Mahaska County Emergency Management Working To Make Accurate Information Easier To Find
Mahaska County volunteers will be answering the phone, and responding by emails to those with questions in regards to COVID-19 starting on Friday.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Mahaska County Emergency Management Administrator Jamey Robinson, along with Assistant Coordinator Josh Stevens, were busy on Thursday evening. They were putting together the final touches on a resource to help the residents in Mahaska County have the most accurate information possible about the current COVID-19 situation.
As to why the resource is essential, Robinson said that rumor control is one of the biggest things officials are spending a significant amount of time answering.
Individuals will be able to call the hotline starting Friday morning at 641.676.3599 and will be able to speak with a volunteer with various local agencies to help them find answers.
You can also email questions to info@mahaskaema.com or help@mahaskaema.com for the information you are looking for.
Robinson reminds individuals that the provided information should not be used for 911 purposes, but as an aid in answering the public’s questions regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.
Robinson explained that “a lot of times people call, and they can’t get an answer. They are told to call back later, or they never get closure. This is going to allow us to provide volunteers that can hopefully answer their questions, or they’re going to tell them, I may not have it right now, give me 10 minutes, and they’re going to have a list of people they can call to get that answer.”
“I’m not saying we’re going to be able to answer everything. You know, information sometimes is a little slow to release, especially from the state down. But as soon as we get the information, we want to make sure that we’re getting it out to the public so they know that we’re trying to get them the information they need,” added Robinson.
The staff will be located within an office at Penn Central Mall, but it will be inaccessible to the general public.
Robinson said the office would be secure, so the volunteers won’t have to worry about contracting the virus as much as an open office environment. “This is strictly by phone or by email, and it’ll be open from 8 am to 5 pm.
There may be opportunities for additional volunteers.
Robinson said the office would be secure, so the volunteers won’t have to worry about contracting the virus as much as an open office environment. “This is strictly by phone or by email, and it’ll be open from 8 am to 5 pm.”
Robinson gave a shout-out to Stevens, saying he “worked very hard on this project, along with other partners and our CERT Team, who have been absolutely fantastic.”
Mahaska County CERT has been busy collecting personal protection equipment (PPE), and will now help to staff the call center as well. “So I think this will be very beneficial. It’s going to hopefully divert a lot of questions and phone calls to the hospital, to dispatch, and emergency management, and get the citizens answers quickly,” added Robinson.
Once again, you can reach volunteers by dialing 641.676.3599 and or info@mahaskaema.com or help@mahaskaema.com for the information you are looking for.
