Dear John,

As we continue to adjust our lives for the new challenges that COVID-19 presents, I hope that you and your family are adjusting well and adhering to all of the guidelines from the CDC, WHO, and the Florida Department of Health.

As a campaign, we are continuing to adjust our activities during the coronavirus pandemic. Our campaign team is working from home, our volunteers are texting and phone banking, and we are taking requests for yard signs. Please keep in mind that we will not be able to deliver the yard signs until it is safe to do so.

Request Your Yard Sign Today! [link removed]

The Ehr Force is keeping an eye on the district in an effort to share helpful information for you and your family. This newsletter contains a few highlights.

Vote By Mail

The option to vote by mail will play an important role in the upcoming elections due to the coronavirus pandemic. Below are the links you may use to request your vote-by-mail ballot:

Escambia County: [link removed] [link removed]

Okaloosa County:

[link removed] [link removed]

Santa Rosa County: [link removed] [link removed]

Walton County: [link removed] [link removed]

Holmes County: [link removed] [link removed]

Veterans

U.S. Military veterans who believe they may have contracted the Coronavirus may contact the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ VISN 8 Clinical 24/7 Contact Center [link removed] by phone at 1-877-741-3400.

Opening Doors North West Florida 

Opening Doors [link removed] created a COVID-19 resources page with information on shelters, food, services, transportation and financial assistance for individuals in need in both Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.

Escambia

Drive-Thru Testing

Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart [link removed] opened the first regional drive-through testing center for COVID-19 on Monday, March 16, 2020. They have also partnered with Community Health Northwest Florida [link removed] to open a drive-through COVID-19 testing site at the Brownsville Community Center that opened on Monday, March 23. 

IMPORTANT:  All patients are required to be screened before arriving at the drive-through testing centers by calling the Ascension Sacred Heart COVID-19 Screening Call Center at (850) 746-2684.  

The screening call center is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

The hours of operation for the drive-through testing center for COVID-19 are 9 a.m-1 p.m.

If you don’t have a health care provider or health insurance, call, do not visit, Community Health Northwest Florida at 850-436-4630 or other community walk-in locations, and tell them about your symptoms and your travel history or exposure to a COVID-19 patient. They will determine if you meet the criteria for testing.

Santa Rosa County

Santa Rosa County Small Business COVID19 Recovery Grant

Santa Rosa County, in partnership with the Florida SBDC at UWF, has created the Santa Rosa County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program to assist businesses throughout Santa Rosa County impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Rosa County will fund the grant with a contribution of $100,000.

The grant program will provide up to $2,500 per applicant or business to help offset losses that small businesses may currently be experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are available for download now at www.santarosaready.com [link removed]. Submissions will be accepted beginning Apr. 6 at 8 a.m. Note that complete applications will be reviewed in the order they are received and that each applicant OR business is only eligible for one grant. If the applicant or business has received the Northwest Florida Small Business COVID-19 Grant, they will not be eligible for the Santa Rosa County Small Business Recovery COVID-19 Grant.

For more information about the program or assistance with completing the application, contact the Florida SBDC at UWF at 850-586-7802 or [email protected].

Pensacola State College

All PSC campuses, centers, and buildings will remain closed to the general public through May 6, including the theatre, planetarium, pool, art gallery, gymnasium, dental clinic, testing center, fitness centers, and libraries. 

All PSC events have been canceled through May 6, such as the Lumberjack Festival, lyceum performances and art exhibitions. 

Personnel will continue to work remotely next week, March 30 through April 5, unless contacted by their supervisor to report to campus.

Pensacola State College is transitioning face-to-face classes, including most labs and clinicals, and dual enrollment classes, to an online format beginning Monday, March 30. 

Registration for summer classes begins April 15 and fall registration begins June 1.

For questions, use Live Chat on the website at Pensacolastate.edu [link removed], email [email protected] [link removed], or call 850-484-2000, Mon. - Fri., 7:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. 

See FAQs at Pensacolastate.edu/COVID19 [link removed].

Okaloosa

If you live in Okaloosa County, you have a dedicated hotline if you have questions about the Coronavirus in your area.

Okaloosa Hotline: 850-344-0566 (M-F 7 am to 5 pm CST)

Okaloosa County School District

OKSD has recently updated their food service information as they continue to work hard to support the students in Okaloosa. You can click here to view the updated information in English [link removed] and it is also provided in Spanish [link removed]

Walton

Walton County has 19 positive cases of COVID-19 as of April 7, 2020. The Walton County beaches remain closed to the public and all beach vending on Walton County beaches has been suspended.

Walton County Emergency Management Agency Hotline 

The hotline is for people with questions about COVID-19. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but is only answered in the county’s Emergency Operations Center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. During the night and early morning hours, the calls are routed to Panhandle 211 (dial 211 to connect), a help line serving Walton and Okaloosa counties.

To reach the Walton County Emergency Management Agency Hotline dial: (850) 892-8392

Florida Department of Health [link removed]

Visit the COVID-19 dashboard [link removed]

Monitor the COVID-19 webpage [link removed]

Call 24/7 Call Center, (866) 779-6121

Email [email protected]

Thank You to all of our health care workers, first responders, law enforcement, and those working at our essential business facilities. Your work to keep us safe and healthy is not going unnoticed as we celebrate you not only on World Health Day today, but every day!

In Solidarity,

Phil



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