Base Camp deploys rapid COVID tests for admittance into Bellingham homeless shelter
The operator of Base Camp is turning to rapid COVID-19 testing to help screen people who want to be admitted to the homeless shelter in Bellingham.
The shelter has been a little over half of its capacity in recent weeks, in part, because of restrictions Lighthouse Mission Ministries put into place after a COVID-19 outbreak was linked to Base Camp and Camp 210, a homeless tent encampment at City Hall and the Bellingham Public Library.
The low capacity was a concern for city of Bellingham and Whatcom County government officials, both of which have contributed funding for the shelter space to allow for social distancing during the new coronavirus pandemic.
Lighthouse Mission Ministries staff have been trained to administer the rapid antigen tests, which usually provide results in 15 minutes. Unity Care NW said it donated 3,200 such tests to the ministry, which operates the shelter for up to 190 adults on Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham.
The state Health Care Authority shipped the rapid tests to health centers across the state, but Unity Care NW isn’t using such tests now because it is using diagnostic/polymerase chain reaction tests, which are more accurate but take longer to process at the lab, according to Chris Kobdish, director of planning and development for Unity Care NW.
“Rapid tests are still great tools to help control the spread of COVID-19 and we are happy the Mission can put them to good use quickly,” Kobdish said to The Bellingham Herald.
A total of 112 people stayed at Base Camp on Wednesday, Dec. 16, according to information provided online by Lighthouse Mission.
They began using the test on Tuesday, Dec. 15, to begin “incrementally welcoming five-10 people back in per day who have not been staying consistently at Base Camp,” Hans Erchinger-Davis, executive director for Lighthouse Mission Ministries, said in an email to The Herald.
“Our staff have greatly missed our friends who have been staying elsewhere during this time. We look forward to welcoming so many people back in or even into the facility for the first time,” he said.
The testing is part of a process that includes symptom screening and temperature check.
“We are so grateful to Unity Care for this amazing donation that has made this new screening process possible at Base Camp,” said Bridget Reeves, associate executive director for the ministry. “It would have been a great cost to us, so this was greatly appreciated.”
Tests are administered in early afternoon, Erchinger-Davis said, and those who test positive can go to the former Motel 6 on Byron Avenue that is serving as an isolation and quarantine facility.
Admittance to Base Camp was restricted after Lighthouse Mission Ministries was notified on Nov. 28 that a homeless man who stayed at the shelter had tested positive for COVID-19.
He told Base Camp staff that he had been staying at the City Hall tent encampment as well, Erchinger-Davis has said.
Erchinger-Davis attributed part of the dip in people staying at Base Camp to a large number leaving to stay at Camp 210.
“At first a number of campers would return during the day for meals and other homeless services. When COVID started manifesting at the encampment and then at Base Camp, we had to limit cross-traffic between the two in order to get the virus under control at our facility,” he said. “Through testing and isolation, we’ve kept our existing guests safe and have been planning out a way to safely welcome neighbors back into Base Camp.”
Testing continues
The Whatcom County Health Department has been offering COVID-19 testing to Base Camp and Camp 210, which has existed since November. It continues to offer diagnostic testing, which is different from the rapid antigen testing, twice a week.
There have been a total of seven positive cases between the two sites as of Wednesday, Dec. 16. The last positive test was on Dec. 6, according to Whatcom Unified Command.
Three homeless people who stayed at Base Camp and one staff worker have tested positive, the ministry has said.
Erchinger-Davis said that Base Camp has gotten the outbreak under control “though we can’t let our guard down. We must continue to be diligent with all of our infection control measures.”
Public health officials have expressed concern that not enough of those staying at Camp 210 have been willing to be tested for COVID-19, saying in a Dec. 7 memo that of the estimated 80 to 100 campers there, fewer than 30 chose to be tested on Dec. 2 and less than 12 were tested on Dec. 6.
“We’re continuing to test twice a week in an attempt to understand if there is additional spread; however, due to the limited testing participation, we have limited information,” the Whatcom County Health Department said to The Herald.
“We are concerned about the close proximity of tents to each other, the gathering and eating together, and the limited use of masks we’ve observed during our daily site checks. These are concerning risk factors that can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 among campers, even with testing, contact tracing and use of the Byron (isolation and quarantine) facility,” the health department said in response to The Herald’s questions.
