Area hospitals team up

Four area hospitals — Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton, The Bellevue Hospital and Fisher-Titus Regional Medical Center in Norwalk— are working together to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The group, known as the North Coast Healthcare Collaborative, issued a news release Monday to provide an overall picture of their joint efforts. Q: Are there any plans to use tents to treat patients? A: As we continue to finalize surge plans, based on data provided by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Hospital Association over the weekend, it may be necessary to use tents in a number of different ways, including screenings and assessments of patients. There are currently tents erected on the Fisher-Titus, Firelands Regional Medical Center and The Bellevue Hospital campuses, and the public should not be concerned if they see additional tents put up. This is all to have a position of preparedness. In addition, The Bellevue Hospital has also installed a trailer on its campus to help with patient flow, if needed. Magruder Hospital has not set up a tent but is looking at this option, which can be deployed quickly. Magruder has set up a separate respiratory care unit in a building next to the hospital's emergency room. Any patients suspected of COVID-19 are being treated in this area. Q: Are there any other facilities or areas of the hospital, besides the rooms in the emergency department, that will be used to treat the patients with COVID-19 symptoms? A: At this time, all four hospitals have already initiated separate clinical areas to assess, treat and group patients who do and do not have symptoms. Firelands has worked with the Erie County Health Department to identify community-based facilities to house both symptomatic and non-symptomatic patients who cannot return to their previous living environment. Area hospitals are working together, on a larger scale, as it relates to this as well. Q: What personal protective equipment (PPE) items — like masks, gowns, ventilators and medications — have been requested from the state emergency management agency? A: Fisher-Titus has requested materials, including all types of PPE, and has received eight ventilators from the state while Firelands has received 11 ventilators and The Bellevue Hospital has received three. Fisher-Titus, The Bellevue Hospital, Magruder Hospital and Firelands Regional Medical Center are working together on joint purchasing of PPE as well. We are also collaborating with the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio as it relates to emergency preparedness and response. We, along with all hospitals in Ohio, are reporting into a central database daily of PPE and individual capacity to handle patients. Q: Do you have an estimated amount of ventilators needed? How many ventilators are on reserve or have been received from the state? A: Recently, we received projection models related to hospital census as referenced above from the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Hospital Association to refine the model of care, if needed. Our total need for ventilators will depend on the individual spread of COVID-19 in our communities and how well our community members embrace the importance of social distancing that Gov. Mike DeWine and his team have recommended. Q: What responses have our emergency operations centers received from the government, both on the state and local levels? What is the response from local businesses? A: All four hospitals have frequent communications with local health departments, county commissioners and state- (and local-) level governments, including specific telephone conferences between the governor and hospital leaders. In addition, organizations like the American Hospital Association have scheduled several calls with federal-level officials to provide updates on testing capabilities, changes in labor laws and provide situational updates related to various waivers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The response from the area communities, including local businesses, has truly been overwhelming. Our hospitals cannot thank them enough for thinking of our health care workers during this time. Q: What testing is available today? What type of testing do you hope to have in the upcoming weeks? Currently, testing is available at the Ohio Department of Health lab, commercial labs, like LabCorp and Quest, and larger academic medical centers. A. We are currently utilizing these tests for hospitalized patients, health care workers and our symptomatic high-risk population. We aren't doing testing in any of our labs locally, but we continue to review the capability. Q: Is there anything else the community should know? A: All four hospitals have been in a state of readiness even before the pandemic started, implementing screening measures and precautions. It was important, to us, to be ready to serve and protect our community when it entered our counties. In addition, the facilities are all in 24/7 incident command (mode) and remain in close contact with one another. On Saturday, Gov. DeWine talked about how hospitals must work together. It's the only way we can get through this approaching peak. That is exactly what the North Coast Healthcare Collaborative has been doing because we know together we are stronger. How we, as a region, are coming together to deal with this crisis bodes well for how we will come out of it The hospitals have implemented a variety of other measures: • Fisher-Titus has launched a public health campaign reminding people on proper handwashing techniques, to cover cough/sneezes and to stay home/social distance. • Magruder has launched a COVID-19 website specific to current hospital restrictions, education and prevention and other national and state resources. • The Bellevue Hospital has stayed connected with our community to assess their needs by setting up virtual meetings with city of Bellevue officials and local clergy to discuss ways to help residents during this time of uncertainty We also ask that when obtaining information on the COVID-19 pandemic, the public do so from reliable sources such as the local hospitals and health departments, Ohio Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).