What You Need to Know About COVID-19?
COVID-19
What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (also known as COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person.
What are the symptoms?
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
How is it spread?
Contact with someone with the virus who is sneezing and/or coughing.
Indirect contact from contaminated hands and objects soiled with nasal and throat secretions.
How you can help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as Coronavirus?
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then discard in a trash.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
What is HMH Doing?
At any point of entry within Harrison Memorial Hospital, all patients are screened for the potential risk of having the 2019 novel Coronavirus. If the patient is suspected of potential exposure, a mask will be applied and he or she will be placed in a negative pressure room. Staff is to follow airborne, contact, and standard precautions. Harrison Memorial Hospital has an adequate supply of personal protective equipment, supplies, negative pressure rooms, and educational resources available from the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Once a patient has been identified as a person under investigation the local health department, Kentucky Department of Public Health, and the CDC will be notified. After notification, provision of care will be directed per those agencies recommendations.
HMH wants to alleviate concern to the public and ensure patients, visitors and employees that patient safety is a high priority. At HMH, there are negative pressure isolation rooms and each room is private with a private bath. HMH is also a PūrHospital™, which means HMH has installed a system called Pūrgenix™ throughout the hospital. The Pūrgenix™ technology uses ultraviolet light to deactivate or kill airborne bacteria and viruses. The system was installed in the hospital’s air-handling units in 2017.
Each staff member is educated and trained while maintaining a state of continual readiness. In addition, staff is given personal protective equipment when caring for any patient suspected of having an infectious disease. The HMH Certified Health Care Environmental Services Technicians complete daily terminal cleaning and will continue to complete terminal cleaning on every surface in both clinic and public spaces each day using anti-microbial disinfectant. Terminal cleaning includes removing all detachable objects in the room, cleaning lighting and air duct surfaces in the ceiling, and cleaning everything downward to the floor. Items removed from the room are disinfected or sanitized before being returned to the room.
If you have questions related to COVID-19, please call 800-722-5725 or please visit www.kycovid19.ky.gov. or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Both websites are continually updated with helpful information.