Health Ministry

There is a lot of information available online regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Health Ministry has compiled the following from a variety of sources in an effort to quickly lead you to the resources you need.

• Oregon Health Authority: COVID-19

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC): COVID-19

• World Health Organization (WHO): COVID-19

From the Oregon Attorney General's office:

• Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon has information on where to get food, as well as information on where your child can get daily meals within your school district. You can also contact our Food Closet at 503.641.1842, or call the Parish Office at 503.643.9528.

• If you have questions about your rights for sick time, call BOLI (Bureau of Labor & Industries) at 971.673.0761.

• If you're worried about quarantining in a home where you don't feel safe, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522.

• If you have mental health conditions that could be triggered during this crisis, call your county OHA Crisis Line or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's 24/7 Disaster Distress Helpline, reachable at 1.800.985.5990.

Choosing the right assisted living community for your loved one(s) can be a difficult challenge. Below are a few articles selected by our Health Ministry team that provide tips, advice, and information on making such important decisions.

• Five Steps for Choosing the Right Assisted Living Community (Penelope Wang, Consumer Reports, October 2018)

• When to Move from Independent Living to Assisted Living (Elaine Howley, U.S. News, August 2019)

• 11 Ways to Afford the Assisted Living Care You Need (Tobie Stanger, Consumer Reports, August 2017)

• Assisted Living Facilities: Weighing the Options (AARP, updated October 2019)

Our Health Ministry helps with issues of health, healing, and wholeness. We work with other Holy Trinity ministries to encourage and foster healthy habits for the body, mind, and spirit. You do not need to be a healthcare professional to be a member of the Health Ministry!

We (the HT Health Ministry) felt that it would be important to provide information about advance health care planning in our current COVID-19 environment, as many of you might be thinking about how much medical treatment youmight want if you develop COVID-19 and are unable to make health care decisions yourselves.

Click here for information on the Oregon Advance Directive and POLST documents as well as additional resources you can access.

Stay at home unless you absolutely must go out for essential needs, per Executive Order 20-12, issued by Gov. Brown on March 23.

If and when you do leave your home, practice physical distancing and maintain a minimum of six feet between yourself and others — even better, according to an April 5th article from the Oregonian, is to maintain 13-20 feet or even 27 feet of distance, based on recent study from Massachusetts showing how far droplets of the disease can travel and linger in the air. Follow these additional guidelines from the CDC when going out for essential errands.

The CDC strongly encourages everyone (except those unable to remove a mask by themselves, and children under age 2) to wear cloth face masks when interacting with others during essential errands. It is hoped that cloth masks may perhaps provide a little protection to others when worn by someone who unknowingly has COVID-19 and is asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Because of the continuing shortage of medical masks for healthcare providers, only cloth masks are recommended for the general public.

Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly throughout the day for 20 seconds at a time. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a disposable tissue, then immediately wash your hands (or use hand sanitizer). If a tissue is not available, use a flexed elbow.

Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched on a regular basis (e.g., children's toys, doorknobs, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, etc.).

• Feeling anxious and uncertain is normal while we are coping with the COVID-19 events. However, advice and help are readily available to us. The CDC has information on coping with the anxiety and stress of the pandemic, including information for parents to help them support and reassure their children.

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) also offers useful resources. They are available Monday through Friday, 7:00-3:00pm at 1.800.950.6264.

• The Hospice and Grief Support Group at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center (503.215.4622) can provide arrangements for individual support with a Bereavement Counselor. If you have an urgent need you can also phone 503.215.2273 during regular business hours and ask to speak with their Triage Social Worker.

• The Senior Loneliness Line (503.200.1633) is a wonderful resource. This "Warmline" offers 24/7 support, resources, and volunteers to listen to older adults experiencing loneliness, isolation, depression, and crisis support is also available.

• Oregon Senior Peer Outreach, a program of Community Counseling Solutions launches “Senior Connection”, a NEW program to keep Washington County older adults connected while they shelter in place (see flyer below). Call 1.833.736.4676 to sign-up for this free program.

• Parenting Support hotline — 1.800.422.4453

• Lines for Life — 800.273.8255 or text "273TALK" to 839863

• Crisis Text Line — text "HOME" to 741741

• Washington County Crisis Line — 503.291.9111

• Multnomah County Crisis Line — 503.988.4388 or 1.800.716.9769

• Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) — 1.855.673.2372

• Senior Loneliness Line — 503.200.1633

• Senior Connection Calls by the Oregon Senior Peer Outreach — 1.833.736.4676

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — 1.800.950.6264

• Hospice and Grief Support Group at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center — 503.215.4622

• National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1.800.799.7233 or text "LOVEIS" to 22522