Mendocino County issued the following announcement on Dec. 7.
Eight cases of COVID-19 have been tied to the Building Bridges Homeless Resource Center in Ukiah, all of whom are residents. Mendocino County Public Health is collaborating with Building Bridges on contact tracing efforts, as well as isolating all positives separately and quarantining close contacts at the facility.
Redwood Community Services CEO Victoria Kelly stated, “Building Bridges is continuing to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our staff and guests. In collaboration with Mendocino County Public Health and Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Street Medicine, we have closed public services in effort to reduce further spread of the virus; while caring for our guests currently complying with the isolation and quarantine orders.”
Building Bridges is continuing to sanitize their facilities regularly, and the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Street Medicine team is providing medical oversight for positive residents.
Dr. Barash shared on behalf of Street Medicine, “Street Medicine, a collaboration between Adventist Health and Redwood Community Services joins Mendocino County Public Health in surveillance, treatment, and containment of the virus among homeless individuals. Those who have active infection have been housed separately while being monitored by Street Medicine.”
Mendocino County Public Health is conducting follow-up testing to ensure containment of this outbreak.
“Individuals experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19,” said County Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren. “Building Bridges has been preparing for the possibility of an outbreak for some time due to the risk associated with their work, and have done all they can to slow the spread at their shelter. The staff at Building Bridges are heroes for dedicating themselves to helping such a vulnerable population during these times. No facility anywhere is immune to an outbreak of COVID-19.”
Mendocino County Public Health deeply appreciates local business owners who, having been alerted to one or more COVID-19-positive cases related to their business, have decided to contact Mendocino County Environmental Health at 707-234-6625 for guidance on slowing the spread. A proactive approach not only keeps your employees and customers safe, but it also shows your care and consideration for our community.
Original source can be found here.
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