An RTH Hospitalist speaks with a patient.
There is no question that COVID-19 continues to impact all aspects of life for everyone in the community. Taking new precautions like wearing face masks to the grocery store will likely continue into the foreseeable future.
For Riverside, COVID-19 presented some unique challenges for their teams. Providing care in a pandemic is a big responsibility and health care workers around the world were facing uncertainty as they prepared for the unknown. There were rapidly changing protocols and policies. To the community, that came in the form of limited visitation policies and additional support to keep family members connected with their loved ones via video calls instead of in person visits.
But for an organization that stays focused on patient safety every day and with every patient encounter – regardless of what’s happening in any one moment in time – Riverside’s culture of safety in the post pandemic world continues to look very familiar.
“We have always focused on patient safety,” says Liz Martin, President of Riverside Tappahannock Hospital. “We train, practice and audit safety and service behaviors throughout the system all the time because it is integral for fulfilling our mission in the community.”
Understandably, many people have increased apprehension accessing health care services. The pandemic brought a period of sharply declining volumes that occurred through the last half of March and April. Elective surgeries and screenings were postponed and traditional in-person office visits were replaced with video visits.
“The community was told to shelter in place and they listened,” adds Martin. “That was important and helpful as we faced an uncertain response to this virus.”
RTH Administrative leaders (L to R) Judy Matthews, Liz Martin & Dr. Richard Dunn lead by example as RTH has universal masking requirements in place.
RTH Environmental Services team members keep the hospital clean.
Martin also adds that there are health needs in the community that should be rebounding now that the greatest threats of the pandemic are behind us. Areas like the Emergency Department, imaging screenings and surgeries are back to full schedules and capacity. Visitation has resumed with some limitations and there is hope they will ease further as time passes.
That means that patients with joint pain, including knee, hip and shoulder pain should not delay having surgery to repair it. Patients with emergencies like belly pain or discomfort in the chest should call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room to be evaluated. Also, annual screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies have safely resumed to help identify potential health issues before they become a problem.
“We know that people are not having less cardiac events or strokes simply because of the stay at home orders,” says Martin. “We want the community to know that they should not hesitate to seek care when they need it. We are ready to provide care.
”Should patients feel nervous about coming to the hospital? Absolutely not, according to Martin. “Before COVID-19 and after, Riverside has been focused on infection control practices that require an intense and thorough level of cleaning and sterilization,” says Martin. “Our team members are used to wearing personal protective equipment and we understand how to keep patients and visitors safe.”
There are additional and lasting requirements for more Riverside team members with universal masking. And there are screening and masking requirements for any visitors to the facility to ensure the risk for COVID-19 is mitigated. But many of the safety practices that Riverside team members perform were in place long before COVID-19 was ever a concern.
There have always been communicable diseases that health care teams need to prevent from spreading. From Tuberculosis and Hepatitis to even the common flu, hospitals have stringent infection control practices that include disinfection and PPE to prevent spread.
“Whether you have routine diagnostic tests or procedures or are experiencing a medical emergency, addressing your health care needs is essential and safe,” says Martin.
At Riverside, your health and safety are ALWAYS our priority. Take care of your health and schedule your appointment today. Visit riversideonline.com/covid-19 or call Riverside Nurse 24/7 at 1-800-675-6368 for information on what you can expect at your appointment and more.