Emergency tent provides quarantine shelter in The Dalles

The men tested positive for COVID and were temporarily quarantined at a hotel in Hood River, but were evicted do to behavioral issues linked to mental illness.

“There has been a large outbreak of COVID among our homeless population,” North Central Public Health (NCPHD) Health Officer Mimi McDonell told the Wasco County Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Jan. 5. “With freezing temperatures, this is a tremendous challenge. Although shelters are available, if they have tested positive for COVID they need another place to go.”

McDonell said there is some quarantine shelter availability at local hotels, but that is not always the case and some people are unable to comply with all the rules at a hotel. “Our most pressing issue is people who live in our region, have COVID and need shelter, but are not able to go to the (communal) warming shelter and are not able to utilize a hotel.”

The issue came to a head over the holiday season, said Shellie Campbell, NCPHD director, when the department needed to find emergency housing for those testing positive for COVID even as life-threatening cold and snow began hammering the Gorge.

Emergency response

Working with Wasco County emergency managers and the Oregon Department of Human Services, a large tent was placed in a parking lot at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, about three miles west of The Dalles. Equipped with cots, sleeping bags, blankets and light and heat powered by a gas generator, the tent provided emergency shelter for eight. Community partners helped provide food services.

“This was the most rapid life saving response we could make,” said Micah Goettle, regional emergency coordinator for ODHS. “While it is not an ideal situation, it’s far better than what we had and gives us time to find a longer term solution.”

It was a first deployment for the tent system. “It has not been used before, we have been putting it together for a presentation on mass evacuations, looking at how it can be useful for that. This seemed like a very reasonable test case for the system.”

It worked, but was not ideal. Emergency service staff and volunteers had to refill the generator fuel tank every eight hours, and the out-of-town location made services difficult to deliver.

When asked why the tent was placed at the Discovery Center, McDonell had a short answer, but to the point. “They were the only ones who said ‘yes.’ We needed it to go up immediately.”

New location sought

Although the tent provided life-saving shelter during an emergency, it’s current location created a problem for health district staff and volunteers. “The situation is not really helpful or conducive to the needs that we have there,” said Campbell. “We feel we really need, not only for the health and safety of the individuals being served, but for the staff and volunteers, the tent to be moved closer to the city so we have better access to support those individuals and serve them better as well as keep our staff, our volunteers and the community safer.

“This is not a public health issue only, but really a community issue,” Campbell added. “We need county and city leaders to help us move this tent to a safer place.”

Citing the tent at Lewis and Clark Festival Park, which is well supplied with outdoor power and restroom facilities was suggested, as was the county-owned Annex, where the NCPHD office is located. Campbell said locating the tent on the NCPHD campus would be ideal. “Our first ask would be to move it on campus at NCPHD would be ideal for our access, for staff, volunteers and law enforcement,” she explained.

Both sites are in town, where services can be provided, and in places familiar to those in quarantine. “Having it out of town is stressful, and makes it uncomfortable for them to stay at the location.”

The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays, who attended the county meeting, said the city did get a request regarding use of the park. He said he contacted council members, and “I was told to back off from that, for whatever reason, and so I did.” He added that locating the first pallet shelters at the park was in the past rejected by the council. “A lot has changed since then, the council might think differently now,” he added.

Community Challenge

Commissioner Steve Kramer said it’s time community leaders address the mental health needs of the county. “This particular incident has opened the door to a need for a greater discussion on mental health and mental illness in the near future,” he said. “I feel that as this incident has proven, this is our major issue and we have got to start talking about this, all of us.

“We have got to work together, pool our resources, and get after this issue,” he said.

Commissioner Kathy Schwartz agreed, saying, “The Discovery Center worked in an emergency situation, but there are a lot of issues that have come up with it being out there. It isn’t sustainable, and I think its actually quite urgent that we get this tent moved. We need to locate this in the most convenient location possible.

“Our district staff, they are in the middle of an Omicron surge, and an emergency,” she added. “Staff capacity is extremely limited right now, and we need all hands on deck, not driving back and forth to the Discovery Center. Bringing that tent to the annex property is a very good idea. We should do everything we can as a county to accommodate that.”

She recognized that no location would be perfect. “No matter where we put this, people aren’t going to be happy. “But we have to recognize this is an emergency situation. This isn’t going to be ideal for everyone.”

Hospitals full

The county meeting began with a COVID update by McDonell, who told the commission cases were surging in the U.S., Oregon and the District counties as well.

In Region 6, which includes hospitals in Hood River and The Dalles — Providence in Hood River and Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles — nine of 10 Intensive Care Unit beds were occupied as of Jan. 5, and 44 of 49 non-ICU beds were occupied.

“Those are not all COVID patients, those are available beds,” McDonell said. “Our hospitals are essentially at capacity,” she explained.

Vaccine site change

North Central Public Health vaccine clinics have been moved from Fort Dalles Readiness Center due to an issue with that facility, and clinics are now being held at Sunshine Mill, located at the east end of downtown The Dalles.”We are very grateful for the people at Sunshine Mill for allowing us to utilize their space,” she said.

Those scheduled to receive the vaccine and provider partners have been notified of the change.

Booster approved

A Pfizer booster has been approved for ages 12-15, in addition to those 16 and up, 6 months from their final dose.

“This is a big thing. Essentially, we are no longer talking about people being ‘fully vaccinated,’ but asking if the are ‘up to date’ on their vaccinations,” McDonell said. To be up-to-date, an individual must be within six months of receiving their primary series of a two dose vaccine or within two months of receiving the one dose Johnson and Johnson, or have received a booster shot.

Those who are not within those parameters will have some protection from the virus, but are not considered “up to date,” she explained.

New guidelines for isolation and quarantine

Some of the guidelines for isolation and quarantine have been changed, McDonell noted. Isolation has been reduced from 10 days to five, if the person is asymptomatic, or their symptoms on day six are improving and they have not had a fever for 24 hours. A mask is required for an additional five days.

In schools, prior guidelines will remain in effect until the Oregon Department of Education updates its guidelines as well. Quarantine times have also changed, with those who are up-to-date on their vaccine not required to quarantine. Isolation and wearing an effective mask are still in play for 10 days.

Although cloth masks are useful in reducing spread, surgical or KN95 masks are more effective at reducing infection or the spread of the disease, McDonell said.