News Release December 11, 2020: Northern Inyo Healthcare District COVID-19 Status Report

Northern Inyo Healthcare District COVID-19 Status Report

News Release: December 11, 2020

Contact: Barbara Laughon, NIH Strategic Communications

(760) 873-5811 ext. 3415 | Barbara.Laughon@NIH.org

Inyo County residents, we need your help right now. As of this writing, Northern Inyo Healthcare District is experiencing a sharp increase in COVID-19 patients arriving at the Emergency Department. While the District is well-positioned with surge plans in place, our resources – especially when it comes to staffing – are limited. Our ability to transfer cases to large facilities in Nevada and Southern California is also very limited.

You are our first line of defense and we ask you to not ignore or discount the precautions you have been asked to take. Wear a mask, wash or sanitize your hands frequently, practice social distancing, and please avoid non-essential gatherings of any size outside of your home.

Our staff is managing the case load, but they are stretched. NIH remains within California staffing ratios right now, but if staff begins to fall ill, we will be in trouble. We have been working to secure supplemental staffing for some time, but that remains difficult as most of the nation’s healthcare facilities are seeking similar help.

NIHD’s Incident Command reviews the hospital’s status of operations each week. We continue to provide Limited Services but have added a modification. As of Monday, our surgery team will not be conducting non-emergent cases that would result in any overnight admissions. This step is being taken to protect our staff.

STATUS UPDATE

NIH COVID-19-Related Hospitalizations: Four new admissions this week for a total of 29 since March.

NIH Testing Positivity Rate: 14 % with eight positives in 24 hours out of 54 tests.

NIH Respiratory Care Unit: Yellow status with four patients in-house.

NIH Personal Protective Equipment & Testing Supplies: Status is good. NIHD will be able to protect staff with PPE and conduct COVID tests as we move forward.

Outpatient Clinic, Rehabilitation Services & Diagnostic Services Status: All clinics, Rehabilitation and Diagnostic services remain open to see patients. Mandatory screening, masks, and hand sanitation are required on the NIHD campus.