Northern Inyo Hospital held a conference call with media members on Monday morning to discuss Coronavirus.
The call included some key figures from NIHD including Mono County Public Health Officer, Dr. Tom Boo, Rural Health Clinic Director, Dr. Stacy Brown, Infection Control Preventionist, Robin Christensen, Emergency Department of Disaster Planning, Gina Riesche, an acting CEO, Kelli Davis.
To start things off, the district gave a rundown of where they currently stand. Dr. Stacy Brown spoke first saying, “We have not had any cases identified in the area. Late last week, we had a meeting and received information from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Center for Diseases Control (CDC) to create prevention plans. We have created a drill relating to what areas we we need to identify and where we need to focus our efforts.”
NIHD says they have taken stock of equipment in order to prepare for a possible outbreak of Novel Coronavirus. The equipment will be used for both patients and staff. Brown believes they are more well prepared as far as medical equipment is concerned. “We feel we have sufficient stock when it comes to treating patients with the virus.”
Infection Control Preventionist, Robin Christensen seconded Brown’s sentiments, emphasizing that the hospital has been checking with its purchasing department to ensure they have enough medical supplies to treat a possible increase in cases.
Gina Riesche, NIHD’s Manager of the Emergency Department and Disaster Planning then shifted the discussion toward what procedures the hospital would need take in the event of coronavirus arriving in the Eastern Sierra.
Depending on the number of cases, the district would set up emergency triage centers outside of the emergency room where treatment can begin. After that, an incident command system would be implemented to help manage the crisis of a coronavirus outbreak.
After the rundown by the hospital, a Q&A discussion between the media and NIH commenced.
When asked about how Northern Inyo Hospital would be able to handle a high number of patients suffering from coronavirus, Dr. Boo said they would be able to call in help from medical professionals throughout the state. “Both Inyo and Mono County are apart of the California’s Region 6 Healthcare Coalition, so we would be able to make a resource request if needed.”
There are many actions an individual can do reduce their chances of contracting the virus. To decrease the likelihood of picking up novel coronavirus, one can wash their hands, practice social distance, and not show up for work when he or she is sick. However, it is one thing to tell a person these tips, and it is another for them to actually put the advice into practice.
NIHD have plans in place to try and encourage people to heed their advice. Brown told the media, “I think educating the population is an important thing. At our next healthy lifestyle talk, I am going to talk about the importance of washing your hands. I will spend about five minutes at the beginning of the talk doing that.”
Brown is not only concerned about what the public is doing to take preventative measures, he is also trying to ensure that healthcare workers are following proper protocol. “From a staff standpoint, we are rolling out instructions to make sure we are using equipment properly.”
Though the Eastern Sierra is a geographically isolated area, Dr. Tom Boo does not believe that to be an advantage when it comes to having less coronavirus cases. “We are pretty connected to the rest of the state and the world. We have people coming and going from all over the world, and travel enhances the spread of disease.”