Infectious Disease

DEPARTMENT | THIRD FLOOR

COVID-19 Clinical Preparation and Mitigation Group leads MSC safety during COVID-19

The COVID-19 Clinical Preparation and Mitigation Group at Riverside University Health System (RUHS) is on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic ensuring patient safety to those seeking care at both the Medical Center and MSC. The team’s innovative and rapid response to the creation of on-site COVID-19 testing and safety protocols permitted the MSC to open safely during the pandemic.

Surgeries, necessary in-person physician visits and the overall health and wellness of the Riverside County patient population do not stop because the world is experiencing a pandemic. It is necessary to still offer premier care to patients in need.

Navigating commitment and access was a nationwide challenge the RUHS COVID-19 Clinical Preparation and Mitigation Group met immediately. Chief Medical Officer Arnold Tabuenca, MD, spearheaded the specific creation of a COVID-19 diagnostic group. The group’s main premise was to formulate plans and guidance on how to implement testing and safety protocols at RUHS, based on guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local regulatory authorities.

The diagnostic group created COVID-19 testing protocols for patients receiving surgery at the MSC. The team also contributed to creating screening measures for all visitors which included the questionnaire that would most appropriately measure a patient’s positivity. In addition, the team created a service flow for positive patients who entered the MSC and how to get them in safely and keep staff members and physicians safe during care.

Infectious disease specialist Bruce Weng, DO, says that the team worked rapidly, creating a model that would serve patients in need.

“During a global pandemic, patients need care more than ever,” Weng says. “We had to leverage the team’s disciplinary expertise to create precise algorithms for procedures and protocols for employees and staff to feel safe to come in.”

The diagnostic group is multidisciplinary, including an infectious disease physician, professor of research, pharmacist, infection prevention and control manager, laboratory leadership and a pathologist.

This all-inclusive approach not only allowed for a safe opening but also increased testing capacity. In June, the team was able to switch from sending testing to outside facilities to conducting testing on site. This change decreased the result time from up to a week, to same-day results.

The team has proven that a global pandemic stands no chance against the expertise and wealth of knowledge that RUHS possesses.