cook County Chamber arranged the March 11 presentation for businesses. Presenters will include Jennifer Dowden RN, Infection Control Coordinator for North Shore Health; Grace Grinager, Public Health Coordinator for Cook County, and Dr. Paul Terrill, medical director at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. Jennifer Dowden has served as an infection preventionist since 2017 and has been in the medical field since 1988. Grace Grinager has eight years public health experience in clinical settings, local government and community based agencies. Dr. Terrill has been a physician at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic since 1991.
Topics covered in their presentations will include situations specific to a business setting: steps to minimize the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, in offices, restaurants, lodging and retail spaces; how to evaluate when employees should remain away from work to avoid spreading an infectious disease; when to consult the clinic or public health office on concerns about infectious disease control; how the county, clinic and hospital are working together to minimize the threat from infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and how they link up with state and federal health authorities to ensure they have the latest information on responding to a rapidly changing situation.
If you have specific questions you would like answered during the briefing March 11, you can send those to ccchamber@boreal.org, and they will be forwarded to the experts so they might prepare to answer them at the public briefing.
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