[KPFARS-Members] Fwd: Message to all EMS personnel from Princeton Medical Center (PMC)

[Alfred Low-Beer]

FYI - from Penn Medicine -Princeton.

Alfred M. Low-Beer

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "vaning, barbara" <barbara.vaning at PennMedicine.Upenn.edu>
Date: March 15, 2020 at 8:01:25 AM EDT
Subject: Message to all EMS personnel from Princeton Medical Center (PMC)


In the interest of protecting you, our staff, and our shared patients, PMC has implemented a new protocol when bringing patients to the hospital who may be infected with COVID-19.

Effective immediately, BEFORE bringing a patient to the Emergency Department:

—Call the charge nurse at 609.853.9726 so we can prepare an appropriate room.

—Don the recommended PPE before engaging with the patient. This includes gown, gloves, eye protection, and a respirator or mask. If you are trained and fitted for the N95 respirator, use one. A surgical mask is an acceptable alternative, according to CDC guidelines.

—The patient should be masked as well.

—If the patient is conscious and able to answer, or if a family member is available to provide information, proceed with the usual screening questions:
        Respiratory symptoms.
        Whether s/he had contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
        Whether s/he recently returned from a country with ongoing transmission of the virus. Countries with current travel alerts include China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, and Japan. Check the CDC website, www.cdc.gov/covid19, for the latest information.

—Please encourage any friends or family members at the scene to remain home.

WHEN ARRIVING at the Emergency Department:

—Patients who may be infected with COVID-19 should remain masked.

—EMS personnel should continue wearing their respirator or mask as well.

—If the patient is stable, take him/her directly to the assigned room. (It will usually be Room 6, the negative-pressure room.)

—If the patient is not stable, our staff will meet you at the ambulance and direct you.

Thank you for your cooperation and our ongoing partnership, and please help us to educate community members about COVID-19. As you may know, people who fear they may have COVID-19 have been showing up at the hospital to request testing. We are NOT yet able to provide testing on demand.

If anyone asks you about testing, please direct them to their local health official. A list of local agencies is online at https://www.state.nj.us/health/lh/documents/LocalHealthDirectory.pdf. We will update you immediately if the situation changes.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Barbara Vaning, MHA, Program Associate, at 609.683.3223 or barbara.vaning at pennmedicine.upenn.edu
OR
Karen Sylvester, Administrative Director, Emergency Department, at 609.751.8212 or karen.sylvester at pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Thank you,
Barbara

Barbara Vaning, MHA | Program Associate
Community Wellness | Penn Medicine Princeton Health
1225 State Rd | Princeton, NJ 08540
609.683.3223 phone | 609.924.7621 fax | barbara.vaning at pennmedicine.upenn.edu<mailto:barbara.vaning at pennmedicine.upenn.edu> (Please note new email address)

[Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center]<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fclick.phcsnews.org%2Fq%2F44MvseMRjfjhR3wxPA7wV5cm1ZYbRdPXAR-d9u70QfrQNV-TvUD5guhUbmdQ&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ccd44a19ad94e4525e1e308d7c8d895f4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637198704855592529&sdata=a8V7oOUz83pGEJFD%2FzqC%2Ba0Aj1HznTDQpAy%2FCldJ8Ts%3D&reserved=0>

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