Hello Friends and Neighbors, 

Over the weekend I connected with several local elected officials and am thankful for the diverse perspectives they bring to the job of serving the people of HD 37. There is going to be a lot of work ahead and if we all work together, and support one another, we will do a better job. I'm writing to share resources and update you on the current guidelines just released by the governor.

Social distancing slows the spread of this virus and we MUST take this seriously. Many families are worried about what to do when school and work are being canceled and they are searching for alternative activities without possibly fully understanding the rationale behind the closures. I'm asking that we all practice social distancing and follow the new guidelines. In a global pandemic, days are like weeks, and every hour counts. Please watch the press conference to hear Governor Kate Brown, OHA medical director and OHSU Chief Medical Officer speak. 

New Guidelines And Additional State Actions:

1. Beginning tomorrow, March 17th, all events greater than 25 people are canceled and people are encouraged to avoid groups greater than 10. 

2. Beginning tomorrow, March 17th, restaurants and bars will be limited to carry out and delivery only. This executive order will be in place for 4 weeks.

3. Non-food related businesses, who can’t meet the carryout or delivery model, are urged to consider closing their doors temporarily. 

4. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and other essential retail services are exempted from the requirements at this time.

5. The Governor has activated the Unified Command Emergency Response Organizational Structure and created a COVID-19 healthcare system response joint task force to streamline healthcare delivery.

6. The Economic Recovery Council is meeting tomorrow to discuss packages to help small businesses and employees hurt in this crisis. 
    

Oregon Health Authority states “Closing schools, canceling highly anticipated events, and disrupting our daily routines by staying home and away from others causes stress for all of us. This is hard and important work. Take a deep breath. Remember, we are doing this to protect each other, the people we love, and the communities we call home.”

As a nurse with 20 years of experience, including disaster relief work, I am deeply worried about our frontline healthcare workers, our first responders, and our vulnerable community members. As of today Oregon is taking stricter actions so we have a better chance of not only saving lives, but also limiting the economic damage long term and having a better ability to provide assistance afterwards. We are only in the beginning phases of COVID 19 and the longer this lasts, the harder the recovery will be on all fronts. Please continue to look out for one another, take this seriously, and follow the social distancing guidelines.  

Sincerely,


Rachel Prusak

RESOURCES:

Work: Small businesses and the Oregonians who work for them are grappling with the impacts of coronavirus-related closures. The State of Oregon, through the Employment Department and Business Oregon, have a range of tips and resources for small business owners and their employees to get through this challenging time.

Employer Support 

1. Work Share: Employers who need to limit an employees’ hours due to the COVID-19 outbreak should consider utilizing Work Share as a means of protecting their business while compensating your workforce. The process can be done online by going to the Work Share Oregon website: https://www.oregon.gov/employ/Unemployment/Pages/Work-Share-Program.aspx
2. You can also call or email if you have additional questions.
   Email: [email protected]
   Phone: (503) 647-1800
   Toll-Free: (800) 436-6191
3. In addition, Business Oregon has a number of tips and resources available for small business owners on their coronavirus response page, available here

Employee Support

If your child’s school is closed because of Covid- 19. You can use sick time. Employees have a right to use available sick time for closure of their child’s school (or place of care) by order of a public official due to a public health emergency:
https://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/WHD/OST/Pages/index.aspx

The Oregon Employment Department has helpful resources and answers to frequently asked questions, available here.

Where to report loss of revenue:

As a state it is important we track the loss of revenue in our business community.  This information will affect how the state and the federal government will address future assistance.  Businesses with impacted revenue caused by COVID-19 should fill out the 'Estimated Disaster Economic Injury Worksheet for Businesses' form and send to Leah Horner: [email protected]

The district’s nutrition services department will continue to provide breakfast and lunch to students who need these meals throughout the entirety of the extended closure. Grab-and-Go meals will be available for pickup. Meals will be made available for all children aged 1-18 regardless of attendance area. Students must be present to be given a meal.

West Linn WIlsonville School District: https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/
WLWV Meal Sites Pick Up:  10-11 am

Boones Ferry Primary, Boeckman Creek Primary, Lowrie Primary, Cedaroak Park Primary, Bolton Primary, Trillium Creek Primary, Sunset Primary,  Willamette Primary, West Linn High School

Tigard Tualatin School District: https://www.ttsdschools.org/

TTSD  Meal Site PIck up: Breakfast from 8:00 - 8:30 am and lunch from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. 

Tualatin Elementary, Metzger Elementary

Local Food Pantries

Tualatin Food Pantry: Rolling Hills Community Church
3550 SW Borland Rd, Tualatin.  503-783-0721
Normal Operating Hours have changed for curbside pick up 
Reach out to volunteer if you are young and healthy
https://schoolhousepantry.org/

West Linn Food Pantry: Willamette United Methodist Church
1683 Willamette Falls Drive, West Linn. 503- 915-9446
Normal Operating Hours have changed for curbside pick up
Reach out to volunteer if you are young and healthy
http://www.westlinnfoodpantry.com/

An overview that includes SNAP benefits, k-12 & college students, food pantry, etc:
https://oregonhunger.org/covid-19/

HD 37 County & City Resources

Clackamas County: https://www.clackamas.us/
West Linn: https://westlinnoregon.gov/
Washington County: https://www.co.washington.or.us/
Tualatin: https://www.tualatinoregon.gov/
King City: http://www.ci.king-city.or.us/
Durham: https://durham-oregon.us/

Support & Recovery Meetings 

WEconnect Health Management, Unity Recovery and Alano Club of Portland are offering on-line support meetings 4x / day led by the Peer Recovery Support Specialists! They are open to anyone, anywhere, who is dealing with substance use, mental health concerns, disordered eating, as well as any other quality of life concerns: https://www.weconnectrecovery.com/free-online-support-meetings 

Herren Project Online Support Groups & Recovery Meetings:
https://herrenproject.org/online-support-groups/ 

Online Intergroup AA :
http://aa-intergroup.org/directory.php?fbclid=IwAR2amRpklu7HJTf1wxzWlYUMtGJbxofLLvZPGeXyegti1X0s-YtIRHQdmPk

Family Support Group in West Linn:  Open Group Meetings at 6:30 on Thursdays at West Linn Lutheran Church- https://www.faminsrec.org/

Entertainment & Education 

West Linn Library is closed today through March 31st. Call 503-656-7853 for additional information on library hours. The good news is that you can still access ebooks, e-audiobooks, and streaming movies online.

Libby/Library2Go: https://library2go.overdrive.com/

CloudLibrary: https://ebook.yourcloudlibrary.com/library/lincc/Featured

Kanopy: https://westlinnoregon.gov/library/kanopy

Tualatin Library is closed today through Match 31st. Call 503-691-3074 for additional information on library hours.
And you can enjoy online services: https://www.wccls.org/home

Typing Club: https://www.typingclub.com/

A great way to practice typing skills - we could really use this practice! 

Newsela: https://newsela.com/- A website that provides reading resources at a variety of levels/interests. Each article has writing activities and comprehension questions. 

Oregon Public Broadcasting/PBS - lots of documentaries and movies. For adults- www.pbs.org. And KIDS-https://pbskids.org/

12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR2Eq4vo8CHITm0zfnM6KtbD8nrLGMXfG4AYJg9XcIoghlGsqi6DJY4bZwo

Radiooooo: Discover the Musical Time Machine That Lets You Hear What Played on the Radio in Different Times & Places: https://youtu.be/H2jLt0jh_h4

Metropolitan Opera to Offer Up ‘Nightly Met Opera Streams’: https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-to-offer-up-nightly-met-opera-streams/?fbclid=IwAR2v7aDNnkWaglpk2KX8-apJ9xrBvbyVGGn2vb-G2niMtebHuj2Q6OQqIAI

Good News

Oregon’s largest utilities companies, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric (PGE), and Northwest Natural, announced they will be temporarily extending services without late fees to support Oregonians in the face of the outbreak of COVID-19

The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan legislative package in response to the spread of coronavirus: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/13/politics/coronavirus-relief-congress/index.html

A quote of hope from Jamie Tworkowski, founder of “To Write Love on Her Arm”, A non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

“Conversations will not be cancelled.
Relationships will not be cancelled.
Love will not be cancelled.
Songs will not be cancelled.
Reading will not be cancelled.
Self-care will not be cancelled.
Hope will not be cancelled."
May we lean into the good stuff that remains.”

Solidarity & Humanity- Italians are singing songs from their windows to boost morale during coronavirus lockdown:  https://youtu.be/Q734VN0N7hw

HOTLINES

SUICIDE LIFELINE  
800-273-8255 
Text 273TALK to 839863

ALCOHOL & DRUG HELPLINE
800-923-4357 
Text RecoveryNow to 839863 

MILITARY HELPLINE
888-457-4838 
Text MIL1 to 839863 

SENIOR LONELINESS LINE 
503-200-1633

YOUTHLINE
877-968-8491
Text teen2teen to 839863
Chat at www.oregonyouthline.org