Thumb Reporter

McLaren Thumb Region Hospital - McLaren Health Care issued the following announcement on May 4.

McLaren Port Huron will begin taking steps to return to normal pre-COVID-19 operations beginning May 4. The process will be a phased approach that will be carefully implemented to ensure patient safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19 or a resurgence of the virus.

“While we are hopeful the federal, state, and local measures put in place to limit exposure through social distancing will continue to flatten the curve, we also know COVID-19 will be present in our community for some time,” said McLaren Port Huron President and CEO, Jennifer Montgomery. “Therefore, McLaren has developed a roadmap to resume time-sensitive care, which includes clinical and testing protocols and prioritization of surgical cases that were postponed.”

The first phase of the reopening of services will resume in May. Some key elements of this phase include time-sensitive or previously canceled procedures:

• Diagnostic imaging services, including MRI, CT, x-ray, and mammograms
• Lab services
• Surgical procedures
• Cardiac and vascular testing
• Medical oncology and radiation oncology appointments

Later this month, additional surgeries and outpatient care services are expected to resume.

“The safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority. Patients seeking care at our hospital and medical offices are being treated by personnel who are adhering to the most current safety precautions, as recommended by the CDC,” Montgomery added.

Ways McLaren Port Huron is caring for all patients during COVID-19:

• Screening everyone who enters the hospital

  We are screening all patients, visitors, and our own staff for signs and symptoms of coronavirus before entering our facilities.

• Supporting social distancing

  We are limiting seating in certain areas to create space between those waiting for care.

• Personal Protection

  All caregivers and support staff are wearing additional protective equipment to keep patients and themselves safe when providing care. Protective masks are also being provided to patients and visitors as an enhanced safety precaution.

• Additional Sanitization

  We are adding cleaning processes throughout the hospital to enhance its already robust sanitization protocols.

The reopening timeline may be altered, paused, or even reversed as the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is monitored to ensure McLaren Port Huron is able to maintain adequate resources and capacity to care for all patients.

Original source can be found here.

Source: McLaren Thumb Region Hospital - McLaren Health Care