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Update: August 18, 2021

—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—

Thought of the Day: “People will throw stones at you. Don’t throw them back. Collect them all and build an empire with them.”—Anonymous

State Stats (increases/decreases since Aug. 16)
  • 631,837 COVID-19 cases (up 17,061)
  • 11,706 COVID-19 patient deaths (up 187)
  • 3,012 COVID-19 patients hospitalized (up 105)
  • 441 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (up 42)
  • As of Aug. 4, unvaccinated COVID-19 patients account for:
  • 90% of cases
  • 83% of patient deaths
  • 91% of hospitalizations.
NOHS Stats (increases/decreases since Aug. 16)
  • NOMC:
    • 94 COVID-19 patients hospitalized (down 10)
    • 16 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (down 2)
    • 6 COVID-19 patient deaths
  • NORH: 19 patients (0 COVID+); 2 possible admissions
  • Hood: 13 hospitalized (0 COVID+); 0 ED boarders; 2 employees out monitoring; Amite Rural Health Clinic extremely busy seeing patients with COVID-like symptoms and a 26% positivity rate
  • Tested 34,212 with 1 test pending (up 367)
  • 5,459 positive test results for inpatients/outpatients combined (up 88)
  • 1,442 COVID-19 patients recovered (up 23)
Staffing & Volume
  • MICU 2 has 5 patients.
  • ER has 4 boarders, 0 of whom are COVID+.
  • Staffing remains extremely tight with all supplemental staffing contingency plans remaining active.
  • ER Infusion Medicine Unit I continues with 73 infusions performed since Aug. 16.
  • Non-emergent elective surgeries are suspended this week. Today’s Surgical Services schedule is as follows:
  • 5 at NOMC
  • 30 at Surgery Center
  • 6 Cath Lab cases
  • 1 Endoscopy.
  • Drive-Thru COVID Testing by appointment remains open with 70 individuals served since Aug. 16 and 17 appointments scheduled so far today.
  • Employee Wellness returned 30 employees back to work since Aug. 16, leaving 37 out monitoring symptoms at home (6 RNs; 0 respiratory therapists).
  • Clinics are business as usual. The COVID Screening Hotline, which is (985) 230-CV19 [2819], has fielded 54 calls with 2 video visits since Aug. 16.
  • Supply levels are good. We have more than enough PPE.
Infection Prevention Top 5
  1. Pay attention to hand hygiene.
  2. NO double masking.
  3. Discard N95 mask after a single use.
  4. Discard ear loop mask when soiled or when suspected contamination has occurred. Don a new mask as soon as possible.
  5. NEVER put mask or other used PPE items down on work surfaces or on top of equipment.
  • For further assistance, please contact Infection Prevention Manager Amanda Morse at ext. 6414 or Nurse Ashley Foster at ext. 6440.
Vaccinations
  • Employee vaccination rate = 65.8%
  • Vaccinations are available at our Urgent Care Clinics from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday. Self-schedule an appointment at https://covidvaccine.northoaks.org or by calling (985) 230-SHOT [7468]. Since Aug. 16, these clinics have administered 95 first doses and 148 second doses.
  • If you have vaccine questions, reach out to Dr. Robert Peltier at ext. 7755 or peltierr@northoaks.org for evidence-based answers to assist you in making an informed choice. The public can send him questions at info@northoaks.org.
Support & Encouragement for You!
  • All staff will be treated to a complimentary boxed breakfast from the Cafeteria Thursday, Aug. 19. Staff on the night shift Aug. 19 will be treated to cookies. In addition, a team led by Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Jarreau, Security Director Johnny Poumaroux and COO Michael Watkins will grill hamburgers for the night shift on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 10 p.m. Leaders or their designees will pick up and deliver the meals/cookies to their respective departments.
  • Staff feedback on last night’s complimentary gentle yoga, mindful breathing and relaxation class provided by Downtown Yoga was extremely positive. Classes will be offered again next Tuesday, Aug. 24 in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Space is limited to 75 employees/session; email Jeff Jarreau to register at jarreauj@northoaks.org.
  • The state has opened a child care assistance program for essential hospital personnel whereby eligible families can access subsidized care for children, age 12 and under. Please review the attached document to determine if you qualify. If you do, email Human Resources Executive Assistant Ruth Alack at alackr@northoaks.org to have the required documentation for employment and job title verification provided to you so that you can complete the online application.
Reminders
  • Providers are encouraged to participate in today’s weekly Medical Staff call at 12:30 p.m., hosted by Dr. Robert Peltier.
  • North Oaks Foundation’s COVID 100 Immunization Clinic will administer second doses and disburse second $50 cash incentives this Saturday, Aug. 21, to those who registered and received their first dose on July 31.
Public Relations/Communications
  • We continue to partner with other Northshore hospitals to keep the public informed via social media. Starting tomorrow, we will begin sharing the median age of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in addition to the percentage unvaccinated. Updates will be provided Mondays and Thursdays.
  • Dr. Robert Peltier was interviewed yesterday by a reporter from The Advocate regarding morbidity related to the 4th COVID-19 surge in the Greater Baton Rouge Area: COVID deaths near record highs in Baton Rouge area as delta variant runs rampant | Coronavirus | theadvocate.com
  • Mark your calendars for Northshore Media Group’s Telephone Town Hall featuring Dr. Robert Peltier and other medical experts from our fellow Tier 1 Northshore Hospitals answering callers questions on Friday, Aug. 27 from 9-10 a.m. You can catch the simulcast on Tangi 96.5 FM, KAJUN 107.1 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM, The Highway 104.7 FM or The Lake 94.7 FM.

COVID-19 will not win. Together, we’ve got this!

—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—