POW SEARHC Explains the Process they Took for One of the Patients Who Tested Positive

The info below is a few days old, however, it's interesting information that is still pertinent to Prince of Wales. 

SEARHC Patient is Second Prince of Whales COVID-19 Positive

KLAWOCK, April 15, 2020 – The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS) announced a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 case in the Prince of Whales (POW) area on Monday, April 13. The positive test is the second for POW island and the first positive test conducted at SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s (SEARHC) Alicia Roberts Medical Center (ARMC) in Klawock.

“The patient was initially screened over the phone,” said ARMC Administrator Joyce Moore. “It was then determined that the patient should be tested, due to the criteria given. Testing was conducted outside of the Clinic, in our parking lot, and the patient was instructed to quarantine, along with their family, until we received the results back.”

No patient demographics will be released by ARMC, but investigation performed by the Alaska Division of Public Health determined the case to be travel related, according to Moore.

“I am pleased to hear that our processes for testing and treatment were adhered to and staff exposure was limited,” said SEARHC Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elliot Bruhl. “The patient was seen virtually, testing was performed off-site, and clear instructions were given to self-isolate. This pattern of care is endorsed by the SEARHC Incident Command System to ensure high levels of safety for patients and staff.”

COVID-19 tests are currently available by appointment at ARMC to patients who meet the symptomatic guidelines of fever and cough, or shortness of breath. Due to known community spread in Southeast, travel and exposure criteria are no longer qualifiers for receiving a test. ARMC recently received an Abbott rapid testing machine, which will provide results in minutes for the highest priority patients.

The POW confirmed case brings the SEARHC-wide total to three positives. As of April 14, SEARHC has performed 419 COVID-19 tests across the Consortium with 381 negatives and 35 tests pending. For up- to-date testing data, view the COVID-19 Case Updates counter on covid19.searhc.org.

Weekend express care services at the Craig Health Clinic were recently suspended to limit patient contact, while behavioral health, physical therapy, and optometry services have moved to virtual visits. Craig patients should call 907.755.4800 to schedule a primary care appointment at ARMC.

Craig Public Health Update:

For those of you following the DHSS COVID-19 Response Hub, you will see that the Section of Epidemiology releases data regarding positive cases on Prince of Wales Island. The two cases in Craig have been listed on this website as being residents of Craig. We just recently learned that if your community is less than 1000 people, you will not be listed by specific community. You will be listed as “Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Other” This is to protect the anonymity of individuals in very small communities.

Kara and I can still reach out to the community leader who you have all identified to notify that your community has a positive. We will give no other information than that. This gives you the opportunity to put out a press release if you wish to do so. If your community council prefers not to know that you have a positive in your community, that is fine too. We do not need to outreach any community leadership.

I want to provide you some examples because I feel this is a lot of information……

Craig Public Health gets notified that a resident living on Prince of Wales in community “A” is positive for COVID-19. We then reach out to the identified community leader in community “A” and let them know that they have a resident in their community with COVID-19. Community “A” puts out a press release stating that they have a positive. The State of AK DHSS website will still not list that specific community. They will only list the positive as “Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Other” OR

Craig Public Health gets notified that a resident living on Prince of Wales in community “A” is positive for COVID-19. We then reach out to the identified community leader in community “A” and let them know that they have a resident in their community with COVID-19. Community “A” opts not to put out a press release. The State of AK DHSS website will still not list that specific community. They will only list the positive as “Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Other” OR

Craig Public Health gets notified that a resident living on Prince of Wales in community “A” is positive for COVID-19. The community leadership has let Craig Public Health know that they would not like to be notified of any positives in their community. The State of AK DHSS website will still not list that specific community. They will only list the positive as “Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Other”.

Please let Craig Public Health know if you prefer to be notified with a positive or not. We are happy to accommodate various requests.

Stacey Mank, RN
Craig Public Health

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