The complete guide to writing emails in support of COVID-19 prevention
Your voice will help us protect the Flathead Valley!
COVID-19 has been hitting the Flathead Valley hard lately. After months of good containment, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are increasing rapidly, putting a lot of strain on Kalispell Regional Hospital and the Flathead City-County Health Department.
From now through the 2021 Montana State Legislature (January-April), we’re asking you to send emails and make phone calls to local officials. Be warned that we’ll be asking you to write several times.
Local leaders need to know that the majority of people in the Flathead Valley believe in COVID-19 precautions that will keep people healthy and businesses open.
Right now anti-mask, anti-government extremists like Annie Bukacek are pushing hard to convince local officials that their disinformation is just as credible as advice from epidemiologists, public health experts, and our hospitals.
The health of our community is at risk.
If we don't keep writing, the extremists will keep getting louder, and it will be harder for local officials to say no to their agenda.
If we don't speak up and insist on masks, social distancing, and small gatherings, then schools and businesses will be forced to close. No one wants that to happen.
The Basics
Here’s the outline of a quick and easy email.
If you have time to write a longer email, that's great! But it's okay to keep things simple. Just make sure that your email is polite and original. Please don't just copy and paste the talking points below.
We are in a crisis with COVID-19 because cases and hospitalizations are increasing rapidly.
We want businesses and schools to stay open, but that can only happen if we insist on wearing masks, social distancing, and having smaller gatherings.
The anti-mask agenda is dangerous for the Flathead Valley. We need to listen to advice from doctors and public health professionals.
More info
We’ve expanded these talking points a bit so you can write from your personal perspective. Please feel free to add any information from your personal experience with COVID-19.
You’ll also find all of the contact information for city and county officials below.
Teachers want to keep schools and businesses open.
Schools are working very hard to protect students, and it's clear that the mask mandates and sanitizing protocols are working! Contact tracing is proving that kids and teachers are not passing COVID to each other in school.
The weather is changing, which means everyone is going to be inside more. That means the community needs to be more careful, especially as we see cases and hospitalizations increase.
Teachers trust the advice from epidemiologists and public health professionals, not people leading mask protests outside of schools.
Hospital staff wants to stay healthy so they can maintain adequate staffing levels and provide the safest care to patients.
Hospital staff uses science and data to drive our policies and procedures. Decisions are are using evidence-based practices and advice from epidemiologists and public health experts. There is no room for misinformation to "guide" us through the pandemic.
Hospital staff needs community support so they have a chance of providing the best care without weeks or months of staffing shortages.
Our public health department needs our support. They are doing an amazing job with the resources they have. It is threatening and demoralizing to have anti-mask protestors at their building as they are literally working overtime to protect the entire community.
There are not "two sides" to protecting the Flathead Valley from COVID-19. There is prevention and denial.
Refusing simple masking requests while insisting that everything should stay open defies common sense.
Friends and essential employees are getting COVID, which harms our loved ones.
Businesses are losing money as employees are having to quarantine from exposure or stay home after contracting COVID.
Flathead County's hotspot status is restricting the economy, forcing some businesses to lose out on important opportunities.
Local hospitals are filling, creating a staffing crisis that will impact the entire valley.
Board of Health
We want businesses and stores to remain open. As cases and hospitalizations climb, the best way we can do that is to wear masks, meet in small groups, and maintain social distancing as recommended by the Health Department.
We also trust the recommendations of local epidemiologists, hospitals, and public health experts to guide policy, not anti-mask activists.
We are very concerned that larger events that have been happening at the county fairgrounds are increasing the chances that we’ll have more COVID-19 cases in the valley. We ask that these events be scaled down or postponed.
Email for Board of Health - Click here or email knuckles@flathead.mt.gov. Your message will be delivered to all Board of Health members.
Email for Health Officer Tamalee St. James Robinson - trobinson@flathead.mt.gov
County Commissioners
We want businesses and stores to remain open. As cases and hospitalizations climb, the best way we can do that is to wear masks, meet in small groups, and maintain social distancing.
We need the county commissioners to lead by bringing the community together. Their recent statement made mask wearing seem optional, and that is making it harder for businesses to operate.
Much of the anti-mask misinformation is coming from Dr. Annie Bukacek, who they placed on the Flathead City-County Board of Health. Her opinions do not represent the local medical community, and she is actively undermining the work of the Health Department, which is causing an unsafe situation for county employees on many levels.
People who are choosing not to wear masks are not a protected class of citizen, so they cannot claim special exemption under the law.
Also, the Department of Justice says, “The ADA does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations.” We’re adding this point because one commissioner is trying to use the Human Rights Act as a justification for mask exemptions -- and the ACA has said that’s not acceptable.
Contact
Pam Holmquist - pholmquist@flathead.mt.gov
Phil Mitchell - pmitchell@flathead.mt.gov
Randy Brodehl - rbrodehl@flathead.mt.gov
County attorney
We want businesses and stores to remain open. As cases and hospitalizations climb, the best way we can do that is to wear masks, meet in small groups, and maintain social distancing.
Not every statement or recommendation from the county commissioners, the county attorney or the Board of Health has to meet the standard of being “enforceable.” There are many statements the government entities make in order to help bring citizens together for the common good.
Confrontations about mask wearing are increasing at schools and businesses, and we need leaders to support public health and public safety.
Contact Travis Ahner at tahern@flathead.mt.gov or click here and select “Sheriff’s Office” from the dropdown menu.
County Sheriff
We want businesses and stores to remain open. As cases and hospitalizations climb, the best way we can do that is to wear masks, meet in small groups, and maintain social distancing.
We are aware that anti-mask activists are claiming that law enforcement agencies, and specifically the sheriff, is on their side by refusing to enforce the mask mandate.
We understand law enforcement’s actual position, but the misinformation being broadcast by anti-mask, anti-government groups is very dangerous. Dr. Annie Bukacek, who is leading the anti-mask movement, was named in this report on violent extremist Ammon Bundy, who is organizing people to protest mask mandates.
Confrontations about mask wearing are increasing at schools and businesses, and we need leaders to support public health and public safety. It would help if the sheriff’s department made a clear statement saying that they believe masks are a good way to help maintain public health and public safety.
Contact Sheriff Brian Heino at bheino@flathead.mt.gov or click here and select “Sheriff’s Office” from the dropdown menu.
Contact info for Kalispell and Whitefish City Council
Kalispell - citycouncil@kalispell.com Goes to all council members
Whitefish - mhowke@cityofwhitefish.org Goes to all council members