Phillips County Health Systems (PCHS) has been monitoring and responding to the evolving COVID-19 situation. It is important to remember that PCHS is committed to providing the outstanding medical care you have come to expect through this healthcare crisis. WE ARE STILL OPEN AND AVAILABLE FOR YOUR MEDICAL NEEDS AND WE URGE PATIENTS TO NOT DELAY NECESSARY MEDICAL TREATMENT. PCHS has made the following changes to ensure the safety of all our patients, visitors, and employees to prevent potential exposure to COVID-19: PCHS SETS UP SCREENING POD AT HOSPITAL PCHS is setting up a screening pod outside of the emergency department to screen for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses. The pod is not a response to an existing increase in demand, but rather, it is being established so we can be prepared to care for our communities in the event of increased COVID-19 activity.
If patients or visitors to our emergency department are showing symptoms of respiratory illness, we will immediately take precautionary infection control measures such as proper gowning, masking and more while moving the patient to the appropriate area for care, whether that be a specially equipped exam room in the ER or the nearby screening pod.
“In an effort to provide and protect our patients and team members, we have established a temporary structure as part of our COVID-19 screening area,” Tim Seifert, PA, said in a statement.
“Outfitting a shipping container as our testing pod gives us a more secured structure with our volatile weather than the common use of testing tents you may have seen in other locations on the news,” he said. “This will expedite our screening and potential testing of patients presenting to Phillips County Hospital’s Emergency Department. Our process is always improving and changing to better serve our patients and team.”
HOSPITAL VISITATION LIMITED All visitors and patients coming to the Phillips County Hospital will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms, exposure risk, and have their temperature taken. We are limiting inpatient visitation to one visitor per patient at a time and visitors must be age 16 or older. ELECTIVE, NON-URGENT SURGICAL PROCEDURES POSTPONED PCHS will continue urgent and emergent surgical procedures that cannot be postponed due to pain, bleeding, or imminent health risks. Dr. Doolittle, medical director, will review each surgery on a case-by-case basis.
PLEASE CALL FIRST We ask that before visiting the Phillips County Medical Clinic (785-543-5211) or emergency department (785-543-5226), people call first if they may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 or if they have:
Cough
Fever
Shortness of breath
Calling before going to the medical clinic, urgent care clinic, or emergency department can help lessen the possible spread of the virus.
“These are trying times, but Phillips County Health Systems is your community medical provider in ordinary AND difficult times. We are working around the clock, and our excellent doctors, medical providers, nurses, and administration are diligently keeping up to date with best-practice guidelines and coming up with solutions,” said Tara Overmiller, Strategy and Marketing Director for PCHS.