live stream

This morning we're talking with Tom Christensen, executive director Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans.

Our apologies to anybody who tried to watch this live. The live feed didn't go through to YouTube for some reason. But we did record the call so here is the full video of the interview.

Tom Christensen mentioned some helpful phone numbers during the conversation. Here are the numbers:

• MHA in Niagara County Peer Information Line: 716-433-5432 (8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday)
• MHA of Genesee & Orleans Counties WarmLine: 585-813-0072 (5 – 8:30 p.m. daily, including weekends)
• Crisis TextLine: text MHA to 741-741 (24/7)
• GCASA Peer Recovery Advocates: 585-815-1800 (24/7)
• Genesee/Orleans Care and Crisis HelpLine: 585-283-5200 (24/7)

We're talking with Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Scheduled for 1:40 is a short interview with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.

We're talking with Donna Saskowski, executive director of Arc of Genesee Orleans.

To help locally owned businesses get through this, we're offering, upon request, free live interviews with small business owners. This morning, we're talking with Mike Hodgins, owner of John's Studio. Local business owners who wish to participate, email howard@thebatavian.com.

At about 3 p.m., we're talking with Jennifer Blackchief, VP Housing, St. Ann's Community in Le Roy.  We're going to talk about St. Ann's providing their employees with a generous bonus as well as what they're doing to keep their residents safe.

At about noon, we'll be talking with Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

The Genesee County public health briefing for March 20, 2020.

Key points:

• There are now 16 people in Genesee County under mandatory quarantine (one more than yesterday). There is still only one confirmed case in Genesee County, a patient who remains in isolation.
• Of those in mandatory quarantine in both Genesee and Orleans counties, 39 percent are symptomatic. Being symptomatic is not necessarily a sign of COVID-19. It could be the flu or another respiratory illness. The health department is still awaiting results of swabs of those patients.
• Private providers continue to perform COVID-19 tests on patients who are symptomatic but it can take up to five days to get results back. While those patients have not received a written order from the public health director, Paul Pettit, to quarantine, they are under doctor's orders to quarantine and they should follow those directions. "This is very important because once you’ve been tested, we don’t want people walking around our communities who have been tested for COVID-19," Pettit said. "Regardless of whether it’s COVID-19 or influenza or something else, we want you home if you’re symptomatic."
• Pettit reiterated that anybody of any age can get COVID-19 and while the vast majority of people under age 54 who contract the disease have mild symptoms, it can still lead to hospitalization for people of any age, and even death. “We want to remind people that just because you feel invincible, you feel strong, you can’t get sick, you still can," Pettit said.
• There is still a shortage of test kits locally.
• The flu is still prevalent in the region. Genesee County currently has 32 confirmed cases (as of March 7) and 532 cases for the season. Odds are right now, if you're symptomatic, you don't have COVID-19, you have the flu. The same protocol of social isolation applies as much for people with the flu to help prevent spread. "It's not too late (in the season) to get vaccinated," Pettit said. And if you haven't, you should.
• Dan Ireland, CEO of UMMC, said as a precautionary measure the hospital will start erecting tents. The community shouldn't read too much into this. There are still plenty of beds available in the hospital.

EDITOR'S NOTE: With this update, moving this post back to the top of the home page.

Paul Draper and I are talking about doing a special live edition of The Batavian Sessions featuring several local musicians. We haven't picked a date yet but tonight we recorded a test-run for your entertainment. Watch The Batavian for more information about the upcoming live, online concert, which will also be a fundraiser for a local charity.

We have an interview scheduled for 3 p.m. with Matt Gray, owner of Alex's Place and Eli Fish Brewing Co.

UPDATE: A couple of people wanted more information about the small business loans Matt and I discuss in the interview.  Here's a link to the Forbes article that is the source of the information.

We're talking with Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron.

We're going to talk with John McKenna, CEO, and president of Tompkins Bank of Castile about programs available to assist small businesses and homeowners.

Shortly, we will be live in an interview with Shawn Heubusch, Batavia's chief of police.

This is a recording of today's press briefing. Key points:

• There is still just one test-positive case of COVID-19 in Genesee County.  
• There are now 15 people under mandatory quarantine (10 yesterday).  Some of those people are symptomatic. None of the test results are back yet for the people who are symptomatic. The five additional people in quarantine are as a result of the ongoing case tracing by health department staff to identify people who were in contact with the positive case.
• There is a person from Orleans County who tested positive. That person was not symptomatic when that person traveled to another state on vacation. That person became symptomatic while on vacation. That person, who is at least 60 years old, is now in quarantine in that state. The health department is working to find out who that person might have had contact with before leaving on vacation.
• The ability to test is still limited and that is frustrating, said Paul Pettit, director of public health.
• People can get tested by their doctors. Providers also get test kits through their health care networks but those kits are also in limited supply.  Doctors are putting people into quarantine but the health department would only be notified of a positive test result so the health department does not have a count on people who might be in quarantine on a doctor's orders.

Interview with Bill Hume, owner of Foxprowl Collectables.

This is a live interview with Shelly Stein, chair of the County Legislature, co-owner Stein Farms, that we conducted at 2:30. The stream to YouTube started and then stopped.  I restarted it in the middle of the interview. This is a video recording of the entire interview.

This afternoon we're talking with Pembroke's school superintendent, Matthew E. Calderon.  The stream is also available on YouTube.

Coming up at 11 a.m.: Census 2020: An interview with Felipe Oltramari, Genesee County Planning director.

To watch the stream on YouTube, where you can also comment and ask questions during the interview, click here.

We interviewed Merritt Holly, superintendent of the Le Roy Central School District, live and this video is a replay of that stream.

We'll get an update on how the district is dealing with the closure, what's available for students, and families, and how things are going in Le Roy.

If you're unable to view the stream on our home page, click here.  Also, if you follow that link, there is a live chat on YouTube where you can ask questions that I will try to incorporate into the interview.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, and I don't know why, the interview cuts off a minute or so early, a problem on YouTube's end I imagine.