Local Coronavirus Guidelines

Howdy folks. Over the years and who knows how many books and talks and whatnot, I’ve overshared pretty much everything, but I do have a few things I try to keep off the page and do just as Joe Citizen. One of them is serving as a volunteer member of a local hospital board. The heads of the health system (Mayo, in this case) have asked that I share the following information with folks in my northwestern Wisconsin neighborhood. As you know, this is all evolving by the hour, but here’s the latest as of Monday afternoon, March 16, 2020:

What we’re telling patients to do

• If a patient is showing any sign of possible coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, they should contact their local clinic.  They will be directed to our dedicated COVID-19 Nurse Line, which activated last week.  If they meet testing criteria, they’ll likely be directed to one of our local testing sites.  Triage remains our best line of defense against high risk exposure for either our staff or our patients.
• We’re also reminding patients to keep healthy – wash their hands, avoid touching their face, distance themselves from others, and practice appropriate self-care, including staying home when they’re sick for any reason.  We’re also recommending they have a personal care plan in place in case they or a family member is directly affected by the virus.

What we’re telling patients NOT to do

• This virus spreads rapidly and we’re requesting that patients do NOT come into a clinic to be tested.  We’re asking patients to call first to be triaged, and if they meet criteria, we’ll likely direct them to the closest testing site.

More info here.