COVID-19 Updates

Updated 03/27/2020

This webpage will give you the latest guidelines for seeking medical care from Columbia Memorial Hospital and the CMH Medical Group. You can also get up-to-date news from CMH on Facebook and Twitter.

Coronavirus Self-Assessment

Staying Healthy

Viruses are microscopic organisms that vary from simple to highly complex. Each has unique traits, including how it moves from one person to another, how it infects people, and who it infects.

Viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics. They can only be prevented through vaccines and healthy habits. The best way to prevent getting and spreading viruses is by building these healthy habits into your everyday life:

Clean your hands often. See the sidebar for the best way to clean your hands.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday with a bleach-based cleanser. High touch surfaces include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
Take care of your immune system by getting proper nutrition, hydration, sleep and exercise.

Cleaning Your Hands, Tips from the CDC

Washing your hands often with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs. Here’s how:

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

When you can’t use soap and water to wash your hands, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60- to 95-percent alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

If You Are Sick

When you are sick, it’s important that you prevent spreading the virus to others. One thing that makes COVID-19 concerning is that it spreads quickly. Early data suggests that one sick person can infect several others.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, “The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in Hubei province and other parts of China. In the United States, spread from person-to-person has occurred only among a few close contacts and has not spread any further to-date.”

With any infection, you should:

Stay home when you are sick, unless you need medical care. Avoid public places, including work, school, stores, etc.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can; immediately clean your hands.
Clean your hands often.
Limit contact with other people in your household to prevent spreading the virus to them.
Avoid sharing items, including glasses, cups, utensils, towels.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to practice good hygiene. Together, we can slow or stop the spread of virus, including COVID-19, the flu and the common cold.

COVID-19 Visitor Policy

Effective March 27, 2020

Everyone entering a CMH facility must be screened for COVID-19. This is to protect patients, staff and the community and to comply with an Oregon Health Authority mandate.

You may be denied entry if:

You have a fever, productive cough or shortness of breath;
You have an exposure risk for COVID-19; or
You are not considered an “essential individual.”

Entry is limited to these essential individuals

Patients
Hospital staff, volunteers, medical personnel
Emergency responders (EMS, Fire, Police)
Vendors who require access to facility
Parents/legal guardians of minor or dependent patients
Family members visiting during end-of-life stages (limited for respiratory patients)
Birth support person

New limits on visitors and companions

As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, we have had to make many difficult decisions in the past few weeks. One change that may affect you is our visitation policy.

Most patients will no longer be allowed any visitors to the hospital or companions to appointments. This is the best way to protect our patients, staff and community from the coronavirus COVID-19. We understand that this may be distressing and we fully encourage you to use technology like Skype or Facetime to connect with each other.

Exceptions to this rule, include:

A parent or legal guardian of hospitalized minors or dependents.
A family member visiting during a patient’s end-of-life. This may be limited for patients with respiratory conditions.
A birth support person for maternity patients.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you need medical care, please call your primary care provider’s office, use a virtual urgent care (www.columbiamemorial.org/virtual-clinic), or visit an urgent care clinic.

Volunteer and Donation Opportunities

Clatsop County

Due to the nationwide shortage in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clatsop County Emergency Management is coordinating PPE donations for local clinics, long-term care facilities and first responders, and asks that local and regional businesses and non-health care industries consider donating PPE not currently in use.

Items accepted include any of the following items that are disposable and reusable, unopened and opened, expired and not expired:

Masks (N95, surgical, and procedural)
Gowns (disposable)
Gloves (exam type)
Eye Protection (goggles and eye shields)

All donated supplies will be redistributed to vulnerable healthcare partners who are on the front lines responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Donators will receive a donation letter that can be used for a tax deduction. If you require PPE for your own personal healthcare, please save those supplies for your use.

Starting Friday, March 27 donations will be accepted at the Emergency Management Office at Camp Rilea. These supplies will be coordinated by the Clatsop County Emergency Management and redistributed to local healthcare partners based on priority need. For questions and information: donate@clatsopeoc.com or 503-325-8645

Oregon State

Several communities have been providing donations to hospitals to help with COVID-19 response. The state has also been receiving a lot of request for homemade PPE, RVs for COVID recovery, and land for tent hospitals. To help with this, the state has setup a website you can refer community members to for donations: https://oregon-coronavirus-geo.hub.arcgis.com/

Recent News

Clatsop County Public Health Updates

Oregon Health Authority Updates

COVID-19 Resources

Online:

By phone:

CMH COVID-19 Community Hotline: 503-338-4699
For questions about symptoms, testing, medications, and patient education
211 Info for Oregon and SW Washington residents: 211 from a mobile phone or 503-222-5555 from a landline
Topics: Daycare, homelessness, resources and case workers are available for aid with utilities/food. This line is NOT staffed by medically trained individuals.
Clatsop County Health Department: 503-325-8500
For questions about exposure, employers or employees asking about going back to work. You will be encouraged to call your primary care provider for a medical assessment, which may include testing. If you don’t have a provider and need an assessment of symptoms, they will refer you to the CMH COVID-19 Hotline.
Washington State Department of Health: 1-800-525-0127
Current information about Washington State cases and risk to the public. They will encourage you to call your health care provider, if you have concerns about risk/exposure.