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Update: July 30, 2021

—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—

Thought of the Day: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

State Stats

  • 536,366 (up 9,113 since July 28)
  • 10,968 deaths (up 34 since July 28)
  • 1,620 hospitalized (up 230 since July 28)
  • 162 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (up 35 since July 28)
  • The positivity rate in Tangipahoa Parish is 16.7%.

NOHS Stats

  • Tested 31,245 with 16 tests pending (up 379 since July 28)
  • 4,496 positive test results for inpatients and outpatients combined (up 110 since July 28)
  • 1,261 patients recovered (up 21 since July 28)
  • Overall positivity rate is 14.4% (up .2 since July 28). For July, our positivity rate is running at 22%.
    • NOMC:
      • 79 hospitalized (up 5 since July 28)
      • 15 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (down 1 since July 28)
      • 7 deaths since July 28
    • NORH: 16 patients (2 COVID-19 positive); 4 possible patient admissions
    • Hood: 15 hospitalized (1 COVID-19 positive); 3 COVID-19 positive patients in the Emergency Department awaiting placement; 2 employees out monitoring
  • Chief Medical Officer Robert Peltier, M.D., reports that all surrounding hospitals in our region are experiencing COVID-19 volume that is equal to or greater than NOHS.

Staffing and Volume

  • MICU 2 remains open with 4 patients.
  • As of 10 a.m., the ER had 0 boarders.
  • We are on diversion for everything but trauma, STEMI and stroke.
  • Chief Nursing Officer Kirsten Riney reports that staffing remains extremely tight, and all contingency plans remain activated. The House Supervisor is in charge of all supplemental staffing needs. Support team personnel will be put on call.
  • Medicine Unit I continues to be used for ER Infusion for COVID-19 positive patients. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Yesterday, we completed 14 infusions.
  • We have suspended non-emergent elective surgeries at NOMC next week. Requests for exceptions are being made on an individual basis. The Surgery Center remains open; however, our overall volume increase and acuity have necessitated us to limit Surgery Center capacity to 50%.
  • Unless business necessitates otherwise, all committee meetings remain suspended until further notice.
  • We will begin offering Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing by appointment Monday, Aug. 2. We will share more details about this service in Aug. 2 email update.
  • Visitor access remains stable with visitation guidelines that became effective July 22 remaining in force.
  • Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Jarreau reports Employee Wellness has returned 17 employees back to work since July 28. This leaves 61 out monitoring symptoms at home (10 RNs; 1 respiratory therapist).
  • Vice President of Surgical Services Terri Lewis reports that we have 10 surgeries at NOMC, 0 at the Surgery Center, 3 Cath Lab cases and 3 Endoscopy cases.
  • Chief Financial Officer Mark Anderson and Vice President of Finance Will Branson report that supply levels are good.

Vaccinations

  • Staff interested in getting the Pfizer vaccine can do so Tuesday, Aug. 3, from 1-2:30 p.m. in the 5th Floor Conference Room of the NOMC Tower. Self-schedule your appointment at https://empvaccine.nohs.org. Please print and complete the attached consent form and bring it with you to your appointment. If you have any questions, please contact Employee Services Director Tracy Pettigrew at ext. 5714 or Employee Wellness at ext. 5706.
  • Vaccinations also are available at North Oaks Urgent Care Clinics in Hammond and Ponchatoula Monday-Sunday from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Self-schedule an appointment at https://covidvaccine.northoaks.org. Volume is steady with 70 vaccines given yesterday in Hammond and 22 given in Ponchatoula.
  • If you have questions about vaccines, Dr. Robert Peltier encourages you to reach out to him personally at ext. 7755 or via email at peltierr@northoaks.org. He is happy to answer your questions confidentially by phone, email or in person. He welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence-based answers to assist you in making a decision that is right for you.

Infection Prevention

  • Infection Prevention Manager Amanda Morse reminds everyone to refer to “INFPREV_PROC_NOHS_Transporting the Isolated Patient” and “Infection Prevention Guidance_current 7.29.21” on OakLink for direction on transport of isolation patients. These policies cover transport for all types of isolation patients, including COVID-19 patients.
  • She also would like to thank everyone for your attention to proper masking and remind you to:
    • Pay attention to hand hygiene.
    • NO double masking.
    • Discard N95 mask after a single use.
    • Discard ear loop mask when soiled or when suspected contamination has occurred. Don a new mask as soon as possible.
    • NEVER put mask or other used PPE items down on work surfaces or on top of equipment.
    • Clean your work surfaces frequently. Never assume someone else has done the disinfection.
  • Keep the questions coming! Your engagement in Infection Prevention is very much appreciated! Infection Prevention Manager Amanda Morse can be reached at ext. 6414, and Infection Prevention Nurse Ashley Foster can be reached at ext. 6440.

Public Relations/Communications

  • Public Relations Coordinator Melanie Zaffuto reports increasing interest and coverage from local, regional and national media outlets respective to COVID positivity rates in our region, low vaccination rates and North Oaks Foundation’s “COVID 100” incentive happening tomorrow, July 31. Media attention has been further fueled by President Biden asking state governors yesterday to consider $100 cash incentives for vaccinations. Our foundation’s COVID 100 initiative is being used as an example of an incentive success story.
  • Just as Dr. Peltier welcomes staff questions about COVID vaccines, he continues to share evidence-based vaccination information with the public. He is responding to questions from the public at info@northoaks.org. Please feel free to share this email address with members of the public who may have questions to Dr. Peltier.
—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—