Lewis County commissioners are set to approve a contract with Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Consultants (IPAC), a local group that will help schools reopen during the pandemic, despite the state recommending against it. Lewis County is still considered a high-risk county due to its infection rate.
Public Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood recommended that schools begin offering in-person instruction to kindergarten and middle and high school technical classes. However, the decision is ultimately left to schools, and some districts have already begun offering in-person classes to all students. IPAC’s assistance will be offered to all schools in the county.
IPAC’s infection prevention experts began visiting schools this week, meeting with educators to discuss their plans to reopen safely.
“It’s just amazing that we happen to have this resource in our community, in our backyard,” Director of Public Health J.P. Anderson told commissioners Wednesday. “It’s really something that other communities are wishing they had.”
IPAC is headed by Angela Dickson, infection prevention regional director for Providence Health & Services, who also has a child in the Chehalis School District. Dickson has a nursing degree and a master’s degree in community health nursing. IPAC’s two other members are Laura Ebinger, who is board certified in infection prevention and epidemiology, and Preeti Kondal, medical director of infection prevention for Providence St. Joseph Health’s southwest service area.
“Between the three of us, we have 60 years combined in the business so to speak,” Dickson said. “In our mind this is just another arm of infection prevention in the community.”
Dickson said the walkthroughs have been going well so far, and that many educators are taking the lead on safety and disinfection practices.
“We problem-solved some nuanced challenges with how to clean toys and different things that kids use in the classroom,” Dickson said of her Wednesday walkthroughs in some Centralia schools. “Sometimes it’s the devil in the details.”
One major shift elementary school teachers will have to undergo is putting away many of the soft surfaces that were once an integral part of school. Stuffed animals, for example, are just too difficult to sanitize, Dickson said. IPAC is also recommending that teachers quarantine some items for seven days after a child plays with them.
Per the agreement with the county, IPAC will be a part of the county’s school workgroup, and will help make recommendations for how schools should be operating, although the final recommendation is up to Wood.
This puts IPAC in the position of helping some schools reopen contrary to the county’s current recommendation. Dickson said the group will keep Wood’s recommendations in mind.
“But we also feel like we can safely open schools with our skillset,” she said. “They’re not bringing back their kids hundreds at a time. They’re bringing them back logically and thoughtfully.”
Ebinger added that IPAC is monitoring community infection rates as well as guidelines from different agencies.
“You always have to keep a pulse on what’s happening in the community,” Ebinger said. “You have to be able to pivot between going and being in-person versus being online.”
IPAC will offer training for “COVID leaders” at each school, as well as a “COVID 101” training for all staff. A live webinar will also be offered to parents, although a date has not been set.
School districts are not required to utilize IPAC’s services, although Anderson said most districts have expressed interest and will accept the help. The $158,099 contract between the county and IPAC will be funded through the CARES Act and will last until Dec. 31. Anderson also said CARES funding could be used to help schools address any issues they run into while reopening.
