6 minute read
Recovering from Covid
by Michael J. DeCicco
Are area health care facilities prepared for the increases in COVID-19 vaccinations, cases, and patients expected throughout 2021?
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Facilities across the South Coast are saying they are indeed ready. At the time of print, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have progressed to “Phase Two,” vaccinating individuals aged 65+ and those with two certain medical conditions. For the newest updates, visit mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine and covid. ri.gov/vaccination. We spoke with local medical providers to hear what they had to say about the vaccine rollout and the steps they’re taking to make sure the supply is going to where it can have the greatest impact.
Preparedness
Particularly optimistic about the preparedness around the South Coast, however, are the healthcare institutions overseeing those who will need the most urgent care: nursing facilities.
The long-term acute care facility, Vibra Hospital of Southeastern Massachusetts, at 4499 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, is one institution that has gone out of its way to prepare. “We have changed the culture of the hospital by taking all the appropriate steps in protecting our staff and patients during this crisis,” said Edward Leary, Chief Executive Officer. “We require employees and visitors to wear masks at all times when on the hospital campus. We have created a flexible schedule for employees who are non-clinical to rotate working from home and coming into the hospital.”
He admitted this has limited the number of employees from entering the building on a daily basis. But this and other precautions are for a good reason. “We have been testing all staff on a monthly basis and we test the fifth day and sixth day after a holiday,” he said. “This type of surveillance testing assists limiting the exposure to COVID in the building.”
Leary noted that many of the changes Vibra has instituted will stay with the hospital after the pandemic emergency period. The most important change, he said, has been opening a 14-bed COVID-19 unit in the hospital that is separate from the general patient areas. But it is a new ward that has stayed full during the surge times throughout the year.
The year 2020, Leary said, had been a very difficult one for the hospital and the country in general. But he added, “Our staff have never shined brighter. They have continued to perform at an incredibly high level. Our billboard on Route 140 is not only a statement of ‘thank you’ to our staff but a constant reminder to the community of how important it is to continually appreciate all healthcare workers. I believe we should have a national day to honor our healthcare workers and first responders for the incredible work they have performed this year. Maybe have a day where they can all ‘take a breath’ together.”
Pulling together
Similarly, The Oaks Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, at 4525 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, reports it is working hard to get to the point where COVID-19 restrictions and worries will be a thing of the past.
“As we all deal with the Pandemic,” admissions liaison Bethanne Higgins said, “the staff at the Oaks continue to smile through their N95 masks. Daily routine may be a little bit different with weekly COVID-19 testing, but it’s just part of what Team Oaks does to keep loved ones safe. We are all doing our part so we can welcome visitors back inside in the future.”
She noted that The Oaks also does a full COVID-19 screening every morning of every staff member, including temperature checks and asking the standard COVID questions, as well as regular testing of the patients. And, of course, there’s more hand washing.
Only one door is available for entering now, she said. Even delivery people are fully screened at the front desk. And contract tracing records have been kept since March 12, when the pandemic restrictions began. “So we can make sure everyone here is COVID-free,” she said.
At the Clifton Rehabilitative Nursing Center, at 500 Wilbur Avenue in Somerset, “The COVID pandemic has certainly changed our day-to-day operations,” said Anabel Carreiro, Admissions Coordinator. “If you had told me a year ago that we would be here right now, I would not have believed you.”
She said Clifton has been doing ongoing surveillance testing of staff and residents for many months now. “We follow all CMS/ CDC/DPH guidelines, including, but not limited to, screening employees every shift, social distancing, and requiring employees to use the appropriate PPE as indicated,” she said. “We have been very fortunate from the beginning to have ample supply of N95s, KN95s, and regular face masks, gowns, face shields, goggles, gloves, and EPA COVID-19 disinfectant.”
She added she is very pleased to be able to say that most Clifton staff and residents have completed their second COVID-19 vaccine administration already.
“The process ran very smoothly,” she said. “We are grateful for the support the wonderful families of the residents and our community have shown to our residents, patients, and our amazing staff. Since March there has been an outpouring of support from so many individuals. People have dropped off letters to our residents to brighten their day. We have had iPad donations, pizza for the staff, a local florist delivered flowers to staff and residents, just to name only a few amazing gestures of support and love. All is very much appreciated. At Clifton, we always felt like family before but getting through such a difficult time has truly brought all of us so much closer together.”
A new day
Prima Care Fall River’s Chief Medical Officer, Martin A. Fogle, MD, describes the pandemic as having been a learning experience for the country as a whole.
“One of the most important and painful lessons of COVID-19 has been the need for a rapid, robust, and coordinated public health program to handle pandemics,” he said. “Our hope for the future includes immediate nationwide availability of PPE appropriate for the next disease that may appear, and rapidly-deployed control measures, coordinated at federal and state levels. Local and regional hospital systems will hopefully remember these two years of painful lessons so that transition into ‘disaster mode’ will be smoother, anticipating and satisfying the needs for equipment, staffing, and ICU facilities.”
He pointed out the medical community has learned that telemedicine, although it has been around for years, has become an absolute necessity for evaluating and treating patients who are not able to safely come to the office during the pandemic. It is something that medical practitioners and patients alike are getting better at.
“The technology has improved and everyone’s attitudes about video visits have reassured us that we can deliver good medical care safely, even when we can’t be face-to-face,” he said. “Of course, we all are anxiously awaiting the time when medicine can be more personal and hands-on, but routine and preventive care is still important and cannot wait.”
He said Prima Care, like every other medical institution, enthusiastically supports the vaccination of everyone as the best strategy to avoid illness and spread of this virus. “The outlook for the immediate future is optimistic, primarily due to the release of vaccines,” he said, “but our optimism is tempered by the time it will take to manufacture and deliver enough doses to vaccinate a majority of the population. The current intensity of efforts, and the impact on the practice of medicine and the economy, will likely continue for many months more as the world gets vaccinated. Through the fatigue of the front-line hospital workers and the immense numbers of support staff), there is a note of hope for the future.”
