Ascension Michigan Announces Hotline, Triage Tents Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
MICHIGAN (CBS DETROIT) - Ascension Michigan announced a new hotline and triage areas have been set up as part of Ascension's emergency preparedness protocol amid the coronavirus outbreak.
These measures are being put in place to help distance individuals with a concern about COVID-19 exposure from the rest of our patient population, staff and health care providers.
For the safety of all people, if a person believes they have been exposed to COVID-19 and has developed a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath, they should call their health care provider immediately for instructions.
New Hotline number
Ascension is working to keep our community healthy during this time and prevent the spread of infection while helping to ease access to care. For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19, please visit our website: https://healthcare.ascension.org or call 833-981-0738.
Supplies and preparation
We are taking proactive steps with our distributor and suppliers to ensure access to supplies. We are arranging expedited shipments directly from manufacturers, assessing alternative products and taking advantage of our abilities as a national system to make intra-hospital inventory transfers when appropriate. The safety of our patients and caregivers is our utmost priority as we all work to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and care for all those in need. Visitor restrictions update To help protect the health and safety of our patients, families, health care staff and providers from the spread of COVID-19, Ascension Michigan is enforcing patient visitor restrictions for all of its hospitals and ambulatory sites.
These restrictions are consistent with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order, EO 2020-7. No visitors are permitted at Ascension Michigan hospitals except for:
- One visitor permitted for support of activities of daily living like bathing or eating for pediatric (under 21) and special needs patients
- One visitor for a surgery patient
- One visitor for a hospice patient
- One visitor for patients at the end of life
- One visitor for patients in serious or critical condition
- One birth partner (as well as a doula if participating in the birth)
- One visitor required to make a decision on behalf of the patient (patient's medical durable power of attorney, court appointed guardianship)
No visitors are permitted at Ascension ambulatory (outpatient) sites except for:
- One accompanying person that is necessary to support the delivery of care to the patient
- One accompanying person for a surgery patient
- One accompanying person for patients in serious condition
- One birth partner (as well as a doula if participating in the birth)
Any visitor meeting the above criteria must pass a health screening before entering any Ascension Michigan facility
Postponing elective surgeries
To help protect the health and safety of our patients, families, health care staff and providers from the spread of COVID-19, Ascension is following the CDC, Surgeon General, and American College of Surgeons guidelines which have recommended limiting elective services. Ascension Michigan began deferring all elective procedures on Tuesday, March 17. Elective procedures are those that have options in terms of timing/level of urgency to be completed, or are determined non-essential at this time. We recognize that each case is unique, so processes are in place to review requests for procedures that might be considered elective to determine issues of optimal timing and resource support.
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