Salute to Local Frontline Workers

Salute to

Local Frontline Workers Thanking those who keep our community safe & functioning

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | Ferndale Record

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SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

Lynden FD adapts to life during COVID-19

Lynden firefighter Katherine "Kat" Stewart shows, already back in early March, what first-responders will wear when they go out on a call involving respiratory illness, and the clear plastic she holds is a mask that will go on the patient. (Elizabeth Kayser/Lynden Tribune)

Extra safety measures are in place, fire chief says; call volume has dropped

By Hailey Palmer hailey@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — The Lynden Fire Depart-

ment is operating a little differently these days in the wake of COVID-19, although the work ends up being the same.

As first responders, the fire department didn’t have the option to work remotely as many ordinary folks are doing right now.

Lynden Fire Chief Mark Billmire said some protocols around the station and on calls have changed, but his crew hasn’t let up when it comes to their dedication to sup-

porting the community.

The obvious changes of social distancing and disinfecting both at and away from the station are in place, but one of the biggest changes for the department Billmire has noticed the last couple of months is the number of calls coming in.

“We’ve had between a 10 and 15 percent drop in call volume,” Billmire said. “Last month, it was about 25 calls under what our

normal volume is. I don’t know if it’s just unusual or if people are afraid to call and go to the hospital, but that’s one of the most noticeable things.”

Billmire believes this situation is not exclusive to just the fire department. He thinks it’s true of any health care setting.

“I think people are afraid to go there,” he Continued on the next page

SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020| Ferndale Record

CHS Northwest is here for your essential needs As we progress through the phases of the Safe Start Plan, CHS Northwest wants to remind you that we remain open to serve our valued customers. We are officially considered an essential business and will be here to provide you with items you need for your home and farm.

Our Lynden store can help you with: Local chaplain Wil Rosado, left, was deployed to New York City in April to help with COVID-19 crisis management there. (Courtesy photo/Lynden Fire Department) said. “We did a tour of the hospital a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I’ve ever been in the hospital when a person wasn’t in the waiting room of the emergency department.”

For the calls they do respond to, the crews are heading out of the station with gloves and facemasks already on.

As another safety measure, two crew members are being held back while the other two members go into a house or building.

“That’s just not in our nature. Everyone wants to get involved and do what they can, but now at least two of the crew members are holding back unless they’re needed,” Billmire said. “We’re ones that like to jump in and get things done, so I would say that’s probably one of the hardest things for our folks — having to hold back and pull back instead of jumping in and helping.”

The crew is also doing temperature checks every time they come into the station and checking again around mid-shift.

Billmire said that’s something they might continue to do in the future.

“The number of changes and how it has

impacted our daily life is fairly significant,” Billmire said. “We’re not as close as a group with everyone sitting around the table and chatting. If we need to meet, we go over to the annex (building next door) just so we can separate and keep the six-foot distance.”

Moving forward, Billmire wonders if this is going to become the new normal.

“Is this how we’re going to respond to everything or revert back to how things were before?” he said. “That’s the big question mark right now.”

Despite the challenges and changes the coronavirus has brought to the jobs of these first responders, not much has changed in the way they continue to approach their basic mission, Billmire said.

“They’ve just stepped up and that’s what they do on a regular basis,” he said.

“It’s not the regular thing and there’s a lot more at stake for them, but that just didn’t slow them down. They still do their job and with a smile on their face. They’re really dedicated to the community. We’re fortunate to have the firefighters we do.”

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | Ferndale Record

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SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

Local police continue work through pandemic Departments emphasize remote contact, but still go out on calls when necessary to do their job

By Brent Lindquist brent@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM — Even as businesses closed down and state officials ordered Washingtonians to stay home, local police continued their work, although it looks a lot different now.

“Everything has changed,” Ferndale Police Chief Kevin Turner said. “The day-to-day is very different. It’s just small things like even just wearing the PPE or the masks and gloves and how that inhibits our interaction with our community members as well as trying to keep a distance when people want to talk to you, especially when people want to talk privately with you in their homes or in their vehicles.”

Turner said local officers are careful about maintaining social distancing restrictions and keeping themselves and the citizens they interact with safe.

“We try to do a lot more things by phone or remotely and not put people or our officers in positions where they are within that distance to risk any kind of possible exposure,” Turner said.

The Ferndale Police Department has seen a reduced call load. Turner estimates it’s about 30 percent lower than usual. However, the calls remain steady. He expects that calls will pick up as Washington moves into Phase 2 of reopening and people get back to work and roads get busier. The police department tries to keep in-person visits to a minimum, but they do still happen.

“If somebody wants an officer in person,

Ferndale police officers Kevin Davis, left, and Colin Sutton hand out sack lunches in late April to give back to the community for supporting the police department. (Brent Lindquist/Ferndale Record) then we will do that,” Turner said. “I believe that’s what our job is. If somebody’s in distress or would like to speak to an officer face to face, then we’ll make sure that happens.”

Turner said the department works with dispatchers, who do extra screenings on incoming 911 calls so that safety precautions can be taken. Officer discretion is also a factor, and Turner said it’s overall a team effort.

Lynden Police Chief Steve Taylor said the Lynden department is taking similar measures.

“Probably the most obvious change to anybody in town here is we’ve shut our lobby,” Taylor said. “We’re not open just for walkin traffic. That’s not to say that people can’t access the police department if they need to.”

The Lynden department is trying to handle as many calls as possible over the phone in order to reduce the need for person-toperson contact.

However, that doesn’t suffice in every case.

“A virtual ambulance isn’t going to do,”

Taylor said. “You need the paramedics and police officers to respond at your house. Our officers are still responding to calls, traffic accidents, domestic violence calls, any type of call that requires the presence of an officer, we’re still going to respond. We haven’t eliminated that at all.”

That said, the department has seen that a little extra checking can go a long way.

Taylor said, for example, that recentContinued on the next page

A sincere thank you to all of those working hard to keep us safe and healthy.

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SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS ly, an officer was called to respond to one of Lynden’s long-term care facilities. He was wearing all the appropriate protective equipment, and he was responding to a 911 hang-up call.

“The protocol is, we send an officer to check and make sure there’s not a problem going on,” Taylor said. “The officer had the presence of mind to call ahead. He’s en route, he’s responding to the call, but he called Lynden Manor to see what was going on.”

It turned out that the caller had called 911 the day before and accidentally hit the redial button when calling a family member.

“The officer was able to determine that there really wasn’t a need to go in the building to begin with,” Taylor said.

This meant the officer didn’t run the risk of infecting any vulnerable people within Lynden Manor.

Taylor also praised dispatchers, as they have done a good job of asking extra questions to help officers prepare when heading out on calls.

“It’s strange times, and there’s not a playbook for this,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to do the best we can with the information that we have available to us and I’m very proud of the officers and the staff here.

I think they’ve all adapted and done well in some fairly difficult times.”

New Ferndale police officer Jeremy Freeman is sworn in in late March. (Courtesy photo/City of Ferndale)

Thank you essential workers.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020| Ferndale Record

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SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | Ferndale Record

A frontline nurse at CHCC tells her story Christina Schlack has studied the sciences, but now she loves the human side of nursing

By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune

LYNDEN — Farm life and an interest in the sciences turned Lynden native Christina (Tamas) Schlack toward a career in nursing. She has used her schooling in different settings and is now a registered nurse in a care community with many seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why become a nurse? “My sister and I always had animals,” she answered. Home was about four acres outside of Lynden.

“We had goats, ducks, chickens, dogs, turkeys. We watched animals give birth and hatch every year. We took care of the animals and helped nurse them back to health when they were sick. I remember finding baby bunnies my dogs would drag out of the woods and trying to take care of them.”

“I became a nurse essentially after learning it was possibly the perfect job for me. It was biology, chemistry and technology together. No two days are ever the same. Sometimes you’re running nonstop and some days you’re sitting watching someone take their last breaths. I just love people. I love to talk. I love hearing everyone’s stories and learning about their lives.

I can’t wait to learn about someone’s life history. I feel like I know more about life just by listening to my patients talk than most of my age group. I also love the tips on long life and healthy marriages from my

patients celebrating their 60-, 70- and 80year anniversaries.

“Nursing is a career that never ceases to amaze and humble me.”

While a sophomore at Lynden High School, Schlack began Running Start at Whatcom Community College. She transferred to Central Washington University to explore her options in biology and chemistry. “I was very interested in the science of living things and wanted to know more.

My friends always wondered why I wanted to take the hardest chemistry and biology electives. It was just fascinating to me.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, she realized it gave her few options for a job in Whatcom County, as in cancer research or biotechnology. “Being a country girl, moving to a large city like Seattle was not for me.”

After a year break from school, she enrolled in the Skagit Valley College RN program. “Some dropped out right away, realizing how hands-on nursing was,” she wrote. “Some thought they could handle blood and they would pass out. None of that bothered me after seeing animals give birth growing up.”

She became a mother for the first time while finishing the program in 2012. Son Cael, now 8, came in the middle of her last quarter of school. After graduating, she focused on her child. When she returned to work, her first job wasn’t in a “normal” nursing setting. She was at the Whatcom County Jail to attend to the inmates. “It was one of my favorite jobs despite the lack of windows. The jail staff was an amazing team. The correctional officers and nurses, doctors and mental health professionals all worked together to provide a level of care for our community’s most vulnerable.”

Mom Christina Schlack enjoys some restorative off-duty time with 5-yearold son Crue from being a Christian Health Care Center nurse. (Courtesy photo) Working full-time, Schlack realized she missed her baby too much and ended up quiting her job. That didn’t stop her education, however, and she completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Washington while pregnant with her second son Crue in 2015 — and working full-time at Bellingham Healthcare before it was Avamere.

After another maternity leave, she applied to the Christian Health Care Center, where she is now, “for its wonderful reputation and short distance from my home in Lynden.”

She can attest that COVID-19 in recent months has changed life, and especially in a care community. The measures taken at CHCC have been quite effective.

“We implemented protective measures quickly in March,” she said. “We used only one entrance for our employees, started wearing masks, discontinued visitation, started checking employees’ temperatures at the one entrance and monitoring for symptoms of infection. Employees have a checklist to answer before being allowed into the building. We also have moved residents to make an isolated wing away from others should anyone exhibit symptoms or test positive. Anyone with any symptoms is quickly put on precautions.”

Everyone has been stressed staying close to home for weeks on end, but for the elderly in a care community it is espeContinued on the next page

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SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020| Ferndale Record

CHS Northwest True Value is here for your essential needs As we progress through the phases of the Safe Start Plan, CHS Northwest wants to remind you that we remain open to serve our valued customers. We are officially considered an essential business and will be here to provide you with items you need for your home and farm.

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When on duty, the protective safeguards for nurses must be all on, for the safety of both themselves and their patients. (Courtesy photo) cially hard.

“It has been difficult for our residents and our staff, of course. Activities have been canceled, dining rooms closed, and they miss having their family around. We have adapted as well by using iPads and video calls. Many family members come to the windows to see their loved ones, some post pictures and paintings up on the windows, some sing to their loved ones. It has become the new normal.”

Not all of her patients are older. She has also had those who were younger, or had a terminal condition — and it was hard for her.

“I remember a patient I had in nursing school with terminal pancreatic cancer. He asked me what I would do if I had a week left to live as he did. I didn’t

know what to say to him. I said something about being with those you love the most, then went to the bathroom to cry. He was young and it wasn’t fair. I still think about him. Those days are hard. Then you have days where your patients walk out on their discharge day and give you a hug saying you were their angel in their darkest moments.”

In the meantime, Schlack is expecting her third child and she is also caring for her mother battling brain cancer. Yet she continues to look forward to working long shifts on her feet with seniors. She has been involved with the dementia unit and also rehab at CHCC. Schlack was on the nursing staff when reporter Elisa Claassen’s late mother was a resident at Christian Health Care Center.

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CHS Northwest Fairway True Value 119 17th Street, Lynden 360.354.5671

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | Ferndale Record

SALUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS

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