Updated: December 29, 2021

—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—

To follow is a COVID-19 Update for Wednesday, December 29, 2021.

REFLECTIONS FROM PASTORAL CARE DIRECTOR KEITH KINCAID

“Father of our universe, calm our fears. Steady our hands. Take the knowledge that has come from the experiences of our past. Allow us to apply it to the challenges of today so that we may gain strength and courage to provide the best care possible each moment of each day. In your Holy Name, we ask this prayer.”

COVID-19 STATS

President/CEO Michele Sutton advises that the Omicron variant is here and highly contagious. Our local and statewide numbers are rising:

State COVID-19 Stats

816,228 confirmed positive cases
14,983 deaths
659 hospitalized
28 vents
LDH updates stats every Wednesday at noon. These numbers are always a week behind. Tangipahoa Parish saw apercent positivity increase by 128% and an incidence rate change of 146% as of Dec. 22. While LDH shows Tangipahoa Parish at 5.9% percent positivity as of Dec. 22, other more current trackers are showing our parish between a 15% and 17% positivity rate for COVID-19 patients. By all indications, we can expect these rates to continue to increase in the coming weeks.

NOHS COVID-19 Stats

6,792 positive results from 46,111 tests performed on individuals
1,708 recovered
Overall positivity rate is 36.7%.

NOMC:
- 18 hospitalized
- 2 vented

NORH: 19 patients (0 COVID-19 positive)
Hood: 9 Patients (0 COVID-19 positive); 5 employees out monitoring

CMO Robert Peltier, M.D., urges remembering the basics of universal precautions—masking properly, handwashing and wiping down surfaces.

He explains that previous monoclonal antibodies (mAb) treatments like REGEN-COV are not effective against the Omicron variant according to recent data. Therefore, LDH has closed their previous infusion sites and, instead, distributed to select hospitals a very limited supply of a new mAb. It is called sotrovimab. It appears to remain effective against Omicron for prevention of severe disease. LDH has designated NOMC as the only Northshore hospital to receive doses. We received 50 of the 228 doses initially allotted to the state of sotrovimab. We are giving these infusions to high-risk patients (i.e., over age 65, morbidly obese with BMI greater than 40, immunocompromised, diabetic, unvaccinated). Due to the number of high-risk patients who have presented to our Emergency Department, the initial supply of sotrovimab has been infused. We are expecting more in the coming weeks.

Dr. Peltier also notes that some pharmacies will be getting supplies of Pfizer’s new COVID-19 antiviral pill, Paxlovid. It will be prescribed to patients by providers as an outpatient treatment to help prevent hospitalizations.

OPERATIONAL CHANGES

In response to the rising numbers, President/CEO Michele Sutton announced the following operational changes:

Weekly Leadership Update Calls with “everyone” emails to follow are reinstated until further notice on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. to follow release of the state’s numbers, which occurs every Wednesday at noon.
Our Farmers’ Market is suspended until further notice, but food truck service will continue.
All in-person group meetings of more than 10 people must be canceled or conducted via Zoom. The exception is General Orientation, which will be relocated to the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center. This location will accommodate appropriate social distancing so that onboarding of new team members may continue without interruption.
Meetings with less than 10 people may continue in-person as long as appropriate social distancing can be accommodated in the meeting room/space.
Beginning Thursday, Dec. 30, we will resume drive-thru COVID-19 testing. Appointments will be required, and no provider order is needed. Appointments can be scheduled online at covidtest.northoaks.org or by calling (985) 230-7777.
On Thursday, Dec. 30, we will offer COVID-19 vaccinations in the community at the Tangipahoa African American Heritage Center, 1600 Phoenix Square Drive in Hammond from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. We are offering the Pfizer vaccine for children and adults, ages 5 and older, in partnership with the Louisiana Gospel Crusaders and Second Saturday Breakfast Organization.
Effective Thursday, Dec. 30, visitor guidelines will change as follows:
- Non-COVID-19 patients in all areas will be allowed to have one visitor/support person at a time with no swapping. There are two exceptions. Pediatric patients may have both parents visit at the same time. Laboring mothers may have two support persons.
- COVID-19 positive patients may not have visitors except in cases of end-of-life.
The Hammond Urgent Care will be open on Saturday, New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

STAFFING & SUPPLIES

Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Jarreau reports that we have 66 employees out monitoring (12 RNs and 3 RTs). The CDC has reworked their guidelines for isolation. Our attached Return to Work Policy has been adjusted accordingly.
CNO Kirsten Riney reports that staffing is good, and we do have agency and SNAP nurses here assisting us.
CFO Mark Anderson reports that supplies are good, and we have enough PPE.

OTHER

The NOMC Parking Garage will be closed through Jan. 8, 2022.
PJ’s Coffee at NOMC will observe regular hours of operation on New Year’s Eve of 6 a.m.-9 p.m. and New Year’s Day from noon to 8 p.m. respectively.

Together, we’ve got this!