Pike County Memorial Hospital

As #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations surge across the U.S., we encourage you to celebrate responsibly and help protect our communities and clinicians. The safest thing to do is to stay home and celebrate with the people you live with. If you are hosting a gathering during the holiday season that brings people who live in different households together, follow considerations from the CDC to minimize the risks involved: https://bit.ly/2KNwOgM. The more of these prevention meas...ures you put in place, the safer your holidays will be in helping to slow the spread of COVID-19. #SpreadKnowledge #SaveLives

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, , . Bamlanivimab has received an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA to be given as an outpatient infusion for patients who have mild symptoms and are high risk for hospitalization due to COVID 19. Monoclonal Antibody treatment for COVID-19 is given as a 1 hour infusion with the patient remaining at the hospital for an hour to be monitored for any side effects. ... Dolly Giles, Chief Nursing Officer, says we are excited to be able to be able to offer this therapy for patients in our community. For more information, please contact PCMH at 573-754-5531 extension 7107.

From everyone at PCMH, Merry Christmas!

PCMH & Clinics went live with Cerner, a new electronic health record (EHR) system at midnight. Cerner's implementation continues the ongoing commitment to patient safety while also continuing to streamline health information sharing with other providers. Information contained in the EHR includes care orders, test results, physician notes and reports, and patients' medical history. Cerner provides a technology platform for this information to be shared with nurses, physicians..., and other caregivers in one integrated system. It will enhance transparent communication across locations and specialties. Cerner puts essential medical information, critical for diagnosing and treating patients, immediately at the fingertips of doctors and caregivers, including built-in alerts that help improve patient safety, said Tylie Mills, PCMH's CEO. "Cerner will ultimately allow our caregivers to spend more time at the patient's bedside." As part of the Cerner implementation, patients will also gain access to Cerner's patient portal. The portal will allow patients to view their medical records, manage their appointments, and communicate with their providers, among other benefits. Patients can access the portal through their phones and on the internet. During Go Live While the hospital and clinics have worked with other electronic health record systems, there is a staff learning curve. Cerner Project Manager for PCMH Jolene Chartkov shares, "Our colleagues have been hard at work training on the Cerner system since January and are doing a wonderful job learning the new system. Going live today with Cerner, we don't anticipate any problems. Still, we do ask our patients who come that day and for a few weeks after for patience as we become comfortable with Cerner, as it is drastically different from our previous system." To help with the transition, PCMH and Clinics remind patients: - If you have an appointment for a test at either PCMH or one of our clinics, please arrive 15 minutes early to assist with the registration process. - Please keep in mind that a new EMR affects every hospital department, including Environmental Services (housekeeping) and Food and Nutrition Services. - Please be patient with our colleagues and caregivers as they learn the new system.

We've had a few questions regarding what to do if you feel like you have been exposed to COVID or are showing symptoms. The answer to this question is NOT to immediately drive to one of our clinics! At PCMH, we treat patients with infectious diseases every day, and have protocols in place to care for these patients while ensuring the safety of our hospital staff, visitors, and community. If you develop symptoms or think you have been exposed to COVID-19, call (573) 754-5531 BEFORE going to one of PCMH's clinics.

As we approach this holiday season, please be aware that the incubation period for COVID-19 can range from 2 to 14 days. This "incubation period" simply means if I get infected today, I may not become infectious, able to infect somebody else, for 2 to 14 days. In addition to being mindful of the coronavirus' incubation period, the CDC also recommends travelers get a flu shot before leaving for their destination many symptoms such as cough and fever often overlap between the viruses. If you develop symptoms or think you have been exposed to COVID-19, please call BEFORE you go to the clinic.