Putnam County Hospital loosening restrictions on elective services and procedures

Friday, May 1, 2020

Putnam County Hospital is continuing to provide healthcare in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital announced Friday.

The providers of Putnam County Hospital would like to urge our community to not delay needed care. PCH is offering both in-person and virtual visits.

“As we move cautiously forward in this new health care environment, it is important for us to take the next steps for our children’s wellness and to get them caught up on their immunizations,” Dr. Lisa Martin of Putnam Pediatrics and Internal Medicine said. “Childhood vaccines protect our children from a variety of serious and potentially fatal illnesses including measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough and polio (among many others). These vaccines are a vital step in protecting our youngest family members as they grow. At the practices of Putnam County Hospital, we are committed to work hand in hand with our community to provide the best of care each and every day, it is our mission and our privilege.”

Primary Care Offices are open and ready to serve

Putnam County Hospital Physician practices have served patients throughout the pandemic. Each practice continues to operate normal business hours by seeing patients in person and through telehealth visits.

Whether located inside the hospital facility or at the North Putnam or Cloverdale locations, each practice will continue to screen patients at the entrance of their facility. All patients will be asked to bring a mask or one will be provided to wear at all times inside the facility.

PCH asks that patients come to their visit alone unless they are a child under the age of 18 or the patient needs the assistance of a caregiver or guardian.

The offices are contacting patients to schedule appointments that may have been rescheduled after May 18 to accommodate the stay at home order. Patients are welcome to contact their provider’s office to schedule your next visit.

Putnam Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, North Putnam Family Healthcare and Family Medicine of Cloverdale are all open from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Putnam Prompt Care also remains open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday.

How do you make an appointment at one of the PCH ancillary or specialty clinics?

Putnam Specialty Clinics located on the third floor of the hospital will return to seeing patients on May 4. Specifics of the specialist schedule are available on the PCH monthly calendar at www.pchosp.org.

Cardiopulmonary Rehab will resume services for Phase 2 rehab only on May 18. This will be on limited hours, also limiting the number of patients allowed in the clinic during a given hour.

Existing Pain Management Center patients may feel free to call the office and schedule an appointment. Anyone interested in becoming a Pain Management patient should contact their primary care provider and request a referral. The office staff will the call to schedule a new patient appointment.

Putnam Women's Healthcare, Putnam Surgical Specialties, Putnam Rheumatology, Putnam Occupational Health continue their regular office hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Patients should contact their specialty provider for an appointment.

Johnson Nichols Clinic will reopen to patients on May 18. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. Contact the office to schedule an appointment at 301-7380.

WIC will continue to provide care via telehealth through May 31. Patients may continue to contact the main WIC phone number 301-7380 to speak to their WIC Care Coordinator.

Radiology: The radiology team is scheduling appointments in all modalities (Mammography, MRI, Cat Scan, General X-ray, Ultrasound, Bone Density, Nuclear Medicine, etc.) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. All procedures are being scheduled 30 minutes apart to ensure appropriate distancing. Patients are screened for symptoms over the phone during the scheduling procedure. At the patient arrival for the scheduled imaging exams, a department representative will greet the patient in the parking lot and escort patients to the department after a screening has been completed. The department representative/escort will ensure appropriate distancing and appropriate safety measures throughout the visit. The equipment is cleaned before and after each exam. Exam results will be provided to patients providers immediately following each exam.

Surgery Center: The surgery department will contact patients who have already seen the surgeon and need a procedure to schedule the procedure date and time. This will occur within the next couple of weeks.

How is PCH keeping patients safe?

PCH is taking many extra precautions to keep patients and staff safe throughout the hospital and clinics.

• Masks are mandatory for all patients. If a patient does not have a personal mask, PCH is providing a complimentary mask for the patient to keep as their own.

• All Patients will get their temperature checked

• A staff member from PCH will escort the patients to the correct office or area of the hospital.

Putnam County Hospital would like to remind the community that it is imperative for individuals take action to avoid COVID-19 and prevent its spread. A number of preventive steps include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

• Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are showing symptoms of illness.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

• Cover your cough or sneezes with a tissue or sneeze into your elbow.

• Throw the tissue in the garbage and make sure to clean your hands afterwards.

• Stay home when you are sick.

The administration and staff of Putnam County Hospital would like to thank the community for all of the love and support that they were shown over the last several weeks.

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