HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Health Department Interim Co-Director Megan Hammersmith says Tuesday’s comments made by a member of the County Commission in regard to its dealing with the pandemic will not change the way the department is conducting its COVID response.
“We’re going to stay the course as long as we have support from our Board of Health (County Commission) of which we have support from two of our Board of Health,” Hammersmith said.
“We do need to understand that we have to ensure that we take care of our hospital. And we’re going to take directives from both the health officer and the professionals in our community.”
With the numbers increasing dramatically each week in the area, Hammersmith says it is getting to be more of a challenge to find a balance between keeping the public safe and trying to keep schools and businesses operating.
“It feels as though the numbers are spiraling in such a way that are really out of control,” Hammersmith said. “I do believe we are going to continue to see a surge in our numbers.”
Hammersmith says the cold weather will keep people more confined, which will make spreading the virus easier. Hammersmith says it is no secret that the community is getting tired of the pandemic, but the need to stay the course is there.
“We know that the community is getting tired of it and the message is the same,” Hammersmith said. “Really the narrative right now is to ensure that our hospitals have the capacity to be able to provide service to the people in our community.”
Interim Commissioner Mark Steffen was critical of the Health Department’s dealings with the pandemic and made it known during Tuesday's agenda session.