Local health officials adjust to new coronavirus reality

GRUNDY COUNTY- Every individual and industry in Iowa and the United States has been affected in some way by the coronavirus pandemic, and health care and public officials have been on the front lines from the beginning. Locally, the situation is still evolving, but Grundy County Memorial Hospital (GCMH) Administrator Adam Scherling and Grundy County Public Health (GCPH) Program Coordinator Katie Thornton-Lang are working around the clock to inform the public and prepare in the event that more positive cases are confirmed in the future.

“Obviously, these are unprecedented times for our nation, and that holds true for the health care industry as well,” Scherling said. “This is really the time that GCMH is fortunate to be part of a large health system like UnityPoint Health that is really plugged in and has a lot of great resources to help meet the demands created by the pandemic.”

At the hospital, clinical team members have cross-trained in order to be available to serve in direct patient-care roles for patients with COVID-19. Non-essential health care services have been put on hold to keep team members and members of the public safe from the virus’ spread.  Scherling offered strong praise for all of the employees who have altered their daily routines and stepped up to help.

“I don’t think we expected anything less than that, but it’s neat to see how—even outside of UnityPoint Health—when we’ve made a call for nurses or providers, the support has just been overwhelming,” he said. “Everybody has reached out and said ‘Let me know how we can help,’ and we’re taking people up on that offer.”

The extra staff members will be necessary if the hospital needs to increase capacity to care for a number of patients who are ill with the virus locally.

Scherling participates in a daily conference call with the leaders of surrounding Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) as well as a daily debriefing with UnityPoint Health and twice weekly communication with county officials like the supervisors, EMS Director Roger Carr, Thornton-Lang and her public health colleague Michelle Van Deest and the Grundy Center ambulance crew.

Thornton-Lang has also been on the front line from the beginning here in Grundy County, and it’s been a tall task communicating with the public while simultaneously combating misinformation and perceptions that may not be accurate, urging residents to follow valid sources and “don’t go for the trolls.”

She clarified that even if a patient tests positive for COVID-19 in another county, as long as he or she is a Grundy County resident, it will be counted as a Grundy County case.

“It feels like a broken record at this point, but it’s the same messages about how we can stop this spread,” Thornton-Lang said. “Hand hygiene. Hand hygiene. Stay home. Stay home.”

Due to outbreaks at long-term care facilities around the area and the state, Thornton-Lang has taken a special interest in communicating with the leaders of those establishments to ensure that they are adequately equipped to prevent something similar from happening in Grundy County.

Grundy County Emergency Management Director Roger Carr has worked closely with the other major agencies involved and praised their efforts to help those in need while containing and preventing the spread of the virus as much as possible.

“We’re all in for a new reality, and we’ve got to follow the rules and get this under control so we can get back to the new normal,” he said.

And the Grundy Center ambulance crew, led by Chief Dwight Gliem, is dealing with all of the unknowns that come with a global pandemic. Policies and guidelines are changing on an almost daily basis, and the health and safety of the first responders on staff remains a major concern for Gliem. Still, he remains encouraged by the efforts of everyone involved in the coronavirus response locally, and he’s instructing the public to follow government guidelines and stay home if they’re sick.

“The cooperation throughout all the county has been amazing. All of the county operations, the hospitals, Mercy management, public health, all the ambulances, everyone that’s involved, we have pre-planned for this, and Grundy County has come together very well and cooperated very well with those pre-plans that we’ve had in the past,” he said. “They are working great at this time.”

GCMH is testing for COVID-19 if patients meet the criteria established by the Iowa Department of Public Health, and thus far, thirteen of the fourteen tests taken at the hospital have come back negative. One test is pending results. According to Thornton-Lang, a total of 25 tests have been conducted in Grundy County.

The first positive case in Grundy County was reported on Friday, April 3, and additional cases have not been reported since. At the most recent Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairwoman Barb Smith reported that the individual who tested positive had recovered.
              

A reported nationwide shortage of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed to test, treat, and care for those with COVID-19 holds true for GCMH, who has put out local appeals for donated N95 masks, gloves, and gowns. An earlier appeal for hand-sewn masks was met with great success, and the hospital is currently requesting more hand-sewn masks from those who are able to sew those, as well as bouffant caps used for head covers.