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KPTZ Virus Watch Update ~ 3/11

KPTZ has convened a Virus Emergency Response Team which is working closely with our News Department to keep the local public informed with fast-breaking updates about the new potentially lethal Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.  

KPTZ Update on COVID-19 and Jefferson County
(updated March 9)

This week’s KPTZ Compass, available online at the KPTZ.org website, features an in-depth interview with Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke on preparations for what he believes is the inevitable spread of the disease on the Olympic Peninsula. 

The KPTZ Virus Response Team is in continuous communication with Jefferson County Public Health, Jefferson Healthcare, and the Jefferson Dept of Emergency Management, and is monitoring information from other sources for information specific to our area.  Here are the most recent developments:

  • Jefferson Healthcare now has a dedicated COVID-19/Respiratory Illness Nurse Call-in Line at 360-344-3094. It operates Mon-Fri from 8am to 5pm to answer questions and address concerns regarding the virus.  If you are calling after-hours with concerns about an illness that does not feel life-threatening, leave a message and a nurse will follow up within 24-48 hours to perform a detailed evaluation. If the nurse determines you meet the requirements for COVID-19 testing, you will be scheduled for an appointment at the dedicated Evaluation Station.  (If you are simply looking for information about how to prepare for and protect yourself from the disease, please refer to one of the websites listed in the link above.)
  • The Washington Department of Health has a call center to address public questions and concerns, open 6am to 10pm every day. Call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.
  • If you are experiencing severe respiratory symptoms after-hours or can’t wait for a nurse call back, please call the JeffCo Emergency Department using the hospital’s switchboard at 360-385-2200 first to make sure the hospital is properly prepared to receive you.  

Out of an abundance of caution to protect our most medically vulnerable community members, please avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital, including the cafeteria, until further notice.

Booklovers’ Cafe ~ Dana Sullivan

(First airdate: March 11, 2020) Cris talks with author, educator, cartoonist, graphic designer, and humorist Dana Sullivan about his many books for children and young adults. Based on his life, children, dogs and travels, we discover that these stories are fun for all!

Nature Now #453
Bird Migration (part 1)

(Reprise airdate: March 11, 2020) Host Debaran Kelso speaks with Dr. Geoff Hammerson. They discuss the definition and explanation of bird migration, including what it means to be part of the Pacific Flyway (this is part 1 of a 2-part show).

#153 Wes Eng, Marching to a Different Drummer

(First airdate: March 10, 2020) MARCHING TO A DIFFERENT DRUMMER. Our Town Host Maryanne McNellis interviews Wes Eng, long-time Port Townsend entrepreneur and free spirit. Wes dropped out of college to join VISTA (Volunteers to Service in America) and ended up in a primitive, remote village in Alaska. When he returned a year later, his campus in Pullman was a full-throttle hippie outpost. He decided that he could and would live outside the system – no white picket fence, no climbing the corporate ladder. He’s stayed true to that vision for about 50 years. He works for as brief a period as possible, then uses those funds to travel or just live life on his own terms. Over the years he’s had a staggering assortment of jobs – school janitor, landscaper, bookstore clerk, waiter, potter, even driving wheat trucks in Eastern Washington.

2015, 2017, 2018 She Tells Sea Tales Stories and Music on Tossed Salad

(Airdate March 9, 2020) Barb Trailer of Northwest Maritime Center tells a tale of the high seas with a crew of four along the California coast. Kelly Watson shares her tale of captaining a precarious fishing vessel. Lara, Isabella and Amelia talk about the Girl’s Boat Project, Sue Schaffer on being a female captain and tuna fishing with sharks. Kaci Cronkhite reads from her second book.

Emilee Monson

(Podcast airdate: March 8, 2020) At the March 2015 She Tells Sea Tales performance, Emilee Monson tells the tale of rowing in Boston Harbor with a teenage crew.

Erin Jakubek

(Podcast airdate: March 8, 2020) Erin Jakubek’s story at the March 2015 She Tells Sea Tales event is of her first job as chef on a fishing adventure.

Compass for 3/09/20

Day in and day out all around the world, highly trained epidemiologists are constantly on watch for the next bug that might result in widespread mortality. In Jefferson County, that guardian is Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke. This week on the Compass, we talk with Dr. Locke about the threat posed by the new coronavirus that’s been dubbed COVID-19, and the plans that are being laid to deal with what he believes is the inevitable local spread of the potentially lethal virus.

KPTZ Coronavirus (COVID-19) Watch Continues

As your community radio station, KPTZ’s Emergency Team and our dedicated News crew are working on ways to keep the local public informed with updates about the fast-breaking Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. It’s our goal to be prepared if – and, so we’re told – when any cases occur on the Olympic Peninsula. A helpful Information Sheet addressing public concerns, is available:

Update on COVID-19 and Jefferson County
(updated March 5)

Jefferson Healthcare has set up a dedicated COVID-19 Respiratory Illness Nurse Call-in Line to answer questions and address concerns regarding the virus. The Call-in Line number is 360-344-3094, and is active daily from 8am to 5pm. For contacting your health care provider, is very important to call first, before going to the doctor’s office or Emergency Department ~ unless there is an urgent health condition. [This paragraph updated March 4.]

KPTZ’s Emergency Team is in communication with both the local Department of Emergency Management and the WA Department of Health. We will continue making announcements on 91.9FM and streaming as well as posting here any pertinent information as it unfolds. Stay tuned!

WA DOH Coronavirus (Covid-19) Resources & FAQs

Nature Now #452
Carnivorous Plants

(First airdate: March 4, 2020) Host Debaran Kelso speaks with wetland ecologist Dr. Fred Weinmann about the fascinating world of carnivorous plants.

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