Ready, Willing and Able
Mercy Medical Center collaborates with other health care providers to develop a county-wide preparedness plan in response to the COVID-19 threat.
Story by Dick Baltus Photo by Robin Loznak
There were warning signs that a potentially serious health challenge was in the air at the end of 2019, but the extent to which a new and highly contagious virus could impact America was unknown. So who could possibly know what to expect from COVID-19 in Douglas County?
Local health officials didn’t know much for certain, but that didn’t stop them from activating quickly once it became apparent COVID’s reach could be widespread and potentially deadly.
Dr. Jason Gray, chief medical officer for CHI Mercy Health, started hearing and reading about COVID last December. At the time, it was a problem that was happening overseas. Even so, he was concerned about the potential implications closer to home.
“It wasn’t long before I started paying closer attention, but information was sparse and what I could find was incomplete,” he says.
Using the available information, Gray began comparing what he was learning about COVID with how similar contagions like SARS and MERS had acted, trying to arm himself with as much knowledge as he could about coronaviruses. By February, as the first domestic case of COVID was reported in neighboring Washington state, Gray knew it was time to mobilize locally.
“We realized we needed to begin to formally prepare a coordinated community-wide response,” he says. “We invited representatives from Douglas County, Emergency Medical Services, Public Health and others to a meeting to discuss the potential impact on supplies, staffing and other resources.”
One of that group’s first undertakings was to find a resource to supply the high volume of PPE (personal protective equipment) that would be needed to ensure the safety of staff and patients at Mercy Medical Center, its affiliated provider offices and in other medical clinics in Douglas County, such as Aviva Health and Umpqua Health as well as other front-line workers and first responders.
“Our primary goal was to keep our healthcare staff and first responders safe,” says Gray. “We had to consider the uncomfortable question of ‘Who will take care of the caretakers if they contract the disease?’”
While local providers traditionally have relied on importers for much of their PPE, the pandemic required them to find other, more reliable sources. “The incredible purchasing and materials team at Mercy, partnering with Douglas Public Health Network, was able to source some PPE domestically, and our community stepped up in a big way with businesses donating N95 masks, even manufacturing reusable and washable gowns. Community volunteers also sewed and donated face coverings, masks and surgical bonnets,” says Gray.
By February, as the first domestic case of COVID was reported in neighboring Washington, Dr. Jason Gray knew it was time to mobilize locally.
Many other community supporters also stepped in to help. Oregon Serigraphics and FCC Commercial Furniture were instrumental in creating PPE for the community, and Caddock Electronics underwrote a large purchase of N95 masks.
“At this point in time we have a stable supply of PPE,” Gray says. “We are well prepared if we were to see a spike in COVID cases locally.”
Beyond obtaining needed supplies, the community group worked together to define their specific roles and responsibilities to ensure a highly coordinated response to potentially rapidly changing conditions. The county established a dedicated incident command team to oversee the coordination of community activities and public health, while Mercy assumed the natural role of caring for inpatients, quickly working to ensure the hospital was ready.
“In March, we converted one of our units into a ward that could be devoted exclusively to COVID patients if needed,” Gray explains. “That enabled us to add 30 COVID-dedicated beds as well as six critical-care beds that were staffed and ready to go. Fortunately, we never had to use them, but we kept that ward ready for about a month. It was a good exercise to go through because now we have a playbook and, if needed, we can set it up again within a 72-hour period.”
The Veterans Affairs Medical Center also has played an important role in the community response, helping repurpose and extend the use of N95 masks and agreeing to handle patients if needed.
“The VA would take some of our less-acute patients if needed,” Gray says. “That would include patients who weren’t veterans. Getting permission to do that took quite a bit of leadership at the local level, and we really appreciate that.”
Gray adds that he has been impressed with the way Douglas County’s community of care providers has come together to ensure an extremely high level of preparedness. “It’s been amazing to see everyone work together, learn new skills as needed, focus on preserving supplies in their own practices and more, all while they are doing their normal jobs of taking care of patients. It’s one of the benefits of living in smaller town—when a crisis happens, everybody comes together.”
To date, only a handful of patients have been hospitalized at Mercy with COVID symptoms, Gray says. Most people who have presented with symptoms have been healthy enough to receive care at home. But if conditions change, Mercy is prepared.
“I am quite confident we can handle a fairly large surge if it should happen.”
In May, Mercy resumed treating patients for elective procedures and, while volumes aren’t back to normal, they are getting close, Gray says.
“We’re within about 10 percent of normal,” he says. “There are still people who are hesitant about getting care during this time, but now is probably the best time to be having an elective procedure given everyone’s heightened awareness of infection prevention and commitment to patient safety.”
While Douglas County’s care providers are now well prepared to handle what COVID may bring in the future, Gray says the community plays a critical role in limiting the virus’s potential impact locally. He stresses the importance of preventive care, including social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently and getting a flu shot early in the fall.
“Wearing a mask may not be comfortable, but the benefits to other people are immense,” he says. “It’s a simple measure that can really help prevent the spread of this virus and help speed the return of our community to some semblance of normalcy one again.”
