County campaign issues call to community
Butler County Commissioners issued a call to action Thursday with the launch of an advertising campaign calling for the community to step up and stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We've all worked way too hard to keep the schools open and the county open,” said Commissioner Leslie Osche. “We don't want to see the virus defeat us in that way.”
All three commissioners spoke with media briefly in front of Broad Street Elementary School shortly after Butler Area School District Superintendent Brian White announced the move for all grades to remote learning.
White said as more students and staff have tested positive in recent weeks, he is thankful for the support of the county officials and community leaders in calling for more caution.
“We don't want the state to dictate whether we be open or closed, and our best chance to change that is at the local level,” he said.
The location was also significant because part of the building has been set aside as an overflow unit for BHS in case of an extreme overabundance of COVID-19 cases.
“We hopefully will never have to use it,” Osche said.According to Steve Bicehouse, director of emergency management for the county, the idea for the campaign arose from its weekly meeting with leaders from local school districts, Butler Health System and local municipalities, all of which pledged their own support to the campaign.Bicehouse said BHS has begun to communicate its concerns about COVID-19 hospitalizations and staff being stretched thin.According to multiple reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Butler County has averaged about 38 new confirmed cases per day over the past two weeks. The county averaged about 16 new confirmed cases per day for the entire month of October, and even less in September with an average of about eight new confirmed cases per day.“I think that just highlights the importance of reiterating what we've been saying all along,” Bicehouse said.The message will look familiar to Pennsylvania residents. The message calls for people to wear masks, avoid large gatherings, practice hand washing, clean surfaces, maintain a 6-foot distance from others and avoid non-critical activities.“Changing a mindset takes time,” said Commissioner Kevin Boozel. “This is our attempt to manage now and get out in front of it before it gets too carried away.”Many have called into question the figures. Conspiracies and misinformation have run rampant throughout the pandemic, coming from a variety of sources. There have been court cases and an election playing out against the backdrop of the virus.“I know everyone is fatigued. We understand that,” said Commissioner Kim Geyer. “We're all going to share in that pain, and together it's better to be preventative about it.”The commissioners have agreed to fund the advertising portions of the campaign. Osche said the total cost has yet to be determined.She said the funds will likely be drawn either from funding the county received from state allocation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act or from the county's own advertising budget.Other leaders, many of whom who have been involved in the weekly calls with the county, will take to social media to promote the message consistently.
