The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an
unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Healthy individuals are needed now to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood.

Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood with the Red Cross by visiting
RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or
enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

As the coronavirus pandemic has grown here in the U.S., blood drive cancellations have grown at an alarming rate. To date, nearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to concerns about congregating at workplaces, college campuses and schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak. These cancellations have resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations. More than 80% of the blood the Red Cross collects comes from drives held at locations of this type.

Here in the River Valley Blood Services Region, 79 blood drives have been canceled, resulting in 2189 units fewer blood donations. The Red Cross is adding appointment slots at donation centers and expanding capacity at many community blood drives across the country over the next few weeks to ensure ample opportunities for donors to give.

Volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need

The Red Cross expects the number of cancellations to continue to increase, which is causing heightened concern for blood collection organizations and hospitals across the country. This blood shortage could impact patients who need surgery, victims of car accidents and other emergencies, or patients suffering from cancer.

“I am looking at the refrigerator that contains only one day’s supply of blood for the hospital,” said Dr. Robertson Davenport, director of transfusion medicine at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. “The hospital is full. There are patients who need blood and cannot wait.”

“In our experience, the American public comes together to support those in need during times of shortage and that support is needed now more than ever during this unprecedented public health crisis,” said Chris Hrouda, president, Red Cross Biomedical Services. “Unfortunately, when people stop donating blood, it forces doctors to make hard choices about patient care, which is why we need those who are healthy and well to roll up a sleeve and give the gift of life.”

The Red Cross is committed to blood drive safety

“We know that people want to help, but they may be hesitant to visit a blood drive during this time. We want to assure the public that blood donation is a safe process, and we have put additional precautions in place at our blood drives and donation centers to protect all who come out,” said Hrouda.

The Red Cross has implemented new measures to ensure blood drives and donation centers are even safer for our donors and staff, including:
 Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they
are healthy.
 Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation
process.
 Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood
donors.
 Increasing enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment.
At each blood drive and donation center, Red Cross employees already follow thorough safety protocols to help prevent the spread of any type of infection, including:
 Wearing gloves and changing gloves with each donor.
 Routinely wiping down donor-touched areas.
 Using sterile collection sets for every donation.
 Preparing the arm for donation with an aseptic scrub.
There is no data or evidence that this coronavirus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases of transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus including this coronavirus worldwide.

“Volunteer donors are the unsung heroes for patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. If you are healthy, feeling well and eligible to give, please schedule an appointment to give now,” added Hrouda.

A 26-year-old Salem man was arrested Monday for possession of approximately 74 counterfeit one-hundred-dollar bills. 

As a result of a search warrant, Brearton Long, 26, Salem was arrested. 

On March 15^th, 2020 at approx. 9:49 pm. Major Eric Mills, members of the Salem City Police Department, and The Washington County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant in Salem, Indiana.

The search warrant was in an attempt to locate counterfeit currency.

The Salem Police Department had been receiving complaints from local businesses over the last few weeks.

During the search warrant officers located approximately  $7,400.00 in counterfeit one-hundred-dollar bills.

Long was booked into the detention center on the charge of Counterfeiting Level 6 Felony.

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Sheriff Brent Miller has made some necessary changes to the daily operations of the Washington County Sheriffs Department and the Detention Center.

“We are asking that the public please try to be understanding during the coming weeks as efforts are being made to reduce the risk of spreading the Coronavirus to the inmates and staff,” said Miller. 

Inmates coming into the facility are currently being screened before being inducted. 

Miller said the following policies will be in effect until further notice.

• ALL on-site video visitations have been suspended.
  
• Any on-site visits that have been previously scheduled at the Sheriffs Department have been canceled.
  
• Visitation booths will remain closed.
  
• There will be no classes or church services that involve citizens other than personnel entering the jail.
• The public is no longer allowed to enter the Sheriffs Department lobby area to put money on inmate phone accounts or commissary accounts.
• Inmates are still allowed to make telephone calls and use remote video visitation, where family members can schedule video visits from home.
• Family members must have a computer with video visit capabilities.

FOR VISITING INMATES FROM HOME OR TO PUT MONEY ON AN INMATES PHONE ACCOUNT, GO TO:
www.inmatesales.com where you must create an account.

TO PUT MONEY ON AN INMATE’S TRUST ACCOUNT TO USE FOR COMMISSARY, GO TO www.jailatm.com
Note: For a fee, Inmates can also transfer money from their commissary account to their phone account.

IF YOU NEED FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH EITHER WEBSITE, YOU MAY CALL TOLL FREE (877) 398-7700.

Sheriff Jerry Goodin spoke with the Scott County Commissioners, the Scott County Health Department, the Scott County Jail Nurse and The Scott County Attorney, in reference to limiting access to the Scott County Jail to all visitors as a precautionary step in preventing the Coronavirus from entering into the jail. 

The decision was made with total support from the entities listed above.

Because the jail is self-contained and living quarters are close for not only the prisoners but the jail staff, the possibility of spreading a virus such as a Coronavirus is greater than in the normal public. 

Sheriff Goodin wants to stress that this is a precautionary step and at this time there are NO CURRENT CASES of the Coronavirus in the Scott County Jail.

Sheriff Goodin also wanted the public to know normal policing operations, jail operations with inmates, arrests, etc. will continue as usual.

There will be no public fingerprinting, jail classes or non-essential programs.

Though it may be an unpopular decision to limit access to the jail to some, it is a step that must be taken for the best interest of not only the prisoners but also the Scott County Sheriff’s Employees and Scott County as a whole.  Sheriff Goodin stated, “it is much wiser to be pro-active than reactive”.

Prisoner access and remote visits will still be available online by going to www.inmatesales.com

Any further questions can be answered by calling the Sheriff’s Office at 812-752-8400.

As a result of much information floating around the internet and social media, WSLM Radio and Salem Media have created a Facebook page to help coordinate much of the information in one place. 

Please use this site to post information for the Kentuckiana areas of Scott, Jefferson, Washington, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Lawrence and Jackson Counties and Louisville. 

https://www.facebook.com/Kentuckiana-Covid-19-Information-101594311478507/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Any Facebook user can post to the page. 

Both the Lincoln Dinners for Washington and Orange Counties have been canceled. 

According to John Noblit, late this afternoon after consulting GOP officials concerning the current guidelines governing the size of attendance of public meetings, Chairman Jack Hinkle, Jr. announced the Orange County Lincoln Day dinner scheduled
for April 6 has been canceled.

As of now, there are no plans to reschedule the meeting.

This was a week before Spring Break that local schools planned to be in session — and feed their students. 

With the recent shutdown to help stop the spread of Covid-19, schools and other organizations are pitching in to help feed these students 18 years old and younger who are at home. 

East Washington, Salem, and West Washington School corporations have plans to get food to students this week. 

WEST WASHINGTON

West Washington Schools be delivering food to students via their school bus routes. 

Superintendent Keith Nance said food would be delivered between 9-10a beginning Tuesday. 

“The bus will stop, honk, wait and honk again if needed,” he wrote in a note on social media. “Please be observant to avoid missing the meal delivery. Food will not be left or dropped off.

“Bus drivers will be driving their routes. They will not wait forever. They need to get this out in a timely fashion. We cannot leave the food behind. That could cause problems. we‘re not going to have staff members bring that to your door,” said Nance.  

He said food and items will be placed at the bottom step of the bus.

“Do not come on to the bus,” Nance advised. “We’re doing our best to limit exposure. If your child wants to come out and wave to the bus driver, but we’re not going to have physical contact.”

Nance said students being added to the list, would allow them to stay on the list.

He said this isn’t available only to those students who receive free or reduced lunch students. 

“If you call Tuesday after 9-10a, then you’ll be added for the next day,” he said. 

West Washington’s food deliver will not take place over spring break next week. 

The delivery will be daily at this time but Nance said it was subject to change.

“At some point we may begin delivering multiple times a day,” said Nance. 

For additional information, and to be added to the list for food, call the Superintendent’s Office at 812.755-7872.

EAST WASHINGTON

East Washington School Corporation will be providing meals to students that are 18 years old and younger.

Superintendent Dennis Stockdale said beginning March 17th – 20th, meals will be available for pick up at Door #3 at East Washington Elementary School and at the cafeteria door at Eastern High School.  

Pick up times will be 11:30 AM -12:30 PM. It will be a lunch meal.  

There will be no meals served during the week of March 23-27 due to Spring Break.

“We are planning to have mobile sites in the community starting April 6th,” Stockdale said. “More information will be provided as it becomes available.  We hope everyone is doing well during the unexpected school closure.  Please reach out to your child’s school if you need anything.”

For additional information, call the school at (812) 967-3926

SALEM SCHOOLS

The following information relates to food service opportunities while Salem Community Schools are on Home Learning for the week of 3/16 – 3/20.

The Washington County YMCA will be provided with meals on Monday. 

On Tuesday Hoosier Helps will be providing meals at
Riley’s Place Park from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

They will be serving hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. 

In an effort to ensure our students are receiving meals Salem Community Schools will be providing grab and go meals on Wednesday, March 18th. 

The meals can be picked up outside the Gym Doors at Bradie Shrum Elementary in a drive-thru method. 

We will provide 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches for the rest of the week, according to Karen Libka, Food Services Director. 

Meals will be available for all SCS students, elementary through high school. 

“We do have extra produce extra snacks and extra milk. We’re going to bundle that up. We have some extras we can give them,” she said. 

If applicable, additional bags of food will be available for those students qualifying for the backpack program and may
also, be picked up at the same time.

To help us plan accordingly please call the Superintendent’s office at 812-883-4437 by Tuesday March 17th to confirm the numbers of meals to be picked up.

“We will make every effort to help all Salem School families during this difficult time,” said Salem Superintendent Jon Acton. “During spring break week the Washington County YMCA will be providing meals at their facility.  Please check with their website for more information.”

“As this pandemic evolves we will continue to monitor and adjust plans to best serve the students and families of Salem Schools,” said Acton. 

WASHINGTON COUNTY FAMILY YMCA

Free meals will be made available to anyone 18 years old and younger the week of March 23-27 at 11:30a at the YMCA Multipurpose Room.

Meals must be consumed on-site and cannot be taken off-site. 

For more information, check the YMCA’s Facebook page or call (812) 883-9622

NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3rd, with plans to return racing in Martinsville.

“The health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority, so in accordance with recent CDC guidance,” the statement read. 

“We appreciate the patience of our fans and we look forward to returning to the racetrack. We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined as we continue to monitor this situation closely with public health officials and medical experts. What is important now transcends the world of sports and our focus is on everyone’s safety and well-being as we navigate this challenging time together.”

WSLM 97.9 FM is celebrating its 50th year in broadcasting with NASCAR and MRN and PRN broadcasting groups. 

One of 11 stations in the US to have continuously broadcast races for these 50 years, WSLM will work with both groups to bring a series of historical NASCAR races to the radio over the next few weeks. 

The Louisville Zoo will be temporarily closing to the public starting Tuesday, March 17 following recommendations of Mayor Greg Fischer and the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

While there have been no known cases of exposure to COVID-19 at the Zoo, the decision to close was made to further support efforts to reduce the rapid spread of the virus and to protect the health and well-being of Zoo staff and the community.

“The Zoo is a place to escape the hectic pace of everyday life for families in our community,” said Louisville Zoo Director John Walczak. “While we wanted to remain open and offer a place for families to spend time outdoors, we have a responsibility to do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are all in this together.”

The dedicated animal care team and other essential personnel will remain active at the Zoo; however, staff who are able to work from home will be encouraged to do so.

“We plan ahead for all the animals in our care and currently have a surplus of essential food and supplies for them,” Walczak added. “We will update our social media daily to keep everyone informed on how their favorite animals are doing.”

Zoo leadership will continue to monitor the latest developments of the COVID-19 outbreak and follow guidance from federal, state, and local authorities to determine when the park will reopen.

If you have a confirmed program, spring break camp, tour or event scheduled, including tickets to Wild Lights: Asian Lantern Festival, you will be contacted by Zoo staff for the next steps.

As the situation evolves, the Zoo will continue to provide updates at Louisvillezoo.org/health. 

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR), while currently open for business, is preparing for a variety of possible COVID-19 related scenarios.

They are also closely following the guidance and directions from Governor Holcomb and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH).

All DOR departments are reviewing their Continuity of Operations Plans and updating them to be prepared to quickly execute system, service and operations modifications as they develop.

DOR is closely monitoring the IRS on possible changes to filing and payment due dates and will be prepared to follow suit. Those decisions will be shared as soon as they are made.

DOR advises all customers to follow the ISDH and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Their websites contain extremely valuable information and guidance.

While visiting a DOR office in person is still an option at this time, there are several options Hoosiers have to receive service without having to leave their home:

• Call DOR at 317-232-2240, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST.
• Email DOR by using the online form at in.gov/3392.htm.
• Visit the DOR Online Services webpage at in.gov/4331.htm.

Any changes to this guidance, modifications to normal operations or changes to tax filing and payment deadlines will be posted on DOR’s website, as well as DOR’s social media accounts.