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Communication is a key component in fighting the coronavirus, according to Mike Sherrod, CEO of TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green.

Sherrod, joined Wednesday by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, spoke with reporters outside the hospital where Paul has been volunteering since Tuesday after recovering from the coronavirus.

Sherrod said sharing information and staying connected to multiple agencies through the Bowling Green-Warren County Coronavirus Workgroup has been an essential part of the hospitals pandemic response. The group encompasses members from 13 area agencies, including the local health department, government, hospitals and schools.

Sherrod has been CEO of Greenview since 2013 and said the group has probably been one of the best (and) most functional groups Ive ever worked with in my career to not only make sure our community is safe, but also make sure that we are prepared.

He added that in the fight against the virus, the staff and doctors at Greenview are heroes.

Its been very challenging and for (them) to walk in every day not knowing what is involved, and going home to your kids I think is very difficult, Sherrod said. When youre in hard, challenging times, its amazing how people come together (to) find a solution to do whats best for the patients.

He also said learning more about the virus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, has helped increase employees morale compared to three weeks ago, because we understand it more as weve gotten more information.

Public health workers are also being celebrated across the country this week during National Public Health Week.

In terms of supplies of personal protective equipment, Sherrod said the hospital is pretty good and that there might be a couple areas that were working with local manufacturers and others to bring more in. But that has not been the concern today as it was maybe two, three weeks ago.

Greenview is reportedly working with Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green, which is shifting from making clothes to protective masks, and other companies to receive personal protection equipment including gowns, face shields and gloves.

The CEO also thanked Paul for reaching out to volunteer, and said weve been tickled to death having (him) here. Hes lifting the spirit of our patients and our colleagues and we really appreciate that.

As of Wednesday, the Barren River Health Department is reportedly investigating 35 cases of the coronavirus in Warren County, and there are 1,346 total cases statewide, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

Although Sherrod could not provide the current number of people being treated for the coronavirus at Greenview, he said that in recent days there has been a decline in both positive cases and in patients under investigation for COVID-19.

Hopefully thats a sign that were getting through this, but its not saying were ready to go back to the norm, he said.

He also noted that its a good thing the hospital has not seen the big surges in cases that had been predicted.

On Sunday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Fox News that this is going to be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans lives, but he added that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days.

Continued here:
Greenview CEO says doctors and staff are 'heroes' - Bowling Green Daily News

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The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today.

WASHINGTON As sick people across the country struggle to get tested for the new coronavirus, asymptomatic members of Congress have been able to access tests despite guidance from the federal government urging doctors to save tests for people who are ill.

Lawmakers have access to a top-notch medical clinic in the Capitol building, the Office of the Attending Physician, which is staffed by Navy doctors and was once described as "the best health care on the planet.

But thats not where members of Congress who havent exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are getting tested. BuzzFeed News contacted the Office of the Attending Physician and more than a dozen congressional offices and found that those lawmakers who had been tested without showing symptoms did so outside the Capitol, often in their own districts. Meanwhile, the attending physician has turned away asymptomatic lawmakers seeking tests.

The Office of Attending Physician (OAP) follows prevailing medical practice guidelines for testing individuals who may have the coronavirus infection, the office said on an internal website. At the OAP, individuals considered for testing must exhibit symptoms. They must have no alternative explanation for illness (such as influenza A), and they must have a nexus to risk.

Sick people across the US are struggling to get tested amid a shortage of both tests and protective equipment for medical staff. Even some health care workers have reportedly not been able to get tested, while nurses on the front lines have faced long waits to get their results.

That asymptomatic lawmakers got tested underscores a growing trend of powerful people in the US getting better access to critical health care during the outbreak, and it highlights the confusing messaging around testing, especially that of earlier in the month as the coronavirus began to spread rapidly. President Donald Trump has wrongly stated that everyone who wanted a test could get one, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has continued to evolve as the crisis deepens.

At least four members of Congress Sens. Rand Paul and Mitt Romney and Reps. John Yarmuth and Matt Gaetz have been able to obtain tests despite a lack of symptoms. Only Paul has tested positive. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has been tested too, but he told Fox News he had experienced allergy symptoms that he wanted to make sure weren't from COVID-19 after attending a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with people who later tested positive.

Because of the nationwide test shortages, the CDC has issued guidelines to medical staff, instructing them to focus testing on those who are showing symptoms, which include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Even Vice President Mike Pence who tested negative for the coronavirus after a staffer in his office tested positive has urged Americans not to get tested unless theyre feeling sick. "If you don't have symptoms, don't do a test," Pence said this month. "It is another way that the American people can make sure that we are preserving the resources that our health care workers need." Pence was asymptomatic but said because of his unique position as vice president, he wanted to get tested.

The Attending Physicians Office, which gets an extra $400,000 in Congresss latest stimulus package to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, has followed that advice. The office has told lawmakers who pay just over $600 per year to receive its services to quarantine themselves if theyve been in contact with someone confirmed to have the virus even if they do not show symptoms.

Such was the case for Utah Sen. Mike Lee, according to his office. Sen. Lee visited the Attending Physician of the US Congress immediately after being informed Sen. Paul had tested positive for Coronavirus, spokesperson Conn Carroll wrote in an email. After taking Sen. Lees information the doctor advised him he did not need a test.

The same went for Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Senator Scott consulted with both the Senate physician and his personal physician when he was informed that he had potentially been exposed to someone who tested positive, spokesperson Chris Hartline wrote in an email. Both said he was low risk and should not be tested unless he had symptoms. Senator Scott did a self quarantine out of an abundance of caution. He hasnt had any symptoms and hasnt been tested.

Virginia Rep. Don Beyer also inquired with the Attending Physicians Office about a test after having dinner with someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus. Beyer had been around House leadership and many others and wanted to make sure he hadnt infected them, according to his spokesperson, Aaron Fritschner. After 90 minutes and phone conversations with three doctors, Beyers office was told that because he didnt have any symptoms, he didnt meet the threshold for testing, Fritschner said.

At least one lawmaker Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart has been tested by the Attending Physicians Office but was exhibiting symptoms. Diaz-Balart became the first member of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus, followed by Utah Rep. Ben McAdams, who was tested by his local doctor after getting sick.

But as the CDC notes, its guidelines are just that guidelines so local and state health authorities, as well as individual doctors, ultimately make their own decisions about who gets tested. Some doctors have even charged patients hundreds of dollars to be administered unapproved tests; last week, rapper Cardi B called out fellow celebrities for paying thousands to get tested despite not showing symptoms.

The members of Congress who have been tested without showing symptoms have offered varying explanations as to why they were able to get access.

Paul, the first senator to test positive for the coronavirus, is keeping quiet about where and how he got tested. Hes said only that he took the test upon arriving in DC two weeks ago due to concerns about his extensive travel and higher risk for complications. Last year, Paul had part of his lung removed after an altercation with a neighbor. He didnt self-quarantine after he learned he had been at the same event in early March as two people who had tested positive (Pauls office said he had no interaction with either person) nor after he took the test. In Washington, he mingled with colleagues and used the Senate gym while waiting for his test results, prompting criticism from fellow senators.

Paul who held up a coronavirus bill earlier this month did admit he didnt fit the testing guidelines, though.

For those who want to criticize me for lack of quarantine, realize that if the rules on testing had been followed to a tee, I would never have been tested and would still be walking around the halls of the Capitol. The current guidelines would not have called for me to get tested nor quarantined. It was my extra precaution, out of concern for my damaged lung, that led me to get tested, he said in a statement.

Pauls office did not respond to questions about who tested him or how he got tested in light of the guidelines.

Like Lee, Romney the other senator from Utah had been in contact with Paul before his test results came back positive, but he wasnt symptomatic either. Nevertheless, the former Republican presidential candidate got tested at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah last Monday, his office said. Based on Senator Romneys age (73) and the duration and proximity of his exposure to Senator Paul, his physician recommended he get tested, spokesperson Liz Johnson said in an email. A day later, Romney tweeted that he had tested negative.

Many of those in Utah with symptoms have struggled to get tested due to shortages and the states strict guidelines. Since then, testing capabilities in Utah have expanded. On the same day Romney was tested, the state relaxed its guidelines. Still, the guidance tells medical staff to prioritize those with symptoms combined with other risk factors. Asked how Romney got tested, considering the guidelines, Johnson said, Senator Romneys physician recommended he be tested and he received testing at Intermountain Healthcare. Youd have to ask Intermountain directly about specifics regarding their testing questionnaire/criteria.

Intermountain said that due to federal privacy laws, it couldnt confirm whether someone was a patient or provide information about their care.

The Utah Department of Health acknowledged a couple caveats to its guidelines. [T]his guidance is for testing at the Public Health Lab, but many commercial labs and health care facilities have adopted it, spokesperson Tom Hudachko wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News. The guidance is simply that, guidance and when we are not experiencing a shortage of materials (which we currently are not), providers are advised to exercise clinical judgement in determining who should be tested.

Rep. John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat whose state has also experienced test shortages and backlogs, was tested back home as well. Yarmuth, who chairs the House Budget Committee, was tested in Louisville, KY after being informed that he came into close contact with a person who had since tested positive, his office said. The test consisted of a nasal swab and an oral swab. He received his results about 24 hours later, spokesperson Christopher Schuler said by email.

Schuler said Yarmuth was directed by the head of Louisvilles Department of Public Health and Wellness to get tested because of his direct exposure to an individual who had tested positive. Yarmuths exposure was at the same event in Kentucky that Paul had attended.

[A]t the time the Congressman was exposed, it was CDCs guideline that those in direct contact be tested, Schuler said. He was seated next to and interacted with an individual who was then known to be positive throughout the charity event, Schuler said, adding that Yarmuth consulted with his doctor and was then tested by a local provider. This wasnt anything done through the Attending Physicians office or some sort of special avenue of access provided to House members.

Jean Porter, a spokesperson for the Louisville mayor, confirmed that the local health department had informed Yarmuth hed been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and that the head of the department recommended, per CDC guidelines, that he consult with his health care provider about testing.

Guidance from the CDC has said that those with symptoms should be prioritized, but its ultimately up to a doctors discretion. The day before Yarmuth was tested, only 153 Kentuckians had been tested, according to a local news report. Were only testing the ones that are the sickest," Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisville's chief health strategist, reportedly said at the time. Less than a week later, another news report said testing was still being reserved for the sickest patients due to the limited supply.

For Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, an ally of the president, the situation was a little different. His office said he was tested at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC, and received the results from the White House physician's office.

I was specifically told by WH medical staff that I was NOT being tested because I am in Congress - but because I had been in close contact with President Trump over several days, Gaetz tweeted earlier this month. Of course we have a national interest in keeping the President safe.

Read the rest here:
Members Of Congress Got Tested For The Coronavirus Despite Not Showing Symptoms, And Now We Know How - BuzzFeed News

It was the last straw or in this case the last twig.

Rene Boucher, 58, was charged on Friday with assaulting a member of Congress, a felony, months after his sneak attack on Sen. Rand Paul in November, according to officials.

Federal prosecutors said Boucher "had enough" after he witnessed Paul stack brush into a pile on his own lawn, but near Boucher's property. Boucher then ran onto Paul's property and tackled him.

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Paul was wearing headphones at the time while mowing his lawn in Bowling Green, Kentucky, when he was attacked from behind by Boucher.

Paul managed to throw Boucher off of him and they exchanged words, NBC News previously reported.

Paul suffered five rib fractures, including three displaced fractures, and later required medical attention for pneumonia.

"Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously," said Josh Minkler, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable."

Earlier accounts of the incident suggested bad blood between the neighbors, who have known each other for roughly 17 years, including a dispute over a property line and possible distaste for Paul's politics, as well as those of his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

However, federal prosecutors on Friday said Boucher admitted the assault but denied it was politically motivated. Boucher's lawyer also denied previously that politics had anything to go with the fight.

Officials said Boucher signed a plea agreement, but no date or sentencing has been set. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

View original post here:
Prosecutors reveal why Rand Paul was attacked by neighbor

LOUISVILLE

Rand Paul is giraffish.

Doesnt make sense to compare a little sprite of a U.S. senator to a giraffe. But hang with me here.

The junior senator from Kentucky is now self-isolating after he learned Sunday that he is infected with the coronavirus.

But he didnt self-isolate before he saw fit to expose himself to other members of the U.S. Senate by attending a luncheon in the senate, and according to The Washington Post, going to the Senate gym and taking a dip in the Senate pool.

Along the way, one can only suspect that he touched tables and chairs and door knobs and lockers and shower knobs and hands and, well, just about everything youd expect to touch if you went to a luncheon and a gym and a swimming pool.

Leaving the coronavirus everywhere he went.

All this after he was worried enough that he might have picked up the coronavirus in Louisville at the March 7 Speed Ball fundraiser an event at which at least three others who attended tested positive for the virus that he went looking to be tested.

This really shouldnt surprise any of us.

It falls right in line with the second-rate political philosophy he ripped off from second-rate author Ayn Rand a philosophy that puts ones own personal desires and individual wants above all else.

But when he complained about rules limiting the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs because they use too much electricity, or when he ranted about the fact that the low-flow toilets in his house hadnt worked for 20 years, he became little more than a punchline.

Now hes a petri dish.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the average U.S. senator is 62.9 years old. Its the oldest U.S. Senate in history, and it puts the average senator well over the age of 60, at which point the coronavirus becomes much more lethal.

Its hard to image a U.S. Senate headed by Mitch McConnell being more toxic than it already was, but congratulations Rand. You did it.

Now, youve got two other Republican members of the Senate in self-quarantine, one of whom is 73-year-old Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah. Romneys wife, Ann, is 70 and has multiple sclerosis, which could put her at even greater risk.

And Paul subjected Romney and the others to this after he was worried enough about himself to get the test, but not worried enough about others to warn them? Who does that?

Obviously, someone who is more worried about their individual right to do whatever the hell they want and doesnt give a damn about the people they might harm.

Its the same type of person who would insist on burning incandescent lightbulbs even though they force us to burn more fossil fuels and then claim that their use of fossil fuels isnt causing climate change despite the fact that the scientists studying this stuff almost uniformly say it is.

Its the same type of person who would block funding after national disasters in an attempt to make some lame point about deficit spending, and then would vote for tax cuts for the wealthy that would put the country into even greater deficit spending.

Read this: Rand Pauls coronavirus infection sends shockwaves through Senate during major stimulus debate

Its the same type of person who looks up to Ayn Rands objectivism philosophy a philosophy Paul ascribes to that says a persons own happiness is the moral purpose of his life.

In my house, wed call it giraffish, from an episode of the old Andy Griffiith Show when Barney Fife is explaining to Opie why a pack of dogs hes worried about during a thunderstorm and one little trembly one in particular will be OK.

Dogs take care of one another, Barney explains. Not giraffes.

Boy, giraffes are selfish, Barney says. Running around, looking out for number one.

The fact that Paul was, as always, looking out for No. 1 has exposed other members of the Senate, their families and staffs to this dreaded virus. He should be ashamed.

But, giraffes dont feel shame.

See the article here:
Rand Paul's 'me first' mentality exposed the US Senate to coronavirus - Hopkinsville Kentucky New Era

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who was the only senator to oppose a coronavirus relief package last month, announced Sunday that he has tested positive for the virus.

He is feeling fine and is in quarantine, an announcement on his Twitter said. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events.

It added, He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time.

In addition to being the only senator to vote against an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus package, Paul also was one of the eight senators who voted against paid sick leave in a stimulus bill that passed with an overwhelming 90-8 vote last week.

I think that the paid sick leave is an incentive for businesses to actually let go employees and will make unemployment worse, Paul, a physician who has a Kentucky-issued medical license, explained to Newsweek.

CNN reported that Paul closed his Capitol Hill offices over a week ago and urged employees to work from home due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Two people who attended the annual Speed Art Museum ball in Kentucky with the senator on March 7 later tested positive for the virus, according to the Courier-Journal.

But despite reportedly being tested roughly a week ago, Paul continued to interact with colleagues and even worked out at the Senate gymand was swimming in the poolon Sunday morning, shortly before he received his positive test results, Politico reported.

Paul is the first senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus. Two other members of Congress, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ben McAdams (D-UT), have also gone public with positive test results.

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is particularly dangerous for people with lung problems. In August 2019, Paul had part of his lung removed after an altercation with his neighbor Rene Boucher. The two had a long-running dispute over lawn care.

On March 2, Paul appeared on Fox News and downplayed the global threat of the coronavirus.

While it is worldwide, I think there is room for optimism that this thing may plateau out in a few weeks and not be as bad it as it may have been portrayed, he said to host Neil Cavuto. Weve seen pockets of this around the world and even in Italy and Iran where we have it, but none of it is approaching what started in China.

When asked about institutions taking larger measures to limit the spread of the virus, Paul was resistant to the idea. I think closing down the Smithsonians would be way too premature and I wouldnt advise something like that.

And when Cavuto asked Paul about making personal adjustments to avoid infection, the Senator was particularly defiant. I mean, I fly all the time and Im not cutting back on my flying... I was on a plane today, he said. I could be wrong and this could be really bad in two or three weeks or a month, but Im hoping its not going to be. Im not ready to buy all the toilet paper at Target.

The senators father, Dr. Ron Paul, a physician and a former Republican congressman from Texas, published an essay called The Coronavirus Hoax last week for the New River Valley News, a local outlet based in Virginia.

People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus pandemic could be a big hoax, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profitfinancially or politicallyfrom the ensuing panic, the elder Paul wrote.

As of Sunday afternoon, there are 30,000 COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and nearly 400 people have died.

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Sen. Rand Paul Reveals He Has Coronavirus - The Daily Beast