When the COVID-19 crisis struck, hospitals and clinics across the country suspended elective procedures and some routine care to support the need for social distancing, taking every precaution to slow the spread and ensure the safety of our communities, patients and staff. We had a simple message: "stay home if you're sick." That message worked to help isolate those with respiratory illnesses. As many have written and the data is showing, people did stay home, but some had illnesses that still required care, often emergently. The message of "stay at home" that was repeated on television and elsewhere has led to the unintended consequence of a secondary health crisis, which has gone underreported by the media.
Now, we need to change the message to "seek care when you are sick." Our hospitals and physician offices are now better prepared to care for the public during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to new operational workflows, protective equipment and staff education.
Creating the safest possible environment was our priority then — and is our priority today as we encourage patients not to delay in seeking necessary medical care. Ascension has taken steps to make sure that people can come to our hospitals, clinics and offices with confidence that they will receive the care they need in a safe environment.
We are beginning to expand access to healthcare services with enhanced safeguards to ensure our sites of care continue to serve as healing environments — where quality care is delivered with the highest levels of both caution and compassion.
Our hospitals are beginning to reschedule surgeries that had been postponed, and appointments we had to put on hold are getting back on the calendar. As this activity resumes, one of our most important precautions is to control the flow of people in and out of our facilities. That's why we ask those who need care to call their doctor first whenever possible. Of course, our emergency departments remain available for those who need immediate, emergency care. Everyone else should call their doctor to schedule appointments for chronic conditions, illnesses and minor injuries.
Our hospitals and clinics: safe places to get care
To prepare for reopening many of our services, we have put in place stringent safeguards to protect our patients and the people who care for them. That includes screening our employees before they arrive for work each day, thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting our facilities, and limiting visitors. We now stagger appointments to reduce waiting room contact and conduct virtual triage in our emergency rooms to reduce exposures. In addition, when we schedule an operation, it's with precautions that go even further than the normal, exacting standards of the operating room.
We've worked hard to implement these precautions, but we weren't alone. Our safety measures are the result of adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance as well as best practices we've learned from clinical professionals across our more than 2,600 sites of care.
More than one way to 'see' your doctor
One of our most valuable preventive measures can open the door to care without anyone having to actually open a door: telehealth.
Ascension doctors now provide visits online so you can stay at home, get the care you need, and avoid unnecessary contact with others during this time of social distancing. You can use telehealth consultations for a variety of symptoms and conditions you might otherwise have waited to address — things like urinary tract infections, sinus or upper respiratory infections, eye infections, rash, sore throat or cough, cold and flu, fever or seasonal allergies.
Safety measures we should all get used to
As we look ahead, questions remain about what the world will look — the "new normal" that will emerge following the pandemic. In the new normal, we need to ensure that "all care for all people" is a priority. Although COVID-19 will be part of our lives for some time, we cannot ignore other illnesses that in many cases may be more lethal.
What's certain is that we won't go backwards. Many of our new safety measures were developed quickly as part of our COVID-19 response. Most of them will be relaxed slowly, over a long period of time, as we continue the work to ensure the health and safety of our communities. And some of them probably are here to stay — just like Ascension.