FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) -- Local government officials, health care workers, business owners and school leaders met in Fort Wayne on Wednesday to talk about the impacts COVID-19 could have on the community.
For Concordia Lutheran High School's Head of School, Mychal Thom, his concern starts with the students.
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"We all want to educate kids in safe environments and we all want to be able to do that effectively," Thom said. So, the wisdom of the group, categorically, is really a nice thing for us to hear today."
The meeting got different sectors talking about things they may not have been talking about before if there was a COVID-19 pandemic in our area.
RELATED: Track the COVID-19 cases live, courtesy of Johns Hopkins University.
For hospitals, like Parkview, they’re reviewing their response plans with the community.
Dr. Jeffery Doord, Chief Quality and Safety Officer for Parkview Health explained, "We prepare by making sure that we have staff plans. That we have plans to accommodate additional capacity of members of the community that come in to seek care. We also make sure we have all the necessary supplies to take care of patients."
They’re also thinking about keeping their staff safe, especially since there’s already a shortage of healthcare providers.
"One of our primary concerns, as far as our emergency preparedness, is to make sure we protect those healthcare workers so that they can provide care to our community when it’s most needed," Boord said.
Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Deborah McMahan brought the group together, not to cause panic, but to prepare.
"There’s no benefit in panicking for anything," McMahan said. "What you want to do is just be concerned, stay tuned, stay informed."
RELATED: Prepare for COVID-19
That’s what those who attended today are doing.
"We’re planning," Thom said. "If there’s something that needs to happen that we’re going to have a good solid plan and we’re going to be able to move forward in a successful way."
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