Hospital virtual open house planned

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital’s CEO Margie Molitor announced that “In light of everything happening we have a move-in date of April 29 that is tentative.”

The hospital will do a virtual open house on Facebook and the internet prior to the move in so the public can see all the rooms and facilities.

They have postponed their strategic planning until a later date. 

She also said they have one patient that is positive with COVID-19 in the hospital that they are caring for but is not a resident of Hot Springs County. 

Molitor emphasized that they are taking actions for the safety of their patients, staff, and the community. At this time there are no visitors at the hospital, except for the coach support person for labor and delivery or accompanying a minor child. The biggest action from a revenue perspective is to eliminate all elective surgeries or procedures. 

She said, “It is the necessary thing to do. You don’t want healthy patients coming in if you don’t have to. Everyone in the whole state, the whole nation, has been really pushed to stop doing elective procedures and surgeries. We are definitely going along with that because it is the right thing to do”. 

Molitor also discussed patient and staff monitoring. They have name tags with check marks on them indicating their temperatures have been taken and have been asked questions about their conditions. 

SageWest Hospital in Fremont County has 25 patients that are positive with COVID-19. Molitor has been in contact with them and SageWest asked Molitor if they could use one of their ventilators. Molitor also loaned them three of their hospital beds that were not in use.  

Molitor reported on the importance of finding resources for personal protective equipment as the need is great and the warehouses are running low on supplies or don’t have them.  They are actively working on this and have been finding success. Molitor said that we should be confident as many people and entities are all working together to make the residents of Hot Springs County safe.

In addition to all the actions they have taken at the hospital Molitor reported that many people in the community sent them goods that meet a lot of needs such as personal protective equipment. Thermopolis Hardware, WYODOT, McCumber Well Service all contributed. Living Waters church donated cupcakes to the hospital. The high school robotics group and Lasers Edge made 3D printed masks which are used as a protective cover over their real masks to prolong their life.  P6 restaurant donated pizzas for nurses. 

Chief medical officer Dr. Vernon Miller reported, “The staff is being careful with all the precautions they need to take so they can protect their patients and staff.”

Dr. Miller has been trying to make sure they get the appropriate amount of personal protective equipment.  He said that there are a lot of people calling upon the Strategic National Stockpile. 

Miller added, “We are in the calm waiting for the storm. And if the storm comes, hopefully, it will brush us lightly.”

There are thoughts about a change in their call schedules to make sure they have appropriate personnel. Dr. Miller said he has been visiting with other hospitals in the Basin and discussing what they can do to help one another and relaxing the rules on paperwork. 

Right now they are not doing any elective surgeries. They are doing surgeries for patients that would potentially do poorly within thirty days.

Dr. Miller said he does not know how soon they will restart elective surgeries. It depends upon how well they flatten the curve, but in doing that there is a chance to extend the curve. They do not want to overwhelm the hospital staff with too many patients at the same time. But for patients who do indeed need surgery, they will have surgery.