Regional West’s COVID-19 Response

By late March of this year, when the region’s first cases of COVID-19 were reported, pandemic response plans were well underway at all Regional West healthcare facilities, including The Village at Regional West.

The first step was taken even before the novel coronavirus was named COVID-19 and before a single case was reported in the U.S.

At the end of January, seasonal visitation restrictions were implemented and masks were provided to visitors at the Medical Center and The Village in response to an increase in respiratory illnesses in the region. Indirectly, the restrictions became the first in a series of infection control initiatives designed to protect patients and staff and prevent the spread of the global disease.

By mid-March, Regional West began to cancel events, limit access to only a few Medical Center entrances, screen visitors about recent travel, and further restrict visitation.

“The rapid spread of COVID-19 around the country compelled us adopt significant restrictions and implement new strategies in the delivery of care so we could continue to provide the care our patients needed,” says Regional West Chief Medical Officer Matthew Bruner, MD, FACOG. “As we continue to provide care throughout the hospital and clinics, it’s a priority to limit exposure to all types of respiratory illness. We limit access because patients need to get better; they don’t need to be exposed to other illnesses.”

To protect patients and staff, Regional West converted its Urgent Care clinic to a dedicated respiratory clinic. Doing so allowed patients with respiratory symptoms to be carefully isolated to reduce the potential spread of infection.

The implementation of virtual healthcare visits allowed patients with other health concerns to “see” their providers from the security of their homes using mobile devices and computers.

To continue to safely secure blood donations and allow patients to drop off lab specimens and access testing services, West Nebraska Blood Center and laboratory testing services were temporarily moved off the main Regional West campus and into isolated conference rooms at the Hampton Inn and Suites.

As the number of COVID-19 cases increased throughout the region, the need for testing increased. Patients who were referred for COVID-19 testing by a healthcare provider were able to drive up to a convenient off-site location where a nurse would collect a nasal specimen as patients remained in their vehicles.

“We followed the same model we use for our annual drive-thru flu shot clinic to create a safe, convenient specimen collection system,” says Tim Osterholm, MPA, Regional West executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Nurses skilled in respiratory screening and testing conducted all COVID-19 specimen collections at a single location so we were able to save personal protective equipment [PPE] resources, promote quality specimen collection, and reduce the potential for healthy persons to be exposed to those with the illness.”

Some of the COVID-driven changes that were implemented by necessity will continue once the pandemic passes. Virtual healthcare visits, for example, have become a mainstay in the delivery of healthcare. Other changes required new ideas and rapid implementation by staff, providers, and administrators to provide continuity of quality care.