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Possible COVID-19 cases urged to call medical provider first
SIKESTON — Anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or suspects they have the virus are reminded to call first before arriving unannounced at their nearest hospital emergency room, clinic or doctor’s office.
“It is critical for everyone to respect the safety of our patients and staff,” said Missouri Delta Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jason Schrumpf. “Please follow our guidelines and call ahead before showing up unannounced at one of our clinics or the emergency room.”
He continued: “The call in advance will give us the opportunity to provide the patient proper protective equipment upon arrival to keep our employees and the patients around you safe.”
As the number of reported cases of COVID-19 continues to rise, members of the COVID-19 Task Force at Missouri Delta Medical Center are asking that the community take the guidelines seriously and abide by the requests to exercise extreme caution, Schrumpf said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, individuals should call their medical provider if they answer “yes” to any of the following questions:
— Have you traveled in the last 14 days outside the country or in the U.S. to an area with known COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak?
— Have you been in close contact with a person with laboratory-confirmed or suspected COVID-19?
— Are you experiencing respiratory illness symptoms such as: fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat?
However, just because someone has symptoms of COVID-19 does not mean they will get tested for the virus.
“Missouri continues to use strict criteria to ensure that only suspected cases are tested at the state lab at this time,” said Sharon Urhahn, marketing director for Missouri Delta. “If a patient presents with signs/symptoms of respiratory illness, we will assess their risk factors, rule out other more common respiratory illnesses — and then in collaboration with a state epidemiologist — we will determine if they meet criteria to test with the state epidemiologist having final say.”
As the testing process continues to improve, MDMC will evaluate additional testing avenues, she said.
The Missouri Delta Medical Center COVID-19 Task Force is working closely with local health officials, State Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Missouri Hospital Association to respond to any potential COVID-19 cases in the area.
“We have strong infection control policies, procedures and systems in place to screen and treat patients. We are committed to keeping our patients, staff and community safe,” said Eric Slaughter, infection prevention/safety and emergency preparedness coordinator for Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston.
In an abundance of caution, the Task Force has activated the appropriate infection control protocols at the hospital until further notice to protect patients as well as the staff and community, Slaughter said.
Effective at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Missouri Delta began limiting entrance into the hospital to the front (main) lobby and the emergency department. The front (main) lobby entrance hours are limited from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The emergency department serves as the access entrance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Only two visitors are permitted per patient and all visitors will be screened prior to entry. Nonessential vendors, sales representatives and visitors ages 12 and under will be prohibited from entering the hospital.
“We apologize for this inconvenience to our patients and their loved ones,” Schrumpf said. “We greatly appreciate the cooperation of our community.”
The CDC is the national authority on COVID-19. Healthcare providers and the public can access the most up-to-date information about the disease on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/.