Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) is currently treating one positive COVID-19 patient at its main hospital facility, and is preparing for potential increased patient volume in coming weeks.
Sign outside HRRMC on available respiratory screenings.
Allison Gergley, Marketing and Public Relations Director, said the positive COVID-19 patient has been isolated in a negative pressure room to aid in blocking infection spread since being admitted on March 23, and is being treated accordingly. The hospital already has two negative pressure rooms at its facility, but given potential increases in patient volume in the future, has converted additional rooms in the facility to negative pressure rooms, for a current total of five.
Negative pressure rooms use lower air pressure to allow outside air into a contained environment, then trap and keep potentially infectious and contagious particles within the room by preventing internal air from leaving the space.
Additional facility space is being allocated and arranged in preparation for increased patient volume. Given that only urgent and emergent surgeries are being performed at this time, the Same Day Surgery unit has been reconfigured to create space for 14 additional beds. Other areas of the hospital are also being considered for reconfiguration, Gergley stated.
As personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical supplies are in consistent demand, HRRMC is working with Chaffee County Public Health and the Office of Emergency Management to coordinate county-wide supplies through the Strategic National Stockpile and donation drives in addition to each entity’s specific efforts.
The triage tent outside the HRRMC Emergency Department.
Gergley said HRRMC is currently accepting donations of PPE in the form of N95 or P95 masks, isolation gowns, goggles, plastic face shields, bleach and disinfectant wipes (labeled for human coronavirus and SARS), and hand sanitizer. Unopened packages are preferred, but if opened, please donate all items within some type of closed container or bag.
Donations are being accepted at the entrance of the hospital, Outpatient Pavilion, Salida Health Center on Highway 50, and at the Buena Vista Health Center.
There is no current need from the community for handmade masks, as breathability, moisture, and protection are all important factors that need to be vetted before handmade masks are put into widespread use.
For additional information on COVID-19 as it pertains to HRRMC, please visit hrrmc.com or call 719-530-2217.
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