Blog

The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Valley Campus is prepared and ready.

The rise of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a global, national and local concern. We want to assure our patients and the Pawnee Valley community that The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Valley Campus is working closely with local, state and federal health officials to control spread and provide needed care.

Our top priority is keeping our patients, visitors and staff safe.

We know novel coronavirus is spread person to person; we are taking specific precautions to control the spread of the virus in our facility and community, including:

·         Implementing telephone and telehealth Pawnee Valley Medical Associates clinic visits

·         Reducing the number of surgical procedures by suspending elective surgeries.

·         Performing temperature screenings upon entry into our facilities. We reduced points of entry to direct all arriving visitors and employees to a temperature screening station.

·         Suspending nonessential specialty care appointments.

·         Suspending walk-in Saturday outpatient lab and clinic visits.

·         Preparing for increase in Emergency Department and acute care patients.

·         Reducing to no visitors in our hospital, with few exceptions. Any visitor who has a fever or other cold or flu-like symptoms may not enter our facilities.

·         Encouraging staff members to work from home if their roles and responsibilities allow it.

·         Closing our cafeteria to the public and offering only grab-and-go options for our staff.

·         Suspending the use of our conference rooms to external organizations or groups.

·         Creating advertisements to educate the community on preventing the spread of COVID-19. We are encouraging our community to follow these guidelines:

o   Wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer.

o   Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

o   Clean and disinfect regularly.

o   Practice social distancing and stay home when sick.

·         Communicating what to do if people feel ill to reduce the spread of infection to others.

o   Call the COVID-19 hotline or contact your doctor’s office for instructions

–          Let them know your symptoms, if you traveled recently, or been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19;

–          Please do not go to the Emergency Department unless instructed to do so;

o   It is important to call ahead prior to arriving at any doctor office or hospital to minimize the spread of the illness to others;

o   If you do not have a doctor, you can also call the Pawnee County Health Department;

Symptoms include fever greater 100.4 degrees, coughing, and shortness of breath;

o   If you feel that you have an emergency medical condition:

–          Please call the emergency department prior to arriving at the hospital

–          If Emergency Medical Services is required, please let them know your symptoms, if you traveled recently, or been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19

·         Preparing to care for patients with COVID-19:

o   Preordering and coordinating with the health system (Hays, Great Bend, Kansas City campuses) to obtain necessary supplies and equipment

o   Adding additional negative pressure patient rooms.

o   Reducing or suspending clinical services to conserve supplies

o   Keeping up-to-date on information from the CDC to ensure our staff is prepared to provide safe, quality care

We created a COVID-19 hotline to answer questions: 877-261-7140, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

At The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Valley Campus, we are committed to providing high-quality care to meet the needs of you and your family during this challenging time – right here, close to home.