LewisGale Regional Health System has issued the following statement of readiness in connection with the spreading Coronavirus. LG has 44 HCA-owned patient care facilities including 4 hospitals, 2 regional cancer centers, 1 standalone ER, 6 outpatient centers and affiliations with both employed and independent physicians. It has a total of 3,000 employees Here is the statement:
“All LewisGale Regional Health System facilities - including LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, LewisGale Hospital Pulaski, and LewisGale Medical Center - have protocols in place to care for patients with infectious diseases, and we are working diligently to help ensure we're prepared for potential issues related to COVID-19. Our preparedness efforts include reinforcing appropriate infection prevention protocols and guidance from the CDC, ensuring we have necessary supplies and equipment, and emergency planning.
“In addition, as we often do during heavy influenza outbreaks, visitor restrictions have been instituted in patient care areas. Starting this week, visitors and patients are being directed to use specific entrances to allow visitors to be screened. We have positioned supplies at points of entry, so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediatly isolated to protect our colleagues and other patients.
“We continue to work in partnership with our local Public Health Office, the Virginia Department of Health, and the CDC and will provide updates to our hospital and medical staff as necessary.”
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).