The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1228200
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, April 1, 2020 A-3 LOCAL Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Carry-Out Service 350 W. Main St., Petersburg Wednesday-Thursday 5 to 8 Friday-Saturday 5 to 9 812-354-2606 Serving regular menu; Pick up at drive-thru. Joe Mama's Call to Order Ahead 812-354-3838 2039 E. Main Street Petersburg Kitchen Open Daily 3am-7pm Regular Menu Served OPEN 24 HOURS • 7 DAYS A WEEK EATS to go Albert Mattingly measures up to a tall Generac battery that is part of the solar array being placed on his 30x40 ft. building in Crestview. By James Capozella Five strong, young men were working out in Peters- burg this past Monday, not under the direction of Pike Central Athletics director Dustin Powell, but his neigh- bor, Albert Mattingly, from across the street. Crestview resident Albert Mattingly is opening a new frontier for himself with a solar panel array that is be- ing mounted on his 30x40 ft. building in Petersburg. Pow- erhouse Solar and Roofing contractors out of Indianap- olis were digging into the ground and working on the roof, installing 11 solar pan- els that will power Matting- ly's home. The units are hard-wired into the home underground and utilize a large Gener- ac battery for storage. Mat- tingly said it in turn can be connected to a generator if needed. He was raised in Ot- well and had a farm in Vel- pen, and moved to the city 12 years ago. He said, "I'm hopeful that the solar panels will power my home and pay for them- selves in the process. Any- one interested in the system can call me at 812-631-2120." A crew of five young men installed conduit and solar panels for Albert Mattingly on his building in Crestview this past Monday. Mattingly said anyone interested in solar can call him at 812-631-2120. James Capozella photos Albert Mattingly betting on the sun Mattingly said his installa- tion is not unique to Peters- burg. "There is another so- lar roof on Main Street in Pe- tersburg, so this is the sec- ond I know of." IPL Petersburg's four units idled All four units of the Petersburg IPL plant have been idled. It is one of the only times in the plant's more than 50 years in Pike County that there's no smoke coming from any of the stacks. Courntey Arango, manager of External Communications for IPL, said, "IPL puts safety first, every time. With the spread of the coronavirus, we took action to en- sure minimum exposure and maximum safety to protect the health of our people and contractors. We recognize the role IPL has in the Petersburg community; we continue paying and providing benefits to our employees during this unprecedent- ed time. Currently, running the units is not economic due to low gas prices. We re- main in constant communication with the Midcontinent Independent System Opera- tor (MISO) and monitor the market for the opportunity to bring units into competi- tive operations." Daviess Community Hospital has opened a tem- porary Respiratory Care Screening Site (RCSS) for screening and assessment of patients suspected of hav- ing the Coronavirus (COV- ID-19). This military-grade tent/ structure is stocked with medical supplies and is staffed by DCH providers, nurses and technicians. It is located just east of the hospital's Emergency De- partment entrance in Wash- ington at the corner of NE 15th Street and Grand Ave- nue. It is being managed by Andrew Houchins, a Pike County native and DCH Phy- sician Assistant. The staff at this site will assess the patient's symp- toms of fever, cough and shortness of breath to deter- mine if further treatment is necessary or if home care is appropriate. Patients may be directed to this tent through calls to the DCH hotline (812-254-2764), telehealth or face-to-face visits with providers or a preliminary screening at the Emergen- cy Department. Patients who come to this tent will be verbally screened and asked to show identification. Questions will include the following: • Do you have the follow- ing symptoms: fever, sore throat, new onset of cough or shortness of breath? • Have you had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19? Based on the answers and condition of the patient, tests for flu or strep may be administered. If tested, the patient will be asked to pull into a parking space and wait for results. Based on test results, a provider will advise the patient on next steps. The drive-thru screening site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is also open on Satur- days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. until further notice. Only individuals with respi- ratory symptoms will be as- sessed at the site, which will be staffed by primary care providers and hospital staff. "We are hopeful this screening site will bet- ter meet the needs of our community," Keith Mill- er, CEO, noted. "This loca- tion will allow our provid- ers to screen patients in an environment that protects themselves, other patients and our healthcare profes- sionals. It is also important that we reiterate that not ev- eryone who visits this site with respiratory symptoms will be tested for COVID-19. We continue to follow CDC guidelines on which groups qualify for a COVID-19 test. Those groups include any- one who requires hospi- talization due to signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and have had a potential ex- posure to COVID-19, and who are sick enough to re- quire inpatient care. Other groups who would qualify are healthcare workers and first responders who show signs and symptoms of CO- VID-19 and who have had potential exposure to some- one with the virus." Daviess Community Hos- pital recommends that indi- viduals experiencing flu-like symptoms should stay home and take necessary precau- tions to self-isolate. "We understand that peo- ple are concerned about not being able to be tested for COVID-19," remarked Houchins. "We want to re- assure them that they will receive an appropriate and through examination based on their symptoms. We con- tinue to follow state and CDC guidelines for testing." If more serious symptoms develop, such as shortness of breath, patients should call their healthcare pro- vider for direction. A trip to the emergency depart- ment must be limited to a true emergency. Daviess Community Hospital asks that for non-emergency sit- uations, a patient is advised to call 812-254-2760 exten- sion 1001 so that the hospital can be ready to safely pro- vide care. For more information about COVID-19, call the DCH Hotline at 812-254- 2764. Daviess Community Hos- pital is encouraging every- one to stay home if you have a fever, cough and shortness of breath within the last 48 hours. Also, please thor- oughly wash your hands and/or use sanitizer fre- quently and practice so- cial distancing by not shak- ing hands, hugging, or en- gaging in any non-essential physical contact. "As this is a rapidly evolv- ing situation, we will work closely with the local Health Department to evaluate the situation frequently and will be updating restrictions as advised by our local Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Indiana State Depart- ment of Health (ISDH)," said Tracy Conroy, CEO. State and local health of- ficials stressed during a re- cent news conference that anyone with symptoms should call their Primary Care Provider or hospital be- fore seeking care. Advance notice allows providers to prepare for the patient's ar- rival, reducing exposure to staff and other patients. The best resources for COVID-19 information are the CDC website - https:// www.cdc.gov/and the IS - DH website - www.in.gov/is- dh/. Anyone with questions or concerns should use the ISDH COVID-19 website, the CDC website or contact their healthcare provider with questions or to learn the most up-to-date informa- tion about the outbreak and what steps to take. Ques- tions about symptoms and many risk factors can be an- swered using the websites. Daviess Community Hospital has opened a tem- porary Respiratory Care Screening Site (RCSS) for screening and assessment of patients suspect- ed of having the coronavirus (COVID-19). Daviess Community Hospital has opens Respiratory Care Screening Site