Local Hospitals Taking Precautions as COVID-19 Spreads
By: Lily Caffrey-Levine
Tags: Featured, News

Photo from Daily Freeman

The sight of people streaming in and out of a hospital entry way wearing a surgical mask is not something that is necessarily out of the ordinary. The list of reasons as to why people would be wearing masks is nearly endless. Today, however, there is one, clear, overarching reason for the multitude of surgical masks being worn in hospital areas and in public, and the big question is what’s being done beyond the masks?

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been spreading like wildfire throughout the United States and the world. With one known case in New Rochelle quickly jumping to 100 cases, the virus is posing more of a threat moving up the Hudson river quickly. Hospitals in the area, such as MidHudson Regional Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center have begun making changes to their regular protocol with concerns rising.

As part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, MidHudson Regional is not testing for COVID-19, as all testing is being done by the state. Their website, however, states current guidelines surrounding the situation:

“All WMCHealth hospitals and medical practices have long-standing and the most up-to-date protocols in place to respond to infectious diseases. These protocols include, but are not limited to, strict adherence to care guidelines, protective attire and the use of negative-pressure environments to contain airborne pathogens. We routinely train our staff on these protocols and protocol adherence is monitored by infection prevention specialists.”

While their website includes parts of their protocols, other minor changes are being made inside the hospital to address this large-scale issue. A student nurse at MidHudson Regional, Elizabeth Limonta has noticed the changes being made in and around her place of work: “As for the ICU they really pushed not just [hand sanitizing] all the time but washing your hands too.”

While it is unclear if ICU has taken any extreme extra precautions at this point, places like the emergency room must deal with a different set of circumstances. “I’m sure other Departments like the Emergency room have stepped up their precautions because they can get people [coming in from anywhere],” said Limonta.

As a nursing student, Limonta has noticed the effect that school closings and have had on how hospitals are handling the attendance of student workers. “I know that Vassar and Good Samaritan another hospital in the Hudson Valley have stopped taking student [workers for their clinical hours,]” she explained.

Vassar College has been “closely monitoring the global COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation” in order to put the best plan in place for students and staff. With local colleges discussing the possibility of closing for an undecided amount of time, having nursing students fulfilling clinical hours at these local hospitals adds another level to consider then closing a school and putting protocol in place at hospitals.

With the increased number of hand sanitizing stations and a limit of two visitors per guest had been put in place, there may be the need for greater precautions. The CDC expects the number of cases to rise, as it already has greatly in Westchester County, and there will likely have to be more precautions taken at local hospitals.

Probable the most important piece of information on their site reads at the top in bold: “If you seek care at MidHudson Regional Hospital Emergency Department, a member of WMCHealth, and feel you may have been exposed to COVID-19, please call 845.431.8220 PRIOR to your arrival.” As hospitals hold many vulnerable populations, the possibility of a case entering one, unknown, could hold dangerous ramifications.