MLHS COVID-19 update, 5/6

“If anyone comes to our facility, I don’t care how important they are, they’re not getting in without a mask!” Dr. Tom Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System, said at a recent Incident Command Meeting of the coronavirus emergency response team at MLHS. Bracken went on to say, “Cloth masks protect others from COVID-19, because the science tells us you can have this disease and not know it, and have no symptoms. You are protecting others. When people ask, ‘are cloths masks really helping?’ I answer emphatically ‘yes!’”

At MLHS, all staff, and all visitors who are accompanying patients, and vendors, are required to wear a regulation cloth mask (made of cotton material, covering nose, not a polyester gaiter or bandana from material other than cotton). These masks are available to people when they arrive at the facility, to use while at appointments.

MLHS is now requiring that, for the safety of everyone in the facility, only one person accompany a patient to each appointment. Fewer people in the lobby, where patients are, protects everyone the best. Families should find alternate care whenever possible so that children are not in the lobby unsupervised.

Some specialist appointments are now being taken, as well as some screening tests such as mammography. If patients have a need for these services, they should call the main number to schedule an appointment. Essential and emergency surgeries are also being done at this time.

Some Long Term Care (nursing home) facilities across the state are being impacted heavily by COVID-19, so MLHS is following new CDC guidelines that say, in addition to masking, protective eye gear must be worn by staff. This is true in other direct patient care areas as well.

Dr. Bracken and the team have been looking at predictive models for cases in the central MN area. “Basically,” said Bracken, “no matter which model we look at, substantially less death will occur with mitigation, which to the public means continuing the social distancing and masking.”

As of May 4, 58 tests have been done at MLHS, all negative, with three outstanding. Though MLHS is testing, patients need to call the COVID-19 Hotline before coming in 320-532-2989. A nurse will screen that patient and give further instructions. MLHS is at this time using a diagnostic/PCR test. It takes 3-5 days to get results.

TeleHealth is still an option for patients that need their ongoing or new health concerns addressed. Phone visits (regular phone calls) or virtual visits via FaceTime or WebEx on Android devices, are options. And patients also are still encouraged to come into the clinic - for reasons other than COVID-19 symptoms - if they need to (this includes all child and adult immunizations).

Most importantly, patients need to know that any other illness, injury, or additional type of urgent or emergency care they’d normally seek should still be addressed, just as they would at any other time.

The CDC updated its list of COVID-19 symptoms, which includes sore throat, chills, body aches and loss of taste or smell. Patients’ symptoms are assessed as to whether a test should be done, based on an algorithm. “MLHS is not alone in saying we can’t test everyone yet who wants a test. It’s just not possible right now,” said Vicki Engmark, MLHS Infection Preventionist. “There are many factors that play into this, for example, whether there are enough tests and/or chemicals like reagents to help process the test for results.”