Box Butte General Hospital wants to update the public on what has been going on since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.
As the virus started showing up in the United States, an internal task force was created to track the status of the virus. In early March, Incident Command was set up. This is an emergency preparedness plan for when crisis hits the hospital or the community. Some of the tasks completed:
* Met with community leaders
* Established first visitor restrictions, which have evolved over the last 45 days
* Stopped elective surgeries
* Established telehealth visits to help the clinic see patients while keeping a distance
* Continuation of essential onsite clinic visits if telehealth is not the best option
* Participating in calls with the state and Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) to gather information on best practices and ask questions
Current visitor restrictions have been upgraded to no visitors. However, one healthy adult is allowed in these circumstances:
* Emergency Department and needing special assistance
* Labor and Delivery
* Pediatric or minor patient
* Dependent adult
* Outpatient needing special assistance
* Patient receiving palliative care (number of visitors evaluated case by case)
One of the biggest questions being asked revolves around testing. Testing for COVID-19 still remains one of the biggest challenges as supplies are limited, along with limited lab supplies to transport tests to the state lab. A common misconception is that an employer can order a test for an employee. This is not the case.
Any individual experiencing symptoms is encouraged to call their primary care provider, or the hospital, and explain their situation. Approval for a test will be evaluated and direction from the local health district will be followed. Results of tests are reported accordingly by PPHD. If approval for a test is received, a BBGH employee will reach out with information on when and where to go to be tested at the facility. At the moment, our area does not have availability for the ‘quick tests’ seen in the media, due to a limited number of confirmations compared to other areas.
BBGH has designated a space within the hospital to treat any positive cases needing hospitalization. Clinical staff have been cross-training over the weeks.
All the staff at BBGH has been working to prepare for what has been determined to be a tough month. CEO Lori Mazanec MHA, ACHE said, “We are confident in the work we are doing to fight this pandemic when it hits this community.”
Mazanec also said, “We are grateful for the outpouring of support from the community. The donations of gloves, isolation masks, gowns, 3D face shields, homemade cloth masks, hand sanitizer, N95 respirators, bleach wipes, and additional cleaner are all appreciated greatly.” One of the reasons to suspend surgeries was to preserve the majority of gowns, face shields, goggles, and procedure masks.
BBGH is still in need of additional cloth masks and gowns. A Facebook page titled ‘BBGH Sewing Volunteers- COVID-19’ has been created to help communicate needs and volunteers.
Donations can be dropped off at the Chamber of Commerce Monday- Friday form 1 – 3 p.m.
Physician Assistant Brittney Bauer suggested monitoring for symptoms such as a fever of 100.4 F or above, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. An individual doesn’t have to have all the symptoms to have COVID-19. If one symptom is showing, it is best to contact a primary care provider, or the hospital.
Bauer offered these tips for recovering at home with mild symptoms:
* Tylenol (acetaminophen) for fever
* Over the counter cough syrup
* Isolate from other household members
* Rest
The most important tool for prevention as a community is still social distancing. Avoid gatherings with friends and family, especially the youth. It is good to get outside, but for the safety of those around you and your loved ones, practice all the requirements of the CDC to ensure our community is not stressed with this pandemic.
The CDC now recommends wearing a face mask when going into the public, and BBGH supports this recommendation.
Visit the BBGH COVID-19 Information & Resources page for more athttps://www.bbgh.org/covid-19-information-resources/page.html. Email questions about the information provided to Info@bbgh.org.