COVID-19 At-Home Rapid Tests Available Now At Beacon Police Department - Limited To 1 Per Household

Announced by Mayor Kyriacou during Monday’s City Council Meeting 12/20/2021, Beacon is slated to receive a limited number of COVID-19 rapid self-tests that can be taken at home. Thanks to the COVID-19 response plan that New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on 12/20/2021, home tests and KN95 masks are being sent to municipalities, starting now. Other states like Ohio have been providing these since before Thanksgiving.

Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro announced today via press release that the tests are coming in limited supply, and will be issued 1 per household, where proof of residency in Beacon is required. Shortly thereafter Beacon’s Police Department announced today that the first shipment of tests has arrived and are available in limited capacity to 1 per household with proof of residency of living in Beacon. Tests aren’t the only thing arriving to the Beacon PD headquarters - see the two giant donated pallets of soda that arrived earlier in the week, which the Beacon PD is also looking to donate to residents.

ALBB called to verify hours of pickup with the call-in desk of the Beacon Police Department, and was told that the department is open 24/7, and that people can pick up one test at any time - with proof of Beacon residency, and it’s only 1 test kit per household. Inside of each kit there are two tests.

The Beacon Police Station is located at 1 Municipal Plaza, which is the building on the way to the train station. The police department is the door on the lower right, below the main door to City Hall. There is a parking lot for easier access.

County Executive Molinaro said: “As we are in the midst of this COVID-19 surge during the busy holiday season, the County’s goal is to distribute these tests and masks throughout our community to help curb this growth in positive cases. We thank both our local and state partners for their cooperation in assisting Dutchess in this critical mission.” He added that KN95 masks are being donated to municipalities as well and may be available with the test kits.

As of Wednesday 12/22/2021, according to the Dutchess County Dashboard, there are 1,745 Active Cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess County, which is an increase since last Friday, when it was 1,487. There are 99 Active Cases in Beacon (last week was 65), and there are 77 people in the hospital with COVID-19 in Dutchess County (last week was 68 people hospitalized).

Very few people are boosted, as their initial vaccinations begin to wane. The CDC says that boosting improves the body’s ability to fight the virus. Find out where to get vaccinated in or near Beacon at www.vaccines.gov (it’s such an easy website!)

How Many At-Home COVID-19 Tests Will Be Available?

According to the county’s press release, at home COVID-19 tests are being distributed based on population of the municipality. Tests will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis, and will not be held if someone calls ahead. The press release also stated: “While supplies are limited, distribution from New York State is expected to be recurring and the County will continue to work with local municipalities to distribute test kits as they are received.”

With To Do With A Positive COVID-19 Test Result

According to Dutchess County’s press release, residents who receive a positive result from an at-home COVID-19 test must:

• Immediately self-isolate, even if they are vaccinated; as part of 10-day quarantine; and

• take a picture of the positive at-home test result within 24 hours and report the positive case to the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health (DBCH) at www.dutchessny.gov/COVIDpositive

After reporting the positive result to the County health department, residents will receive a phone call from a contact tracer and are strongly encouraged to answer that call. However, with current high case volume, it may take a few days before a contact tracer calls. Residents are asked to be patient and continue isolating. If a resident’s symptoms worsen or they experience difficulty breathing following a positive result from an at-home test, they should consult their physician or dial 9-1-1.

 While at-home tests approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are reliable, it is possible to receive a false negative. If residents experience symptoms and test negative, they’re urged to take another test within 24-48 hours. 

Negative test results from at-home tests may not be sufficient to return to work or school.  DBCH will not accept negative test results from at-home for early release from quarantine. Negative results do not need to be reported to DBCH.

Vaccination Status Of City Employees At City Hall

During the 12/20/2021 City Council Meeting, Mayor Kyriacou explained how they have decided to comply with Governor Hochul’s mask mandate for unvaccinated people in indoor spaces: “We have chosen to all wear a mask rather than to ask for vaccination,” he explained. “Upstairs, everyone is vaccinated. Other departments of the city where not everyone is vaccinated…they are wearing masks. Applies to all indoor spaces.”

The Police Department is located in the downstairs section of City Hall, as are other offices of other departments in the City of Beacon.

How To Know When A New Shipment Arrives

Mayor Kyriacou said that availability of the test kits would be posted on the city’s website. For this first round, that website has not been updated, nor did a SWIFT robo-call go out to make the announcement. The Beacon Police Department’s Facebook post was the first announcement. Within 24 hours, the first shipment of these tests have been picked up by residents. Consider following the Beacon Police Department Facebook page to see if they make updates as to when a new shipment arrives, and when it has been depleted.

Optional Free Testing Program For "No Symptom" Students + Staff Opens For Beacon City School District

During his first presentation to families of the Beacon City School District, Superintendent Landahl announced that the Beacon City School District had entered into a voluntary program with New York State to offer free rapid COVID-19 tests to students and staff who want them. This is in an effort to get a better read of how many or who is positive with the virus but are asymptomatic.

These tests will be the “rapid” tests, which have been talked about as not being as accurate as the PCR lab tests. Dr. Landahl said that from his reading, the rapid tests are more prone to give false negatives, and that if it delivers a positive response, he said, the result will be taken into consideration. The District is using Avid Diagnostic Binax NOW tests that the New York State Department of Health has provided. “They require a quick nasal swab with something like a Q-tip,” Dr. Landahl described, and are not PCR tests.

Dates Of Availability For Testing

Testing will occur on Sundays and Wednesdays. “We do not want to interrupt in-person school to do this program, so we are targeting Sunday afternoons and Wednesdays for testing,” Dr. Landahl said in an email to the District. Parents will be with their children when they are tested. Testing was to begin on January 27 or 31, and may be delayed with the school closures and blizzard.

How To Sign Up For The COVID-19 Rapid Testing

This testing is only for healthy individuals showing no symptoms. This means, you could sign your child up for a test for any or no reason. School nursing staff will be conducting the testing. Results will be shared on the day of the test. If you are interested in participating in this program, the District needs your consent.

Fill out this online form to sign up: https://forms.gle/cxPjeBFLbCvLyjoYA

The Beacon City School District will create a random sample from the people who want to participate and who voluntarily signed up. Registrants will be contacted to set up a time.

Beacon High School Has Positive COVID Case - And The District Is On It With Support And Contact Tracing

Beacon City School District Superintendent Matt Landahl robo-called and emailed district families today (Wednesday) morning with the news that they learned today that an individual in the Beacon High School had tested positive for COVID-19, and was currently isolated. The individual had not been at the building since Friday, and because of health privacy laws, further information about the person will remain private.
Editor’s Note: Speaking for the community by saying we wish the person and their family health, strength, and compassion.

"Today is one of our remote learning days," said Dr. Landahl via email to district families, "and we are spending the day contact tracing." Wednesday is the day that the entire district is at home learning with teachers. This is the longest Remote Day for all students, where they may have several classes throughout the day, versus one Morning Meeting in the morning on regular Remote Days. The Free Remote Meals had just been delivered to front doors of those who signed up for the delivery option, and otherwise, the Remote day was humming along.

Beacon opened and remains in the Hybrid Model, which means students can opt-in for 2 days of learning in person at school, and 3 days for learning at home (with Wednesday as the day everyone is home learning). "When we consider closing a school temporarily due to COVID-19," continued Dr. Landahl via email to the community, "our plan is to close individual schools that are affected and not the entire district unless there is a health need to do so or we are guided to do so by the Department of Health."

Children or adults who were in contact with the person will be notified first by school staff, and then by the New York State Contact Tracing program with instructions on quarantining and potential testing for COVID-19 (you can find testing information here).

"If you are not contacted, then you will not need to quarantine," Dr. Landahl stated. "We will work tirelessly on contact tracing and communicating updates to the community and individual families who are affected by this."

Schools in the region have had over 150 positive cases as of October 8, 2020, as reported by the Hudson Valley Post. Yesterday, Newburgh Free Academy announced that 1 individual had tested positive, but had not attended school and was in Remote Learning only, therefore, school would not be closed for that building. They have had a total of 5 students test positive since the New York State Report Card Dashboard has been launched, which have all been Off Site, according to the Dashboard.

Other schools in the region have reported positive cases, including Wappingers Central, Middletown, Newburgh Central, Arlington Central, and others. Indicated on the Report Card Dashboard is if a positive case of a student or staff was located On Site or Off Site, as some cases may occur in people who are Remote Learning at home and were not in a school building, but are included on the Report Card.

Dr. Landahl included ways to get tested:
”A list of testing sites can be found on the Dutchess County Health Website (please note, the testing sites can change from day-to-day and week-to-week): (https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.htm) You may also visit the ‘New York State Find a Test Site Near You’ web page: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you Once you enter a zip code, a list/map view of the nearest test sites will become available. “

New York State Has Not Given Dutchess Nor Orange Counties Free COVID Testing Sites - Dutchess County Provides Alternatives

While Governor Cuomo encourages testing for all citizens of New York State, and boasts of some of the highest testing numbers, there are no state-sponsored free COVID-19 testing sites in Dutchess County nor Orange County for people without insurance, as there are in several other counties.

In his press briefings, when speaking to the people of New York and in his nightly emails, Governor Cuomo urges people to use New York’s free testing sites, like here on September 1, 2020. It’s a simple directive, but one that is not readily available to residents in Dutchess and Orange Countries who may never have had health insurance, or recently lost health insurance.

Individual medical facilities may opt to service people with no insurance, and absorb the cost or file to state or federal programs on behalf of the patient. Others may offer a flat rate of $100. Dutchess County has provided a list of medical facilities who provide testing, and of those, which offer free testing to the uninsured. Information about that is below.

On October 1, 2020, the Governor announced that COVID-19 rapid testing would be made available to every county in New York State. But how that rolls out remains to be seen, since Dutchess County has never had state sponsored testing sites since they rolled out months ago for other counties.

According to a representative at the the New York State Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline for testing there are free, NY state-sponsored sites in Albany, Binghamton, Erie, Nassau, Suffolk County, Niagara, Rochester, Rockland, and Utica. Colleen T. Pillus, Communications Director with Dutchess County Executive Office, has confirmed that New York State has not put free testing sites in Dutchess County, and encourages residents to visit the Dutchess County testing page to see which facilities offer free testing to the uninsured. Those locations have been highlighted below in this article.

Says one Beacon parent who recently lost their New York City based job in the hotel industry when the luxury hotel laid off most of their staff: “Having no health insurance is why I am keeping my child home for school and avoiding friends. We are not participating in the Hybrid Learning program that Beacon is offering because we can’t afford to get tested. I haven’t begun the research to find what our free options are, if any exist.” While on furlough, the hotel kept some employees on while cutting salaries, but maintained their health insurance. A month later, the Beaconite’s job was terminated due to the pandemic, and health insurance lost.

COVID-19 Testing And Kids In School

As some people have returned to work or college, testing has become mandatory. Those in the film industry, for example, just started returning to work, only after contracts with testing companies were established to allow for rapid and lab testing. Some college students who attend classes in person undergo mandatory testing, like those at SUNY Orange, who are “pool testing” every few weeks, and do not ask for insurance, and say that students will not be billed.

Kids in the Beacon City School District are not required to take COVID-19 tests to attend or return to school, but a test is one of the options if a student is sent home with a fever, or if a student opted to voluntarily stay home because of the sniffles.

If a family does not have insurance or the cash to pay for the lab and/or office visit for testing, the options narrow for how to get a child back in the in-person version school (Remote Learning can still continue on the computer from home). Prices for testing for the uninsured can range from $65-$175. As an insured person, my cost averages $50 per person for an office visit to an urgent care, and the lab test is waved.

Attempt To Get Free COVID Testing Site In Dutchess County

Dutchess County’s County Executive Marcus Molinaro wrote to Governor Cuomo on May 22, 2020, asking him for a drive-thru testing site in the City of Poughkeepsie, to help low-income residents there get access to rapid testing. The letter (shown below) went unanswered, Colleen told ALBB. MidHudson Regional Hospital had been operating a drive-through testing facility in the Town of Poughkeepsie. The location proved hard to access for many in the City of Poughkeepsie, and Dutchess County partnered with the hospital to provide transportation. There is a minimum co-pay of $75 for this option, for the uninsured.

Below is the letter from Marcus Molinaro in full, which details the request:

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Dutchess County Executive Office

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Dutchess County Executive Office

Individual Testing Centers Opting To Wave Fees For The Uninsured In Dutchess County

The Dutchess County website does go into detail about insurance information, and options for the uninsured. You should pay attention to:

• If the waved fee includes the office visit and the lab test.

• If you do have insurance, which insurance company is covered.

• If you don’t have insurance, that the office fee and the lab test are waved. Not just one or the other.

• If the information has changed.

As of today (10/21/2020), according to the Dutchess County website, the following locations in or near Beacon offer a true no-fee for any of the testing (not the lab nor the office visit):

• Hudson River Health Care (now called Sun River Health, after a merger). The Beacon location on Henry Street, and they specify that testing is available regardless of insurance or immigration status. (845) 831-0400. Appointment for testing required. No telahealth visit required.

• Excel Urgent Care of Fishkill (845) 765-2240. Appointments encouraged, but walk-in welcome.

• Northern Medical Group. You must call to see if you qualify. A telahealth visit is required for evaluation prior to testing. Hopewell Junction (845) 226-4590, and Poughkeepsie (845) 452-9800

• Nuvance Health (a location in Wappingers Falls is listed)

• Castle Point VA Medical Center (Wappingers Falls (845) 831-2000)

Close, but not quite for uninsured in Beacon:

• CVS is offering to submit testing for those with no insurance, but only at select locations. The Fishkill CVS is not listed as participating in this.

NY Clusters And Higher Infection Rate For Mid-Hudson Region

The Mid-Hudson region does have a higher infection rate than other areas. In Governor Cuomo’s nightly email, he reported the figures from yesterday:

In Long Island, it was 1.6%.
In the Capital Region, 0.8%.
In Central New York, 1.9%.
In the Finger Lakes, 1.7%.
In the Mid-Hudson Region, 2.6%.
In Mohawk Valley, 0.5%.
In the North Country, 0.6%.
In Western New York, it was 2.0%.
And finally in the Southern Tier, 1.3%.

It is unclear why Dutchess County and Orange County do not have state-sponsored testing locations for the uninsured. If we get answers from the New York State Department of Health, this article will be updated.

I Got An Antibody Test From Caremount Medical Urgent Care - This Is What It Was Like

The antibody test for COVID-19 is a hopeful test linked to helping others by way of donating plasma to those infected, and considered by policy makers and employers when designing how to open a business back up safely. However, as it is so new, most antibody tests are not FDA approved, and are instead FDA “authorized” under Emergency Use Authorization. Different antibody tests offer different degrees of being accurate for various reasons, and there is no evidence to suggest that once a person has antibodies, that they cannot contract SARS-Cov-2 another time within a period of time. Also unknown is how long antibodies would last in a recovered person’s body from the time of the initial infection. Testing positive for antibodies could lead to a false sense of security, as testing is still underway to explore immunity and re-infection.

Taking The Antibody Test

But I wanted an antibody test anyway. Back in February, my children and I were very sick. All of the kids at elementary school were sick, as different bugs seemed to be circulating throughout the school. If the After School Program had 25 kids in it, 7 kids would easily be out. The “heard” theory wasn’t working as I would have thought, as once my one child got through with a 2-week long Flu B and intense leg pain where he couldn’t walk, he got another 2-day stomach bug after it cleared up. And that was just one of my children.

As for me, I was in my bed for 3 days, and was tired for days later. The first day I couldn’t get up to take my kids to school, my dizziness was so severe. I fainted more than once and made sure to have coffee nearby to keep my blood pressure up. My kids all stayed home and fed me Honey Nut Cheerios and Gatorade. The next day, neighbors picked up my kids to take them to school. It wasn’t until a week later that my daughter developed a never-ending nausea after vomiting for 2 days and hurting her stomach muscles and spiking fevers.

Dark circles were under her eyes where I thought she was iron deficient, yet she wouldn’t eat the cheeseburgers like she normally did. She had no appetite She begged to not go to school, even though no other symptoms presented. My toddler started needing the neutralizer every day for a week and I had to keep him home to give him Albuterol to stop his cough, which got worse as he slept. Otherwise he was in good spirits. It wasn’t until Quarantine that this all cleared up and disappeared. We have been healthy ever since.

After the antibody tests got announced as being available, I waited a bit, and then Googled where to go. I picked Caremount Medical Center, and this is how the experience was:

Antibody Testing At Caremount Medical Center In Poughkeepsie

Caremount’s Fishkill Urgent Care office is closed, but their lab remains open. Poughkeepsie’s office is open and seeing walk-in patients for any reason. Splinter, not feeling well, whatever you need. But you don’t physically walk in (well, you could, there are people in PPE greeting you at the door armed with thermometers and computers to put you on a list). Once you park, call the nurses inside to get put on the list, and then wait in your car in the parking lot.

The urgent care is actually in the back of the building, so if you GPS it, you’ll want to go around by the Hudson River, through through an underpass, and wait in the parking lot behind the main building. If you are there for a COVID-19 test, which you can do without a prescription, you will wait in your car, and the nurse will come out to take your vitals and administer the nasal swab test.

For the anti-body test, this is a simple blood draw. When it’s your turn, the nurse will call you inside from the parking lot and assign you to a room. Because most everyone is in their cars in the parking lot, there aren’t that many people in the medical office. In the appointment room, your vitals will be taken, and a nurse dressed in PPE will draw your blood. Then you are done and the test will be processed in 24-48 hours in the Caremount lab in Brewster.

Which Brand Of Antibody Test Is It?

The antibody test Caremount Medical is using is the Ortho-VITROS test, which you can read about here. You can read about all of the FDA Emergency Authorized tests here at the FDA website.

Gothamist put together an enormous antibody testing guide through their collaborative project with WNYC and ClearHealthCosts to promote transparency in health care, which you can read here. The guide covers which medical facilities are using which tests and labs, and how much it costs.

How Much Does The Antibody Test Cost? Is it Covered By Health Insurance?

ALBB has not dug into the CARES Act to find this answer, but we can tell you this: when we called around to different urgent cares, the prices were different and depended on office visit fees, and lab processing tests.

At Caremount, the out of pocket self-pay (no insurance) cost would be a down payment of $150 for the test office visit. This fee can be kept on your account for future billing. Depending on your symptoms and things wrong with you that day, this fee could increase. But if it’s just the test, it should stay. Then, the test itself is $55 additional from the lab, even though the lab is in-house at Caremount.

By comparison, at Pulse MD Urgent Care in Poughkeepsie, which is also walk-in service but requires a tela-health visit first for $50. Then, the in-person office visit is $120, and the $50 telahealth is deducted, bringing the charge you’d pay at the office to $70 (so, $50 paid for the telahealth call, and $70 paid in person). If this sounds a little confusing, do call them.

Pulse MD uses Quest to process the test, and that fee is $150. However, the lab rate for the test has been changing, said an employee at Pulse MD, but $150 seemed like the average price.

If you have insurance, call first to see what they cover. In my case, I do have insurance and they are paying 100% of the lab fee, and the usual for the office visit. If you are a front line essential worker, rules may have been created for you that entitle you to a free test, but you’ll need to inquire with your employer, and ask if the office visit is covered.

So…Do You Have The Antibodies?

Alas, no. All of that sickness, and it was just the usual mush. Unless the results were not 100%. But it is fine, because I probably would start being less cautious anyway, and we have to keep being cautious even if we have antibodies.

FAQs From A 7 Year Old

“Did it hurt?”

I have a high pain tolerance, so blood tests don’t usually hurt me. I just take deep breaths and look away. On the other hand, an experienced nurse will know where to place the needle in just the right spot in your arm, nail it, and if you’re looking away and thinking of something else, you usually won’t feel anything. Once the needle is in your arm, the blood shoots through the thin blood collection tube. It’s kind of fun to watch because it moves so fast.

“What if a food source was in your blood and came into the tube?”

I am understanding this question to be: “What if a lump of food was in your blood and came through the tube.” So, I think that would be pretty bad, as food chunks usually are not in your veins. But blood clots can be in your veins, and those are bad. Blood clots are also connected to COVID-19 that are connected to strokes. I am not a medical professional, but I don’t think a food source would be in your vein, but a blood clot could be. If this were to happen while you were getting a blood test, the medical professionals would start helping you right away.

Nursing Homes In Dutchess County Get COVID-19 Testing Focus - Pilot Program Launching In Beacon's Wingate As Testing Reveals Concern In Ulster

During a time when the press corps covering the daily pandemic briefings from Governor Cuomo pursues the governor with unrelenting questions on the COVID-19 status of nursing home residents and PPE supplies, the death toll of elderly residents mounts in New York City and surrounding counties. Dutchess County announced this week (4/28/2020) a new testing program to test residents living in the 13 nursing homes within Dutchess County.

Citing an uptick in reported COVID-19 cases as a result of recent testing in Ulster County, Dutchess County will begin testing every nursing home resident, beginning with Wingate in Beacon. According to the county’s press release, testing in Ulster County “has heightened concerns about potential spread of coronavirus, as 96 out of 330 residents at two Ulster County nursing homes tested positive for COVID-19 – with many of these cases exhibiting no symptoms (asymptomatic) and the individuals had only been in contact with healthy residents and staff members.”

The number of reported deaths in nursing homes in Dutchess County is 13 people as of yesterday (4/29/2020), as reported by New York State on this daily nursing home tracker. The number of deaths of people in nursing homes or adult care facilities in Orange County is 92 people, and in Putnam County it is 12 people. In Nassau County, it is 424 people, and in Kings County it is 447 people, and in Bronx County it is 570.

Dutchess County will begin releasing testing data from the nursing homes, said Communications Director Colleen Pillus. According to state data, there have been six deaths at the Ferncliff Nursing Home. Any home that has fewer than five deaths is not published at this time by New York State, citing privacy concerns.

The State Of Nursing Homes During The Pandemic

Publications like ProPublica have been covering the story for some time, and recently published this story of a daughter who removed her father from Queens Adult Care Center after he showed symptoms and was being neglected by fearful staff members, according to the article. Reporters at Governor Cuomo’s briefings have been asking for weeks for COVID-19 statistics at nursing homes, which New York State only recently starting releasing. Each day that the statistics had not been made public, Governor Cuomo cited delays from the nursing homes who were overwhelmed with caring for their residents. The total number of deceased people from nursing homes in New York State is 3,688, as of 4/29/2020.

To illustrate how quickly COVID-19 can spread through a nursing home, which Governor Cuomo has likened to a fire spreading through dry grass, Deadline.com has been publishing updates about elderly residents living in The Actor’s Fund Home in Englewood, N.J., a home for retired entertainers, from actors of stage and screen to screenwriters, dancers, producers and directors. The home has been forthcoming to its families with email updates, and to the media. The facilities administrator told NJ Advance Media that as of 4/14/2020, the facility had 12 residents test positive. As of 4/21/2020, 10 residents had died from COVID-19, as reported by Deadline.com, although the first reported death from COVID-19 was recorded on 4/10/2020, according to Deadline.com. About 35 to 40 staff had tested positive, though there have been no reported deaths of employees.

Dutchess County Testing and PPE

County Executive Marcus Molinaro has petitioned Governor Cuomo for 2,000 test kits for Dutchess County’s newly formed Nursing Homes Task Force, according to the county’s press release. “As the initial pilot gets underway,” the press release said, “and as tests are made available from New York State, Dutchess County’s Nursing Home Task Force will collaborate with each of the nursing home facilities’ infection control specialist to plan for each facilities’ specific needs, including providing adequate PPE supplies for staff to ensure there is no cross contamination during testing.”

Testing staff members at the nursing homes will not be included in this targeted testing, “as testing kits are limited,” confirmed Communications Director Colleen Pillus to A Little Beacon Blog when asked for clarification. Reports from outbreaks happening in nursing homes across the state, like this one in Hornell, include a focus on staff members who test positive, as reported by the New York Post.

Currently in Dutchess County, nursing home residents are only being tested when they present symptoms, said Dutchess County’s Communication Director Colleen. Moving forward in this new pilot program, elderly residents will be tested once as opposed to an ongoing way, as testing results take time to come back, said Colleen. Of the 13 nursing homes, one nursing home - Wingate in Beacon - will be the pilot location for this new program.

Who Oversees Nursing Homes?

As explained by Governor Cuomo repeatedly during briefings, nursing homes are generally private institutions that need to follow licensing requirements from New York State. According to The Leader, New York State will open an investigation into nursing homes, led by Attorney General Letitia James, “which will focus on whether nursing homes and adult-care facilities appropriately followed state law and regulation as the coronavirus went on its torrid spread in New York,” stated the article.

According to Dutchess County’s press release on its new testing program program: “Although nursing homes are under the authority and oversight of the New York State Department of Health, County Executive Molinaro established Dutchess County’s Nursing Home Task Force, under the direction of Dutchess Behavioral and Community Health (DBCH), to be in regular contact with nursing home leadership. The Task Force keeps open lines of communications, offers guidance where appropriate, and helps facilities address concerns and emerging issues, convening weekly conference calls with nursing homes.”

The announcement went on to address PPE needs: “Among the pressing needs has been the provision of PPE supplies to meet heightened New York State Department of Health mandates for nursing homes. Dutchess County has worked closely with the nursing homes, providing isolation suits and gowns, eye protection, N95 respirators, surgical masks, as well as hand sanitizer.”

Mental Health Assistance Provided For Nursing Home Staff, By Dutchess County

County Executive Molinaro has a strong track record on mental health for this region. Mental health assistance has been created for employees working in nursing homes. According to the press release: “Staffing has also been a concern for nursing homes. Stress levels and fear for all essential employees remain high and there is always a concern about lack of staff availability should there be large numbers of staff who need to be quarantined. News of deaths in nursing homes in other areas of the state and nation creates anxiety for staff, patients, as well as their families.

”To help combat the extreme amount of stress this pandemic has placed upon nursing home and residential facility staff, County Executive Molinaro and Deputy Commissioner of DBCH Dr. Jacqueline M. Johnson have mobilized the Dutchess County Trauma Team to provide mental health support. This collaborative team of mental health and substance abuse professionals respond to unpredictable and extreme events in Dutchess County. Led by Dr. Ellen Marx, the team will provide an in-service to nursing home staff to discuss the range of emotions the pandemic causes in general, work-related frustration and anxiety, dealing with grief, the importance of self-care, and much more. Individuals are helped to review their situation, encouraged to express the wide range of emotions traumatic events bring up, and identify strengths and ways to cope.”

Nursing Homes in Dutchess County 

This list has been provided by Dutchess County:

ArchCare at Ferncliff (formerly Ferncliff Nursing Home)
21 Ferncliff Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572  (845) 876-2011    

The Baptist Home
46 Brookmeade Drive, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (845) 876-2071    

Sapphire Wappingers Falls
37 S. Mesier Ave., Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 (800) 501-3936    

The Eleanor Nursing Care Center
419 North Quaker Lane, Hyde Park, NY 12538 (845) 229-9177    

Fishkill Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing
22 Robert R. Kasin Way, Beacon, NY 12508-1199 (800) 501-3936 

The Grand Nursing and Rehabilitation at Pawling
9 Reservoir Road, Pawling, NY 12564  (845) 855-5700  

The Grand Nursing and Rehabilitation at River Valley
140 Main St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (845) 454-7600    

Lutheran Care Center at Concord Village
965 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 (845) 486-9494 x215    

Northern Dutchess Residential Healthcare Facility - The Thompson House
6525 Springbrook Ave., Rhinebeck, NY 12572  (845) 871-3760     

Renaissance Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
4975 Albany Post Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580 (845) 889-4500      

The Pines at Poughkeepsie
100 Franklin St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601  (845) 454-4100

Wingate at Beacon
10 Hastings Drive, Beacon, NY 12508  (845) 440-1600    

Wingate at Dutchess
3 Summit Court, Fishkill, NY 12524  (845) 896-1500

5th Dutchess County Resident Dies; Newburgh's VP Of The School Board Dies; 2 Die Within 24 hours In Putnam

Pretty soon the death notices sent by Dutchess County for very precious lives will be coming in even more quickly. We are publishing them here to serve as a reminder to all of us to stay home. It is so hard to do. It is so hard for this blogger to do. But on your toughest day, or a tough day, when you just want to go out there and hug the world, remember these lives that were lost so quickly. Prayers to those cases and passings we hear about via text from friends who are grieving or worried. Keep the faith, stay strong, stay safe, stay home.

Many people of all ages do have underlying conditions, which is what the virus is seizing: cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, asthma. For those who do not have these underlying conditions, the virus still hurts. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s brother, Chris, has the virus and is speaking openly about his symptoms. His daily high fever. His shakes. His hallucinations. Watch his show on CNN from 9 to 10 pm, as he has broadcast from his basement for two nights in a row, and has dedicated the show to the inside and front lines of the virus. And then of course, shut off the TV, the devices, and do things that make you happy. Retail therapy. Reading. Movie. Petting your furry friend. Weeding outside.

The main messaging has been to protect the elderly, but it also needs to get louder that younger people as well are at risk for not having an easy go with the novel coronavirus AKA COVID-19. On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo closed the state’s public playgrounds because young people were gathering too much. In Beacon, some young people continue to gather for driveway hangouts. Otherwise, Beacon locals have been pretty good about social distancing. Very respectful of each other.

Yesterday, the Record Online published that the VP of the Newburgh School Board, Sue Prokosch, passed away at age 72 due to coronavirus complications. In Putnam County, lohud reported that two people died within the last 24 hours, with 19 people in the hospital with coronavirus, out of a total of 213 cases in Putnam.

In Dutchess County, as of Wednesday (4/1/2020), there are 466 cases.

Here is the message from Dutchess County regarding its fifth confirmed death:

“We implore residents who think they have symptoms of COVID-19 to call their primary-care physician and remain in constant contact to ensure follow-up monitoring can continue. ”

— Behavioral and Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian

The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has confirmed the death of a fifth Dutchess County resident related to COVID-19. DBCH confirmed a 68-year-old female died at home today, April 1, 2020. The patient, who had a history of underlying conditions, presented at Vassar Brothers Medical Center's Emergency Room late last week after not feeling well. She returned home and was later informed of a positive COVID-19 result after a test during her hospital visit. The individual had not yet been transferred to DBCH monitoring. Further specific information cannot be provided for privacy reasons.

County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of our Dutchess County neighbor, and we as a community mourn the loss of another resident to this global pandemic. As we released yesterday both countywide coronavirus statistics and information about every local municipality, we remind residents no community has been spared from this virus, reinforcing the message we have spread for weeks: Stay home; stay healthy; stop the spread. As a county, we remain dedicated to fighting the spread of this virus, employing every resource available, and we thank all those — healthcare professionals, first responders, county personnel and others — who have worked tirelessly to protect our residents."

Behavioral and Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian said, “We implore residents who think they have symptoms of COVID-19 to call their primary-care physician and remain in constant contact to ensure follow-up monitoring can continue. As this pandemic continues to affect hundreds in our community, and will impact even more in the coming days and weeks, we must all take an active part in keeping ourselves healthy and saving lives."

As testing in the county expanded last week, there are now more than 460 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess County, and the numbers are expected to continue to increase. Staying home remains critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and flattening the curve so as not to overwhelm the local healthcare system and ensure everyone can get the care they need.

HEALTH: Making Your Coronavirus Medical Call List

When things get thick, it is helpful to slow down and make a list of important things you would need to take care of just in case something serious happens. If you are a pre-planning sort of person, you probably already have this list.

If you aren’t, then perhaps you are making this now. When making this list, we have a list of FAQs to ask yourself for different scenarios. If you are feeling symptoms of coronavirus, you are to call your doctor first, as recommended by the CDC, Dutchess County and New York State. health officials

You can only get tested with a doctor’s prescription. As of now, 3/31/2020, the tests do have a turnaround time of more than one day. So you need not panic, you just need to call your doctor, monitor your symptoms, and help yourself stay comfortable as you fight it out. Lots of people self-resolve (get better on their own, without involving formal medical treatment).

What if I don't have a doctor?

If you don’t have a doctor, you can find a federally qualified health center here: www.findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov

Run a search for 12508 Beacon, and you’ll get these results.

They include: Hudson River Healthcare Beacon, Cornerstone Family Healthcare, and Mobile Health Vans 1, 2 and 3.

What if I am calling after my doctor's office’s regular hours?

Unless you are in an emergency, call in the morning. If you want to talk to someone to point you in a direction, you could call the New York State Coronavirus Hotline: 888-364-3065. If you are in an emergency, call 911.

As of 3/31/2020, a representative at the New York State Coronavirus Hotline says that testing is not instantaneous. “Because of how high the demand is,” the representative said, “it is limited to highest-risk groups. Like medical staff, or people who have been in direct contact.” If you’re curious, you can see the list of current testing sites here at Dutchess County’s website.

If you are feeling extra anxious, you can call Mental and Emotional support hotlines that New York State set up:

• New York State COVID-19 Emotional Counseling Hotline: 844-863-9314
  Open 8 am to 10 pm, seven days a week (this has really nice hold music!)
  Call and talk about your feelings. They will listen, and give you resources if necessary.

• Tele-mental-health, 24/7 (stress, anxiety, depression, drugs and alcohol): 888-692-9355

What do I need on my doctor list?

For anyone calling the doctor for yourself or your family, you will need this basic information, maybe a little more. But have at least this information for each member of your family in a convenient place, maybe on a piece of paper on your refrigerator:

• Full legal name (your name or that of your partner or children)

• Date of birth

• Social Security number

• Doctor’s name

• Doctor’s phone number

  
  Keep in mind, lots of people self-resolve. Be sure to look at the people who have recovered, who left the hospital, who maybe never went to the hospital, etc. Being prepared in your own house is a great first step to feeling at ease.
  

HEALTH: What Happens When You Call The Dutchess County Coronavirus Hotline? (Food, Transportation, and Volunteer Options)

Several options are available when you call the Dutchess County Coronavirus Hotline. If you are seeking testing, you are advised to call your doctor first. You will need a doctor-prescribed test. If you do not have a doctor, free testing is currently only available to people in high-risk groups, including medical professionals, according to a person working at the New York State Coronavirus Hotline, (845) 486-3555.

HOURS: Open Monday to Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm

If you need help after those hours, you may still call the New York State Coronavirus Hotline. They are there to answer questions, but cannot prescribe you a test. They are very helpful with information.

DUTCHESS COUNTY HOTLINE OPTIONS

When you call the Dutchess County Coronavirus Hotline, the call is also available in Spanish. You can press different buttons to reach the following options. As of 3/31/2020, the following options are available. If you need to:

• Learn more about novel coronavirus and what you can do to protect yourself.

• Reach the COVID-19 call center.

• Obtain food because of the COVID-19 situation, you can find information at this option.

• Find transportation to a pharmacy for pickup and drop-off of prescriptions, a food shopping center, or a doctor’s office or health care center for medical needs only.

• Volunteer for the COVID-19 response.

If you are feeling symptoms of coronavirus, you are encouraged to call your doctor.

Dutchess County To Include COVID-19 Positive Cases Per City/Town + Testing Numbers On Its Website | 3rd Dutchess County Resident Has Passed

County Executive Marcus Molinaro sent a video message to the Dutchess County listserv (aka Dutchess Delivery), announcing that Dutchess County plans to add more data to its coronavirus website, in order to list COVID-19 related numbers per municipality (city, town, etc.). Earlier today, A Little Beacon Blog reported that this information was not included on a website, but that they were considering reorganizing data.

His message, which you can also listen to on the video below:

“Over the last several weeks, we have been telling you a very simple message:

“Stay home. Stay safe. Stop the spread. We know it's hard. But we all must do our part to stop this pandemic.

”Large-scale testing began last week in Dutchess County, with more than 2,000 tests administered so far. As the results of those tests come in, we are seeing, as expected, the number of positive confirmed cases rise, with more than 320 current cases.

”We've also tragically seen our third death from this virus. A stark reminder that we must all remain vigilant in protecting ourselves, and each other.

”While we continue to remind you that the safest approach is to always assume that everyone has coronavirus, you can expect to see a new dashboard on our website soon with more information about the number of confirmed cases in each municipality, countywide testing numbers, and other important information.”

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Yes, There Are Positive COVID-19 Cases In Beacon, Dutchess County Confirms In This Statement

UPDATE 7:30 pm: Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued a video announcement that Dutchess County would be including this data on their website “soon.” Get details and watch the video here.

While this seems obvious to most people, there seem to be some people who are waiting for an official answer on whether there are confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beacon. If you have any friends at all, who have access to texts and emails, you will know that this answer is yes, there are confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beacon. But as for an official number on a website, you will not find that web page as of today, 3/30/20.

When the first email came into A Little Beacon Blog of a confirmed coronavirus case being exposed to a facility in Beacon, we emailed the mayor’s office for confirmation. The answer we got was that the City of Beacon was waiting on confirmation from Dutchess County. When a text arrived the next day of a friend who had tested positive for coronavirus, we did not pursue seeking confirmation, nor did we publish it, because it is not an official number.

When a reader wrote in yesterday, asking a similar question, A Little Beacon Blog pursued the question again. The reader asked: “Do you know if there is a town-by-town breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Dutchess County or how we find out that info?”

We reached out to Jean-Marie Niebuhr, coordinator of Prevention and Harm Reduction Services at Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health, who urged people to visit the New York State website for county-by-county breakdown and encouraged people to call the COVID-19 hotline at (845) 486-3555.

“There are several confirmed cases in Beacon. Every single town, village and city in Dutchess County has been impacted by cases of COVID-19. ”

— Colleen Pillus, communications director for Dutchess County Executive's Office

But that doesn’t answer questions about Beacon specifically. So we asked again. Because some people, who are believers and practicers of social distancing, like my own husband who fears the virus because of his age of 56 and his family history of diabetes, and my and our children’s history of asthma cough, said to me moments prior to me pursuing official confirmation that cases are in Beacon:

“I can’t believe it’s not here (Beacon). Until I hear it officially, I will believe that,” he said.

Jean-Marie connected me with Colleen Pillus, Communications Director of the Dutchess County Executive Office. I asked Colleen one more time:

“Can you do anything to give us these city numbers, as an official count?”

Colleen’s response:

“Not at this time, but I can tell you that the case count by town reflects population density – so there are several confirmed cases in Beacon. Every single town, village and city in Dutchess County has been impacted by cases of COVID-19. There are currently (as of 3/30/2020) no particular hot spots or clusters.”

Dutchess County’s Message In Full About Location Of Coronavirus

Said Colleen in an email to A Little Beacon Blog on 3/30/2020:

“We have been trying to get everyone to understand that coronavirus is everywhere and act accordingly – staying home to stop the spread.

“Too many people think that a given town or area is ‘safe,’ when in reality every single town, village and city in Dutchess County has been impacted by COVID-19.

“The current total confirmed case count for Dutchess County is reported daily on the NYS site here. We have that link on our www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus website.

“Today’s (3/30/2020) current count of positive cases is 320. I actually had a woman ask about case count because she wanted to monitor it to determine ‘when it was no longer safe to go out’ – It is no longer safe to go out NOW!!

“The important thing to remember is that the case count reflects the known cases – those are the ones you should be least worried about, as those individuals are quarantined and being monitored.

“It is the ones who don’t realize they have it that we have to worry most about. Knowing that one town may have X cases while another town has Y cases makes no difference.

“The message to the public continues to be a very loud – Stay Home! Stay Safe! Stop the Spread! If you must go out, assume everyone has coronavirus or has been in direct contact with someone who has – and be very diligent about personal hygiene – handwashing, not touching your face, and serious social distancing of at least 6-foot radius around you.

”While we will not stray from this messaging – we are looking at reorganizing some data for the public to share later in the week or early next.”

Thank you, Colleen for sharing this information. Social distancing is very hard. Even if you are being strict with it. One constantly needs reminders like these. Myself included.

Confirmed Case In Cold Spring By Haldane Superintendent

According to the Highlands Current, “Haldane announced that a student in the district has a confirmed case of COVID-19. It said the student is resting at home and that the symptoms, which first appeared after schools had been closed, have been mild. “It is inevitable that we will continue to have cases,” said Superintendent Philip Benante in an email to the community. “I will not be able to inform you of each one during our closure; however, I felt it was important to bring this first known case to your attention. It reinforces that our children are vulnerable to this illness and that we must take the necessary precautions as a community to stop its spread.”