By ANGELA NEBEL/For YachatsNews.com
Lauren Seager of Lincoln City, a recent graduate of Oregon State University, has been on the phone a lot lately.
But she’s not catching up with friends, separated since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Instead, she’s part of a 10-member team helping find answers to basic coronavirus issues in the Lincoln County call center.
The call center’s goals are to help people with nagging questions about the novel coronavirus or aid people in their search for help and resources.
Set up in late March by Lincoln County Public Health, the center is now staffed 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and available by calling 541-265-0621 or email at LincolnCoCallCenter@co.lincoln.or.us.
Shelley Paeth, who normally oversees children’s health issues for the county, launched the call center with help from her staff and volunteers from the Newport Public Library, Lincoln County Behavioral Health, Toledo Police Department, and Oregon State University Extension.
“It was great for me to see the strength and abilities of all these people and know that they are helping our community,” Paeth said.
Paeth has returned her focus to children’s health and CM Hall, a Newport City Council member, has taken on the role as call center manager for Lincoln County.
Seager, who majored in public health at OSU, says a lot of her callers are people needing reassurance.
“They may be worried about whether or not they can go somewhere, or they are worried about a family member,” Seager said. “We are getting a lot of calls from people asking where they can get tested, and a lot of questions about where they can get face coverings and whether they have to wear them.”
Seager has also heard from several business owners who call asking advice on keeping employees safe and where to find resources to help them do that.
“I really like getting those calls,” she said. “It’s very reassuring.”
Siletz-area resident Lori Comstock normally works in with Paeth in the children’s health department, but spends one day a week answering calls. She has been part of the center from the beginning and has had to stay up-to-date on issues that have evolved over time.
“Information can change from moment to moment, so we try to make sure callers get the most current information,” Comstock said. “If they are able, we encourage callers to check out the Lincoln County website. There is a lot of information so if they are overwhelmed, they can certainly call us.”
Fernando Garza of Lincoln City, said his big message would be to encourage people to call. One of several Spanish-speaking team members, Garza wants to reassure people that language will not be a barrier.
“Feel free to call. There is no shame in calling,” he said. “If you don’t know something – call.
Call center employee Beatriz Botello of Newport recalled communicating with one household where she was able to overcome the language barrier.
“The person spoke Mam (an indigenous dialect from Guatemala) but there was a Spanish speaker in the home,” Botello said. “We talked about the disease and whether people were wearing masks. They expressed the need to work and I gave them some information about financial support in the community and connected them in different ways.”
Sometimes call center operators act as guides or coaches on how to navigate what can be a complicated situation for many people.
“We will tell people what they should say when they call for an appointment. I tell them ‘If you call and they answer in English and you speak Spanish or Mam, just say you speak Mam and don’t give up. Stay there and don’t hang up,’” said Botello, explaining that local health facilities are set-up to connect to interpreters by phone.
The exact specifics of each call may be different but there is one constant that makes the call center a real asset to the local response, according to Hall.
“There is so much information and there are only a few truly reliable sources,” Hall said. “When people think of their county health department, they know it will be people who are authoritative and have calming, reassuring, fact-based information.”
— Angela Nebel of Newport is the owner of Summit Public Relations Strategies; angelasummitpr@gmail.com