Hospitals extra careful during COVID-19

Submitted information

After Ohioans gave hospitals time to prepare for any surges of COVID-19 cases and develop extra precautions to help ensure everyone’s safety, northwest Ohio hospitals have resumed surgeries and other procedures. Residents who are delaying care should contact their healthcare providers to prevent complications and long-term health problems.

“Ohioans are doing a good job of preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and our hospitals are taking extra precautions to help protect all patients and healthcare providers,” said W. Scott Fry, President & CEO of the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio.  “It is a good time for residents to seek needed healthcare at any of the 32 hospitals in Northwest Ohio.”

Northwest Ohio hospitals have banded together through the Northwest Ohio Healthcare Emergency Management Coalition to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, northwest Ohio’s 32 hospitals in 18 counties have surge plans in place to nearly double their combined capacity.

In the past few months, northwest Ohio hospitals have also increased their supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) on hand to treat all patients and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Northwest Ohio hospitals continue to track bed availability, ventilators, PPE availability, staffing and other factors as the pandemic continues so they can make any adjustments as needed.

Other extra precautions northwest Ohio hospitals are taking during the pandemic to help protect all patients and providers and to ensure quality care include:

• Caring for patients with COVID-19 symptoms in areas that are isolated from other patients.
• Screening patients and staff for COVID-19 symptoms when they arrive at the hospital.
• Requiring patients and staff to wear masks and observing social distancing. Each hospital has established policies and procedures that follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ohio Department of Health.
• Continuing to limit patient visitation to help prevent the spread of the virus. Each hospital has established a visitation policy that follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ohio Department of Health.

The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (HCNO) is a regional hospital association that represents and advocates on behalf of its members while providing collaborative opportunities to improve community health. HCNO coordinates the Northwest Ohio Healthcare Emergency Management Coalition, which oversees the planning and resources for the 18-county region’s emergency and disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. For more information about HCNO, please visit hcno.org