Community Medical Center has doubled its capacity to isolate patients in preparation for potential cases of coronavirus.
"Due to the threat of COVID-19 coming to our community, we have expanded our capacity to isolate and care for patients with infectious diseases to include COVID-19 patients by doubling our isolation capacity," said Community's Megan Condra in an email Friday. "We are reviewing our internal capacities daily and are prepared to expand further based on need."
Community Medical Center is submitting its capabilities every 12 hours to the state, and CMC and St. Patrick Hospital both have joined with all other hospitals in western Montana to dedicate specific protocols and websites for dealing with the spread of the coronavirus.
Patients with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) should call the free 24/7 Nurse on Call line for symptom evaluation at 406-327-4770. Patients should call this number before visiting any hospital or clinic.
People are also reading…
Patients experiencing respiratory or flu-like symptoms may also check-in online at Community FirstCare on North Reserve by visiting online at CommunityFirstCare.com. All information on Community’s steps to prepare for coronavirus are at communitymed.org/cvirus.
There are temporary visitor restrictions in place. The hospital is asking that patients only visit with one care partner at any time, only have one visitor at a time, have no visitors under age 17 and don’t visit if you’ve had a fever or cough in the past 48 hours.
Community has set up Focused Screening Centers to screen and care for all patients with respiratory and flu-like symptoms. The Community FirstCare at 2230 N. Reserve St., Suite 402, is open from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Providence Grant Creek Walk-In Clinic at 3075 N. Reserve St., Suite Q, is open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
Steps to take if you are well:
- Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices.
- Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face.
- Wipe down all “high-touch” surfaces daily (phones, counters, keyboards, doorknobs, etc).
- Continue to see your medical provider for your regularly scheduled visits to address all other health care needs. Please do not neglect your existing needs.
- If you are otherwise healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected COVID-19 or if you show symptoms of COVID-19.
Steps to take if you develop upper respiratory symptoms:
- Stay home when you are sick and manage symptoms as you would any cold.
- Try to use a separate bathroom from the rest of the family and avoid close, prolonged contact with family members and pets.
- Cough or sneeze into an elbow or a tissue and throw it away immediately.
- If you have a mask or handkerchief available to you and must go out in public, please don the mask while you are away from your home.
- Call your medical provider before coming in to be seen. If your symptoms worsen (fever, difficulty breathing and/or a cough), local health systems have set up the following ways to get care that protects you and the community.
Providence Health & Services, which operates St. Patrick Hospital, shared these instructions for accessing care — while limiting the potential spread of the disease — if people think they may have coronavirus:
"Because many people are concerned about potential exposure to COVID-19, we want to let you know how to access our services if you think you have been exposed and are experiencing fever and respiratory symptoms," a notice said. It continued:
- Please call ahead before coming in person to one of our physician clinics, urgent care centers or emergency departments. You can find phone numbers for our providers and locations at providence.org.
- See a provider virtually using Express Care Virtual. With this service, you can visit with one of our providers via online video from the comfort of your home, seven days a week.
- Use our new online coronavirus assessment tool. We developed this “chat” tool to help you assess your risk and to connect you with a provider virtually if you are at a higher risk for the virus.
By calling ahead or connecting with us online, we can talk with you about seeking care, including options for testing, while minimizing the risk of exposing yourself or others through an in-person visit.
As a reminder, the most important steps you can take to stay healthy and protect yourself and those around you are to wash or sanitize your hands often for at least 20 seconds each time; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; and coughing into a tissue or the crook of your elbow. You can protect yourself from COVID-19 infection the same way you protect against the common cold or seasonal flu.
With the situation changing rapidly, we encourage you to stay informed. You can find accurate, up-to-date information on the St. Patrick hospital coronavirus website or by visiting our state’s public health department website using one of the links below.
For more helpful tips visit PSJH Coronavirus site.
(Calls to public relations officials at St. Pat's and Community were not returned on Friday.)
The Western Montana Clinic is also asking people to call before walking in:
"If you are experiencing respiratory or flu-like symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, or fever, please call your health care provider at 721-5600 before arriving for any scheduled or walk-in visit," its website states. "We may redirect your care to prevent the spread of the illness. For more information on Coronavirus (COVID-19), go to dphhs.mt.gov/."