Chattanooga Area Hospitals Still Maintaining Caution, But Will Begin Performing Some Elective Surgeries

  • Friday, April 24, 2020
  • Joseph Dycus

Chattanooga hospitals are ready to gradually change their procedures, according to representatives from all three of the city’s major hospitals. During a video call/conference on Friday morning, representatives from Erlanger, CHI Memorial, and Parkridge Health System all outlined plans for the future.

All three will continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines, using PPE throughout the hospitals as well. In regards to visiting restrictions, those will remain in place until each hospital is certain there will be no second wave of coronavirus.

“As we think about re-opening, we’re going to continue those practices,” said Anthony Houston, CHI Memorial COO. “We’ll continue the practice of universal masking, the restrictions of visitation, the social distancing work within our facilities. And we’ll check each of the entrances to our facilities, so all of our employees and medical staff members have their temperature checked.”

However, these hospitals are planning on resuming a limited amount of elective procedures and surgeries. One representative said it would be done in a gradual manner, and that the hospital would continue to monitor the number of supplies needed to treat COVID-19.

“As far as re-opening our elective procedures, we are planning to do that at the end of this month, assuming the executive order lapses at the end of April,” said Timothy Grant, Parkridge chief medical officer. “Similar to Memorial we plan on taking a staged approach to do that. ”

“We will keep a close eye on our available PPE, bed and ICU capacity, ventilator capacity, as well as testing capacity. Those things will determine how quickly and how far we go with elective procedures.”

Several members referred to the methodical plan of action as turning a dial, rather than pulling a switch and suddenly going back to “normal.” Using this method, the hospitals will be able to react if there is a surge of COVID-19 patients in the future.

“We’re doing this in a deliberate manner so we can do this step by step,” said Ron Buchheit of Erlanger. “With the understanding that if we have a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients, that we’re ready to care for those patients and divert to those disaster plans.”

Despite the precautions being taken, Mr. Houston implored those who need medical attention to still go to hospitals to receive aid and care.

“There are still patients concerned with going to the hospital, and I think that’s why this sort of session is so valuable,” said Mr. Houston. “We want to reiterate to those patients that we are keeping the hospital a safe place, just like we always have. And those who need medical care need to come to the hospital to get that medical care.”

None of the hospital representatives were able to give a particular date as to when hospitals would go back to their pre-COVID normal.

“It’s very difficult, and I don’t think there is an absolute date as to when we are going to ease our visitation policies,” said one of the representatives. “I think the smartest thing would be to watch and wait, to not change anything, to allow more patients come in for procedures, radiology studies, and as we do that and the community itself begins to open up, that we don’t see that second surge or that surge to come.”

 

 

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