Looking to match the newest recommendations from officials’ studies at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Trigg County Hospital has shifted COVID-19 into the “infectious diseases” category for its patients and employees.
In a Thursday night update to the Board of Trustees from Chief of Staff Dr. Joe Thomas, he noted the acknowledgment of such was necessary because CDC’s most recent guideline issuance only targeted non-healthcare workers — and that it was up to the TCH Medical Executive team to make this decision.
With this in mind, Thomas said those fever-free with symptoms improving could leave quarantines earlier and return to normal routines.
During the height of the pandemic and pre-vaccination, Thomas added that guidelines were rigid and based on testing and symptoms regardless, and classified unlike any other illness. Now, he said, mortality is still associated with the sickness, but as it’s evolved, the percentage of deaths has decreased with the variance of strains.
The CDC still tracks national COVID data, and just in the stretch from March 10-16, the U.S. has seen a nearly 1% decrease in testing positivity, down to 4.6%. In the same span, emergency department visits associated with COVID-19 have decreased nearly 26%. Hospital admissions have dropped almost 21%, down to 10,719 over 50 states. And of all deaths in the U.S. during that time, 1.8% could be attributed to the coronavirus.
In comparison and according to the CDC, the flu death rate for Week 10 ending March 9 was 0.7%.
In other hospital news:
— Trustees approved a $91,500 bid from Rogers Group, to completely reshape the hospital’s front lot. In discussions for the last two months, the project will create 22 new parking spots and improve inward and outward traffic from the building’s face.
— Kelli Bush and Hope Jessup confirmed that it was time to upgrade Trigg County’s clinic emergency medical record software and that such a measure would have a one-time cost of around $30,000, but would save the hospital nearly $300,000 annually through continuity and consistency. This change was approved.
— Expected to be open June 1, CEO John Sumner said the Cardiac Clinic has encountered some roadblocks but remains on schedule as of now. A nurse practitioner and certified cardiologist, Angela Acree, has been hired for the wing, which will be in Suite A near Medical Arts. A new CT machine may not arrive in time, while Chief Nursing Officer Fredia Smiley said the stress test treadmill should arrive before June.
— The recently-ordered transit ambulance, Sumner said, will arrive in May.
— And following a presentation showcasing the hospital’s growth since 2018, Sumner released a preliminary architectural rendering of a remodel for the Trigg County Primary Care Clinic. Sumner assured it wasn’t a final plan and that nothing has been approved, but discussions could begin at a later date if the board sees fit.
