COVID-19 Tips for Bozeman: MT Elders, Girl Scouts Cookies and Loans

Have you been curious about Montana's hospitalization rate due to COVID-19? So were we. It's no surprise that our older Montanans are far more likely to be hospitalized than our younger population and hard data is now here.

Daily Update / Tip: Since the beginning of the global pandemic, it’s been recognized that, in general, seniors are more likely to experience adverse outcomes than younger people. A recently released report by the State of Montana illustrates that this phenomenon is taking place in Montana as well. As the attached chart shows, those not requiring hospitalization tend to be younger (median age of 44) and those that require hospitalization tend to be older (median age of 66). Senior facilities have instituted safeguards to protect their residents, but we all have a role in keeping our seniors out of harm’s way: stay home, limit your interactions with others. We don’t want to introduce this highly contagious virus into our nursing homes, assisted living facilities or independent living facilities.

FAQ: Q: What percentage of Covid-19 cases have required hospitalization in Gallatin County? A: 5% of those with a positive Covid-19 diagnosis in Gallatin County have acquired symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization. As of 4/16/2020, there have been no deaths attributed to Covid-19 in Gallatin County.

Pulling Together: On Wednesday, the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming donated 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to Bozeman Health, part of a larger program that donated 8,000 boxes to various hospitals in the two states. The Girl Scouts have postponed the annual door-to-door sale of cookies for safety reasons, but, fear not, cookies can be ordered directly at girlscouts.org for those who can’t abide another moment without Thin Mints or Do-si-dos.

What Can I Do? If you are a small business owner, and your business has been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak, you may be eligible for assistance in the form of a forgivable loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). It is designed for you to be able to keep your employees on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. While – as of the writing of this tip sheet – the first federal allocation of PPP funds has been exhausted, it is likely that a second allocation may be approved by Congress shortly. Check with your bank or lender by visiting their website and following links to learn about their PPP participation and application process.