FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information please contact:
Aaron Rogers at (530) 623-2687
PRESS RELEASE
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES HEALTHCARE DISTRICT
Mountain Communities Healthcare District
Preparing for COVID-19
A message from the Medical Staff, Administration and Nursing Department
Here is how Mountain Communities Healthcare District is preparing for the possibility of having Covid-19 cases in our facility and County.
Testing
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People with advanced symptoms may be tested, treated, and admitted or transferred as the testing swabs are extremely limited.
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Trinity Hospital laboratory is here for the community for routine laboratory testing as well as testing of COVID-19. We are the hub for testing. Currently we don’t do COVID-19 testing; however, we do process and refer testing to either our Local Public Health department or reference lab, LabCorp. We are working closely with Trinity and Shasta County Public Health as well as LabCorp to get testing done as quickly as possible.
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We do have sufficient collection swabs for testing.
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The laboratory is currently on the waiting list for the COVID-19 rapid testing kits but because of the high demand for these test kits and the lack of availability, we are on the waiting list. We have the instrument and are ready to go when the kits arrive.
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Both Trinity and Shasta County Public health are working closely with the department to make sure we have the appropriate collection and testing supplies so we can provide services for our employees and community members.
Emergency Room
Clinics
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The new clinic building (B) in Weaverville has opened and will be seeing well patients and the current clinic building (A) will be seeing patients with symptoms and walk-in appointments.
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If you have fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, or shortness of breath,
please alert staff while making your appointment. For walk-in patients, please call 623-4186 for Weaverville and 628-5517 for Hayfork from outside the clinic and we will escort you in.
Skilled Nursing Unit
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Decreased visitation and group activities.
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Isolate patients with respiratory infections.
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Increase routine cleaning.
Protection of Staff
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Staff is wearing protective equipment and we have decreased staff contact between departments to decrease exposure.
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Nursing staff are assigned patients by designation of “clean, infected and quarantined” so that they do not cross contaminate.
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Staff is adhering to strict isolation precautions.
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Increased routine cleaning.
Utilization of Beds
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Rooms not previously used for patient care have been made available for patient care. Strategies have been developed for overflow of patients.
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Beds are assigned to patients by designation of “clean, infected and quarantined”.
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Elective surgery has been cancelled which will allow the recovery room available to utilize if necessary as an intensive care room.
Staffing
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Recruiting staff including retired workers from the community and drafting nursing students if necessary.
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A Family Practice/Pulmonologist is in the process of being recruited.
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There are two Certified Nurse Anesthetist, an Infectious Disease nurse and four Respiratory Therapists on staff.
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Training of staff to care for Covid-19 patients is in process.
Collaboration
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Staff is in touch with other medical facilities and everyone is working together.
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We are working closely with CMS, California Department of Public Health, and all local agencies.
Community Protection
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Social Distancing.
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Mask if out in the community.
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Wash hands often and avoid touching your face.
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Stay at home if you are feeling ill and those that have just arrived in Trinity County please quarantine yourself at home.
For up to date information regarding Coronavirus, please feel free to use the link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.mcmedical.org or the Mountain Communities Healthcare District
Facebook page.
We thank you for your help during this time and look forward to business as usual once the issues with coronavirus are resolved.
