Hospital establishes COVID-19 task force
BONNERS FERRY — Boundary Community Hospital has established a COVID-19 task force made to provide guidance and discuss internal protocols as well as continuing to assess the ever-changing environment and regulatory direction in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Some of the changes instituted by the task force, which is comprised of department managers and medical staff, include:
• Emergency check-in
Patients that are driving in are being asked to park in the designated check-in parking spot under the ambulance bay and call the gegistrar phone number listed on the sign.
“Once checked in and screened, a nurse will come out to assess/triage and give further instructions,” stated BCH in a press release. “If you are in an emergency situation, please call 911. As always, the emergency team is ready 24/7 to serve you and care for our community.”
• Acute care
The Acute Care/Emergency lobby is closed and a video intercom has been installed so people may speak with the health unit coordinator directly about their needs. For Outpatient Services — lab or X-ray — on Saturdays, patients are asked to call in advance to ensure that their paperwork is in order. At that time, BCH staff will give instructions on where to park and enter the facility.
• COVID-19 testing
COVID-19 tests are ongoing.
BCH has had 30 negative tests for COVID-19 as of April 14 at 11 a.m. Seven tests are still pending. All COVID-19 samples accepted at BCH are sent to the Idaho State Lab for testing at this time. The tests are recorded by county of residence and not by where the samples are taken.
Individuals with symptoms who believe they need to be tested should call their primary care provider to be screened. Tests require authorization by primary care providers following the CDC and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare guidelines for testing and the authorization of Panhandle Health District, hospital officials said.
Individuals with a provider order who need the test, should use the drive-up lab testing, which is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. Those utilizing the service, should park in one of the designated parking spots by Outpatient Services and call the number to register. A lab tech will come out and take the needed samples at the car.
A copy of the provider lab order must be faxed to the lab by the provider before you can be tested. Test results have been taking three to five days and are provided directly to your provider.
• Extended Care
Strict visitor restrictions are in place for the extended care facility/nursing home.
“The nursing and activities staff are doing a wonderful job working with the residents,” Lauren Kuczka, BCH spokesperson, said. “Community members have been sending in stories and pictures to share with the residents.”
Community members are invited to share their photos of blooming flowers via email to stories@bcch.org.
• Rehabilitation Services
Outpatient appointments with physical, occupational and speech therapists are considered essential services and are continuing. All patients are screened before coming in and some pediatric patients are being seen through telehealth.
• Primary Care
Many patients still need to see their primary care provider for a variety of reasons. With existing patients, Dr. Layeux and Mike Yourzek, PA-C, are conducting telehealth appointments when appropriate. “The Boundary Community Clinics team have patients wait in their vehicle until a medical assistant can escort them directly to the exam room,” Kuczka said.
- Housekeeping
Kuczka said the hospital’s housekeepers wanted to know how well the cleaner they used kills all living micro-organisms including viruses and bacteria. So, to answer that question, the lab took samples of areas in various departments and multiple surfaces cleaned by housekeeping and then tested them proving that the current method of cleaning is eliminating all bacteria and viruses.
“Great job housekeepers,” she said.
Resources for COVID-19 Questions:
Panhandle Health COVID-19 Information Hotline: 877-415-5225
Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Idaho COVID-19 Hotline: 1-888-330-3010
ID Dept. of Health and Welfare
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (MDT)
Link to CDC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Checker: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html