Yesterday, we were notified that one of our team members tested positive for COVID-19. We are in the process of notifying and testing those who may have come in contact with the team member, including staff and patients. The impacted staff member was tested out of the county and therefore was counted as a positive case in that area and will not be counted in Mendocino County case counts. The employee currently has mild symptoms, did not have to be hospitalized and is currently recovering at home.
After learning of the positive test results, we immediately notified and worked very closely with the Mendocino County Public Health Department and they are currently performing additional contact tracing.
As an added precaution, we have performed additional deep cleaning and disinfection of the areas that the employee worked out of following CDC guidelines for infection prevention.
Additionally, the hospital has been following safety and infection prevention procedures for the past several weeks as part of mitigating the spread and protecting patients and staff, including:
· Universal masking required in all areas of the hospital.
· Maintaining social distancing
· Practicing hand hygiene including utilization of hand sanitizer
· Conducting screening for all staff and visitors to rule out fever, cough or shortness of breath prior to entry
· Limiting visitors to reduce foot traffic and contact
· Performing additional cleaning and disinfecting of all areas, including waiting areas
As part of our policy, staff also wear appropriate PPE in performing their work.
As health care professionals continue the frontline fight against COVID-19, we are thankful for community members who continue to shelter in place and adhere to the prevention guidelines outlined by public health officials. The safety of our staff and our patients remain our priority. Rest assured that we continue to take additional precautions to provide a safe environment to care for our community.
— Mendocino Coast District Hospital facebook post [Tuesday morning]
Be First to Comment