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The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Texas County Health Department (TCHD) and Seaboard Foods have teamed up to increase understanding of COVID-19 spread in the community. The team is working to determine the impact of the novel coronavirus on the population and find solutions to reduce the level of COVID-19 throughout Guymon, the county and surrounding areas.
Since March, OSDH and TCHD proactively collaborated with Seaboard Foods, the largest employer in the area, to develop and implement quarantine and isolation guidelines and contact tracing for all individuals with positive results in Texas County. OSDH also deployed at the company’s request broader testing at Seaboard Foods’ plant operations while providing guidance to Seaboard Foods in implementing the CDC’s guidelines for sanitation and preparation for safely returning to operations.
For several weeks, TCHD has offered COVID-19 drive-thru testing centers at strategic locations in Texas County. Additional testing supplies were provided to local hospitals and medical providers to support testing in the general public, with or without symptoms of COVID-19.
“Our goal is to provide expanded COVID-19 testing while supporting contact tracing efforts to contain and mitigate the spread in Guymon and surrounding communities,” said Oklahoma State Health Department Regional Director Terri Salisbury. “We appreciate the partnership of Seaboard Foods and its strong focus on the health of plant employees and their families.”
On Sunday, May 10, OSDH sent a team of nurses at the request of the company to support testing efforts for Seaboard plant employees to know their COVID-19 status and help bring peace of mind. Seaboard Foods partnered with Oklahoma State University to produce face shields for employees as an additional form of personal protective equipment.
“We appreciate the collaboration to work with the community to find solutions that will help minimize and reduce the level of the virus,” said Seaboard Foods Senior Director of Communications David Eaheart
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