National Hospital Week is following close on the heels of National Nursing Week and, of course, they have a lot to do with one another. This year, Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital and the nursing staff at the hospital and associated clinics have found themselves, like the rest of us, facing a pandemic crying out for a rapid and unprecedented response on everyone’s part. So this year, Kathy Padilla, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at the hospital, said that the staff felt like it was important to say a big thank you to the public for the way in which they have stepped up to do their part in facing this public health crisis.
“Ravalli County people trust us with their care, and we appreciate that,” said Padilla. “They trust us with their most vulnerable moments, and we appreciate that. They trust us to take care of their families, their friends and their neighbors and we appreciate that. Now for the last few weeks they have taken care of us by taking care of themselves.” She said that by following the Governor’s directive and the CDC’s guidelines and by staying at home, self-isolating and doing all those things that we’ve all done over the last few weeks, they were helping out tremendously by giving the medical community and the hospital staff some necessary time to prepare for a potential outbreak in Ravalli County.
“By doing those things they allowed us to get ready, to plan, to prepare for whatever might happen,” said Padilla. She said literally hundreds of procedures and protocols had to be revised and many new ones adopted as part of the preparations.
According to Marketing and Communications Director Amy James-Linton, although regular business at the hospital was completely disrupted by the emergency declaration and resultant directive to shelter in place, it did not throw the hospital into chaos. Instead, they moved quickly to prepare the hospital for a potential influx of highly infectious COVID-19 patients and at the same time they had to integrate a plan for dealing with the rest of their regular patients in a safe way.
Screening facilities were set up at the entrances to the hospital where temperatures are taken and questions asked and answered, masks are being provided. New services were added like the respiratory distress services entrance for those people exhibiting respiratory symptoms that may not be related to COVID-19 but need service. At the screening tent those patients making regular visits or showing other symptoms from the ones with COVID-19 related symptoms are separated out from anyone showing symptoms related to COVID-19 so they can continue to get treated without fear of being exposed to a contagious disease. The hospital also installed a negative pressure room for caring for COVID-19 patients that will keep the infection contained in one area of the hospital.
The hospital also set up a telehealth service called Daly Connect that allows patients to connect with their doctor and get a virtual visit via electronic i-pad, or mobile device or a laptop computer.
“Those are things we haven’t done before and with that gift of time they gave us, we were able to set up these new services,” said Padilla. “They have kept us resilient. They have kept us emotionally and physically charged. We’ve gotten gifts of food and money too, to provide a negative pressure room where persons infected with Covid can be cared for without endangering other people in the hospital.
“The public has given us emotional support in letters, and in howls at 8 o’clock at night throughout the valley,” said Padilla. “They have let us know that they stand with us even though they are staying at home, and that is so important to know that you have that support from the community behind you.”
“It is emotional,” said Padilla. She said that she would like to tell the community, “We are here. We are open. Please don’t delay your care. If you need to see your provider come on in. We have taken many steps to see that you will be kept safe. We have put in the six-feet distancing and sanitizing areas. We give you masks when you enter. Just please don’t delay your care and come in and see your health care provider.” She said the surgical services are open and things that might have been put on hold should not be delayed any longer.
Padilla said the hospital staff worked diligently over these last six weeks to help take care of those who might be impacted by this new disease, but they can also take care of those who have to see a doctor for any other reason. She said they have made a lot of progress on creating areas in the hospital where they can treat both the sick and the well who need to visit without any chance of cross-contamination.
“We are ready to take care of both,” she said. “If you need us, please come see us.”
“From the staff, from everyone here at Marcus Daly, whether it’s nursing staff, whether its maintenance staff, whether it’s in the clinics or in surgical services, we want to say thank you for supporting us in so many different ways and we are here to support you in your time of need,” said Padilla.