MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
With all of the talk about reopening businesses across the Mid-South, one crucial business seems to have been left out of the conversation.
Doctors say hospitals and clinics must reopen for patients with other medical needs beyond COVID-19. A local hospital is taking aggressive steps towards a safe reopen.
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, things have looked a bit different everywhere.That includes hospitals where elective surgeries were put on hold to prepare for coronavirus patients, but to also limit its spread.
Baptist Hospital has been in trials to see how they can get back to business safely. Across the Baptist Hospital system, emergency room visits have been down by 27%.
Between the cancellations of elective surgeries and people afraid of going to hospitals, some healthcare workers are working fewer hours. Not good for a region of the country where so many suffer from some of the very preexisting conditions coronavirus thrives on.
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld of Baptist Hospitals says the longer patients wait on non-COVID related procedures, the sicker they will get.
Baptist has already begun screening any patient admitted to a Baptist Hospital and testing them if they show signs of the virus. That includes out-patients and all healthcare workers.
"It is a very large number of people we will be screening. As I say, it will be nearly unique in the country as far as I know if there is as aggressive, ambitious program around, I am not aware of one. I think it's an important program to make our hospital safer, but I believe it will make our total community safer," said Threlkeld.
Out of the more than 400 healthcare workers and patients tested during the trial at Baptist Hospital, 2% of asymptomatic people tested positive for COVID-19. Threlkeld says patients who come into the hospital with other diagnosis but test positive for COVID-19 will be isolated, preventing the spread of the virus.
The goal in adding these new safety measures is to assure patients that come in for other services that they will be safe.