Corey Knollinger, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Coronavirus Forces W.Va. Colleges To Postpone Commencements

In the face of social distancing requirements implemented to limit the spread of the coronavirus, colleges across the state are re-examining their commencement plans.

The coronavirus pandemic has not only left colleges rethinking how to conduct classes for the remainder of the semester, but also how to honor their graduates.

West Virginia University, Shepherd University, and West Liberty University have all announced virtual ceremonies for their graduating classes, while postponing their in-person graduations.

Marshall University has also announced that they are postponing their graduation but have not announced any plans for a virtual ceremony at this time.

At all four institutions, the postponement of commencement has no effect on the awarding of degrees, or the end of the semester.

Along with the postponement of their commencement ceremony, West Virginia University also announced the cancellation of all in-person summer courses in favor of online classes during this time.

Q&A: Health Right CEO Says In Face Of Coronavirus The Clinic Is Adapting To Serve Those Most In Need

Free charitable health clinics like the West Virginia Health Right in Charleston play an important role in helping those in poverty or those without insurance get access to necessary medical care. However, the medical and financial impacts of the coronavirus are putting a large strain on Health Right and organizations like it.

In response to the pandemic, West Virginia Health Right is offering testing to the state’s most vulnerable communities at a mobile clinic at Manna Meal Soup Kitchen. West Virginia Health Right Executive Director and CEO Dr. Angie Settle spoke with reporter Corey Knollinger about how the organization is adapting.

***Editor’s Note: The following has been lightly edited for clarity.

Corey Knollinger: How has everything that’s been kind of going on economically with the Coronavirus impacted the amount of people you’re seeing?

Dr. Angie Settle: What we’ve seen since the COVID-19 pandemic is, of course, an increase in unemployment. More small businesses shuttering their doors. So suddenly a lot of people without income, especially disposable income for things like medications, and healthcare. So we’ve seen about a 400 percent increase in demand for medications in our pharmacy, and, you know, supply and demand is real. So, a lot of the medications across the country, the prices are skyrocketing. We’re able to get some medication through drug programs normally, but even those are limited at this time because of staffing, cutbacks at drug companies and things being delayed. So we’re having to buy a lot more medications than we typically would.

Knollinger: Well I was about to ask, is there any concern about sustainability at this time?

Dr. Settle: The thing is, is Health Right is kind of the last resort for a lot of people, we are the safety net provider. When people go through other means, and they’ve tried other places and they can’t get care, they come to us. So, I feel responsible to make sure that we can take care of those people. I don’t want to be the one that closes the door and tells somebody, “You can’t have that blood pressure medicine, or you can’t have cholesterol medicine or your seizure medicine,” or anything like that. So, we’re just responding to the needs of the community as they come in. And funding is kind of an afterthought, and we’re just hoping that those that can help us will contribute to the cause because we’re all here for each other, trying to help fellow West Virginians in need right now. Down the road, I know there’s talk of different federal programs and things that can help but that doesn’t help you in the short term, you know, in the next 30 days when the bills come in. So, I’m not ready to say that now of course, we would have to make tough choices, but I’m definitely not ready to throw in the towel. I’m committed to making this work for our patients.

Knollinger: What are some of the challenges you guys didn’t expect in the face of this pandemic that you’ve kind of seen now?

Dr. Settle: I don’t know that I necessarily foresaw the shuttering of the doors and the huge spike in unemployment connected to this disease. Honestly, I didn’t think about the huge increase in drug pricing and cost. You know, gloves, everything you can imagine. We were desperate for some masks about 10 days ago, and I actually found some on Amazon and paid probably twice what I should have, but we have to take care of our staff. So probably that would be the biggest thing — realizing [COVID-19] was coming and everything, but I didn’t really think about the impact of closing the whole community and having that many people in need and with loss of income.

Knollinger: What gives you hope throughout this whole situation? We’ve seen some pretty incredible things happen across the state but what has specifically given you hope?

Dr. Settle: I think what’s given me hope is just even looking at my staff and looking at the medical personnel that are getting up every day, going out there to do this job, putting ourselves in harm’s way. I know it’s hard for people to shelter in place and stay home, but for us that have to get up every day and it’s like a normal day going to work except for heightened risk and everything. We do that because we love this state. We love our community; we love the professions that we chose. I’ve just been blessed to see the great attitudes in my staff right where they’re needed. Like I said, we’re down there at Manna Meal, trying to get the homeless screened and tested, and that’s a benefit to everybody. You know, unlike those of us that have insurance and have the opportunity and transportation to get to our providers, the homeless don’t have that luxury. So we need to make sure that somebody stands in the gap for them and they have access to get the same test that we can get if it’s needed. And it benefits everybody that they’re not clogging up the ER just to be tested because they don’t have access anywhere else; that we can notify those patients as well and help themselves quarantine and protect the public as a whole.

Knollinger: And then what can we do as a whole, for some of our more vulnerable communities, like those without permanent housing, in this time?

Dr. Settle: We need to keep an eye out for each other. And if you see somebody in distress or whatever, you know, don’t ignore them, you need to let somebody know so that we can help each other, but we don’t want to be panicked — just using good common sense and keeping an eye out for everybody. And our organization, we’ll be keeping an eye out for those in our community, but there’s other communities across the state where people need to keep an eye out for each other. But we want to be there for them, see them through and make sure that if they need that next step of hospitalization or whatever, that we’re there for them and can help them do that and get assistance.

Their clinic at Manna Meal is open Monday Through Friday from 8AM to 4PM.

For more information about the West Virginia Health Right, head to their website at wvhealthright.org.

Despite Closure, University Lends a Hand by Making Hand Sanitizer

Here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, we are asking our audience and viewers to reach out to us and share stories of hope, inspiration and resilience…

Here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, we are asking our audience and viewers to reach out to us and share stories of hope, inspiration and resilience in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Huntington, the Marshall University School of Pharmacy has been making FDA approved hand sanitizer to help nonprofits who are quickly running out. We spoke with Dr. Kim Broedel-Zaugg, who is the chair of pharmacy practice, administration, and research.

You can find them online at marshall.edu/pharmacy.

If you have a story of hope or resilience in the face of COVID-19, please share your story with us. You can email a voice memo to klofton@wvpublic.org OR you can leave a voicemail on our tip line at 1-800-633-4560.

West Liberty University Temporarily Suspends Search for President

A college in the Northern Panhandle is postponing its search for its next president amid the coronavirus pandemic.

West Liberty University has suspended its presidential selection process until early August in response to the coronavirus crisis, the college announced in a release on Monday.

Current president Stephen Greiner announced his retirement in November. His contract includes a clause that he would be required to stay on in the case of an emergency. He said it’s a clause he didn’t expect to use.

“You might as well just blame this whole thing on me,” Greiner said, in a phone interview. “I had no idea back then that I would be in the situation, well all of us would be in, right now.”

Greiner, who has served as president of West Liberty for four years, hopes the extension will give the candidates an opportunity to see and experience the college’s culture, a part of the process that solidified his decision to accept the job as president of West Liberty.

West Liberty University, like many colleges across the state, is currently suspending all in person classes in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The campus serves about 2500 students.

‘How Can I Self Quarantine?’ The Unseen Effects of the Coronavirus on the Homeless Community

As of Monday, March 23, there are 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus in West Virginia. Medical professionals are worried about what may happen if an outbreak occurs amongst one of the state’s most vulnerable communities: those experiencing homelessness.

Some of the advice that’s been given to smooth the curve of coronavirus infection has been to stay home, reduce the amount of time spent in large groups, and increase handwashing, but for those without permanent housing, all three of those tips can be nearly impossible.

Because of this, keeping those experiencing homelessness safe during this pandemic could prove to be quite the public health challenge, according to Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble.

He said the challenges are multi-pronged, and include challenges ensuring those experiencing homelessness receive both testing and treatment.

“One, they could become infected and finding out if those individuals are positive or not can be extremely difficult one, how do you get them into testing? Two, how do you track them back down to say you’re positive or negative?” Gamble said. “If you ever move to a pharmaceutical intervention, how do you make sure that population gets that intervention? Whether that’s a medicine or a vaccination.”

There’s sometimes a stereotype that people who are experiencing homelessness struggle with their mental health or are in active addiction.

Crystal Bauer, Project HOPE director and nurse , said homelessness is caused by a variety of factors such as job loss, house fires, and domestic violence situations. One of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population is families with children. According to the 2018 point in time study on homelessness conducted by the United States Housing and Urban Development, 33 percent of those experiencing homelessness were families.

Project HOPE is a street medicine team based in Wheeling made up of medical professionals who make “street rounds” by traveling to different camps and shelters where those without permanent housing may be staying to offer medical care.

The organization is assembling kits with hand sanitizer, masks, disinfectant wipes, and cough drops to give to those they see on rounds in hopes that these items, along with handwashing demonstrations, will help slow the chances of an outbreak.

The team conducts rounds two times a week.

But even if the group can help successfully slow down an outbreak, Bauer is worried about what may happen when someone experiencing homelessness gets the virus.

Concerns of Quarantine

“I would say the biggest concern once someone has been identified as being diagnosed with coronavirus or COVID-19, what are we going to do with them?” Bauer said. “They do not have the luxury of having some place to quarantine themselves for 14 days.”.

There are options being considered for community medical quarantine and treatment spaces. One option brought up by Wheeling Mayor Glenn Eliott is to use the Ohio Valley Medical Center, which shut its doors in late 2019. The city has expressed interest in purchasing for other purposes.

Even with this possibility, advocates say that still doesn’t address the problems that self-quarantine and social distancing can have in regards to how those suffering from homelessness find jobs, or even get their meals. Sefan Perdue has been homeless for two months. He said he spends a lot of time during the day traveling around town applying for services, which often require in-person interviews.

”How can I self quarantine? I can’t. Like I said, I’ll go stir crazy. I don’t want to sit inside of a tent all day long self quarantining,” Perdue said. “Can I stay away from people when that’s the only way helping me survive?”

Then there are the concerns over how the disease will affect the already weakened immune system of someone who is experiencing homelessness, Gamble said.

”You have an infectious disease that has mortality/morbidity rates that’s of concern [and] that does not have a vaccine or pharmaceutical treatment. You have to consider this as a real threat to society and to public health,” he said.

While everyone should take the virus seriously, public health experts say this is especially pertinent for those without housing. Chronic homelessness has been shown to reduce someone’s life expectancy by about 17 years.

Dr. Thomas Wack, a volunteer with Project HOPE, said as many states move to close non-essential businesses, many Americans may find themselves closer to experiencing homelessness than they might expect.

“Many of us are just a paycheck or two from being homeless ourselves these days,” he said.

A 2018 Federal Reserve Report on household economic well-being has shown around 40 percent of American households would have a hard time paying for a $400 emergency expense. And the coronavirus pandemic is taking a major economic toll on the U.S. economy.

Bauer hopes this experience will show the need for proper planning in case there’s another emergency like this.

“We’re learning as we go. Let us use what we learn from this experience to create a plan for the future. Unfortunately, the homeless population is getting bigger and bigger, and unfortunately the homeless population is including more and more children,” Bauer said. “ So, we really have to be thinking collectively as a community about ‘what is a plan?’ We have to have a disaster plan that includes the most vulnerable in our community. Because if we don’t, shame on us because what will happen is people are gonna die.”

In the meantime, she says, Project HOPE is going to keep making rounds.

Mario Kart, Tacos And Beer: Wheeling Bar Creates Community Through Gaming

Esports are becoming increasingly popular across the nation with leagues and tournaments popping up more frequently, both online and in person. A bar in Wheeling recently hosted an event to see how a league playing a classic video game would fare.

It’s pretty standard for a bar to have some form of entertainment on a Saturday night.

Usually that’s a live band, or a DJ, but at Tacoholix in Wheeling they’re doing something a little different: a Mario Kart tournament with live commentary.

Yes, Mario Kart — the classic video game featuring characters from the beloved Nintendo video game universe racing go karts on tracks like Rainbow Road. But tonight, its being played in a bar with a small amount of prize money on the line.

Providing ‘Mindless Fun’

The idea started from a conversation Tacoholix owner David Comack had with one of his bartenders.

“Honestly we toyed around with doing like a video game tournament night, game nights, and actually my bartender Brett was like ‘yeah, you should do Mario Kart’ because its a game that sort of transcends generations,” he said. “The buttons haven’t changed, I mean there are different tracks and different drivers, but somebody who started playing on Super Nintendo or any of the other systems could operate and at least be competitive.”

Comack brought the idea to Jermaine Lucious of Exit Zero Entertainment, an events promoter in Wheeling that specializes in stand-up comedy.

Lucious jumped on it immediately and agreed to co-sponsor the event.

“Adults today are always looking for something to bring them back to their childhood,” Lucious said. “Mindless fun is something that’s appealing to everyone, and this was a time for everyone to come out and have a good time without worrying about all of the issues happening outside of the bar.”

The Rise of Metal Mario

The event started with 16 competitors playing in groups of four.

The two racers with the most points at the end of each set of five races advanced onto the next round.

Participants ranged from experienced gamers all the way to absolute beginners.

One competitor proved himself early on, and even earned a nickname because of the character he chose to play as.

“Well Chris Lyons was Metal Mario, and everyone was convinced that he was going to win because he won by like half a track in the first race,” Comack observed.

Lyons may have convinced everyone watching that he had a shot, but that didn’t stop him from being a little antsy.

After standing for the entirety of the tournament, he decided to sit down for his last race.

“It’s because I’m nervous. The less I have to concentrate on, like standing, is better. Nothing’s for certain in this game,” Lyons nervously said.

Lyons had good reason to be worried. In his final cluster he only scored first place once, which was unusual for him.

Sitting down ended up working, and Lyons won the first three races, thus securing his tournament victory.

“I can finally breathe,” he said. “They were all really good.”

Creating New Experiences

Only 16 people could sign up to participate, but around the same amount of people came just to watch.

The commentators kept the crowd entertained, and hearkened back to Exit Zero’s stand-up comedy roots, but Comack believes the event itself commanded a certain amount of attention on its own.

“We had an entire bar watching video games as if it was a sporting event,” he said. “To me it’s not always necessarily about what you’re doing, what kind of event, what kind of entertainment you’re providing it’s that engagement. It’s getting people excited about what’s going on at the present moment.”

The event’s success has led to the formation of the TASKAR Mario Kart league at Tacoholix. They currently plan on having similar events throughout the month of March.