Don’t delay care
We all have one thing in common: our lives have been impacted by COVID-19. As the virus spread throughout the country, families, businesses and communities put the health of others first. They stayed home and limited outings to essential activities. This even extended to medical care.
Only the very sickest patients with emergent health needs visited hospitals. Nearly all other medical care was put on hold. One study indicated that 48% of people polled said that either they or a family member had skipped or delayed care, and that 11% had a condition worsen during that period (Kaiser Family Foundation poll).
At St. Joseph Health, Humboldt County, our team of doctors and caregivers met the challenges of this pandemic by following public health guidance, implementing new safety protocols, creating special rooms and areas for appropriate isolation of patients with COVID-19, securing personal protective equipment (PPE) and creating a plan to expand our capacity in order to respond to a significant increase in patients with COVID-19 if the need arose.
Because of the sacrifices of so many of you and the wonderful work of the Humboldt Department of Public Health, the healthcare system has not been overwhelmed by a surge of patients requiring hospitalization and has been able to put plans in place to respond to COVID-19, while safely expanding care to the rest of the community.
Our hospitals and physicians have begun to thoughtfully move forward with essential medical care and recognizing delaying care has serious consequences.
Given our expertise in infection prevention and our understanding of the ongoing threat of COVID-19, our healthcare system is positioned well to create a “new normal” for our hospitals and outpatient services that incorporates safety protocols and social distancing measures to protect anyone who walks through our doors.
Every person entering the hospital is first screened for symptoms of COVID-19, including all our frontline caregivers and doctors. All incoming patients with symptoms of the virus are cared for in an area that is apart from the rest of the patient population.
Emergency departments are staffed and stocked with protective equipment and ready to care for those who need us under the strictest of safety measures.
New safety guidelines and protocols are rigidly adhered to in our emergency rooms and treatment areas. Surgical review committees help assess cases against clear criteria to ensure patients get the care they need as we gradually return to performing these essential procedures.
Throughout our facilities, infection control practices are in place and we continue to maintain necessary levels of personal protective equipment for patients and caregivers.
In compliance with guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and other regulatory bodies, we are maintaining the precaution of continuing to observe our no-visitor policy so we can reduce traffic in our hospitals to protect you, your families and our caregivers.
While we understand the desire to visit patients, we have restricted visitation to limited situations including minors, patients in labor in order to keep people safe by limiting the risk of spreading the virus.
Rest assured, we have capacity to care for both patients with and without COVID-19. If we face a surge in COVID-19 cases, we have plans in place to seamlessly adjust to meet the needs of such a moment.
Don’t delay taking care of yourself. The medical community takes your health and safety seriously; it’s why we do what we do. As you continue to do your part to fight COVID-19, we will continue to do ours, by ensuring we’re here for you when you need us, providing safe care around the clock.