FOLEY - With concerns of the spreading COVID-19 a topic on everyone’s minds, Chief Nursing Officer at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center Margaret Roley spoke of the hospital’s plans during this pandemic.
“Right now we are in the process of unraveling and figuring out what’s out there and what’s going on in the public and answering questions,” she said. “We as an institution have a very organized task force that is addressing things as they change hourly, and I think that’s what we’re seeing across the nation is that this virus is confusing to people, with protocols ever-changing.”
South Baldwin Regional is working closely with ADPH, Alabama Department of Public Health, and CDC, Center for Disease Control, to follow their recommended guidelines for containment and treatment of COVID-19.
“We are well-prepared as an organization, we are taking the necessary precautions not only for our patients but for our visitors and our community, but in the same respect we are business as usual,” Roley said. “We are a hospital that is taking care of our patients and the needs of our community, so we are balancing protection and continuing the operations of our organization.”
A major problem throughout the nation is the limited number of test kits to determine if a patient has COVID-19, something Baldwin County is facing as well. Currently if someone goes to the hospital with COVID-19, the symptoms are treated similar to flu patients. If someone is afraid they may have COVID-19, they are encouraged to check the CDC website for a full list of symptoms associated with the virus to determine if they are high risk. If it’s determined they are, Roley says they need to head to the hospital to seek treatment.
“With the unavailability of test kits, we are using very strict criteria, just as the CDC and ADPH, that says you have to meet this criteria in order to be tested,” she said. “What we’re seeing is people coming to the hospital wanting to be tested that are not symptomatic, but whose employers are saying ‘you were on a cruise last week, you need to go get tested in order to come to work,’ but that is not the utilization of our resources at this point.”
Currently, South Baldwin Regional has placed limitations on visitation. When a patient enters through ER, they may bring one visitor, who is screened prior to being allowed inside for any type of COVID-19 symptoms. If they check positive, they are placed in a mask and taken to a different location in the ER for treatment. All other patients and visitors are routed through the front door and allowed two visitors. Visitation is currently set from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
