News release:

(COLUMBUS, Neb.) – Columbus Community Hospital is fully – and safely –operational after previously suspending programs earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.

To protect the health of all patients, staff and visitors, CCH is continuing to use the following COVID-19 safety precautions:

· Everyone who visits the hospital will be given a mask and be required to wear it

· All CCH staff members will wear a mask as part of the hospital’s universal mask policy

· Increased cleaning and disinfection will be done throughout the hospital

· Social distancing will be reinforced in all waiting areas

· Patients and visitors will be prescreened for COVID-19 with questions that ask about international travel, COVID-19 symptoms and possible exposure to the virus

The hospital will also maintain its visitor policy that one healthy support person will be allowed per patient. This has to be the same support person throughout the duration of the patient’s stay and the support person must be 19 or older.

To support its ongoing universal mask policy, CCH is continuing to accept the donations of homemade, cloth masks. The masks are for visitor use to conserve medical masks for patients and health care providers. Those interested in donating masks, can contact Dorothy Bybee at dabybee@columbushosp.org or 402-562-4745.

In coming weeks, CCH will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and adjust its safety precautions and policies as necessary.

 

Local Case Numbers

As of August 27, CCH is not caring for any COVID-19 positive patients or persons of interest (PUI).

The East Central District Health Department (ECDHD) reported there were 55 active COVID-19 cases in their health district as of August 14. According to the ECDHD, the largest clusters of cases in the district were related to large social gatherings were attendees did not wear masks or practice social distancing.

 

They also released the following numbers on COVID-19 cumulative cases and recoveries on August 14:

· Boone County: 11 cases and 8 recoveries

· Colfax County: 707 cases and 690 recoveries

· Nance County: 10 cases and 7 recoveries

· Platte Country: 812 cases and 770 recoveries

 

ECDHD’s risk dial – which is available on their website – provides a general overview of the COVID-19 situation and risk in each of the district’s four counties: Boone, Colfax, Nance and Platte. The color-coded risk dial is divided into low risk (green), moderate risk (yellow), elevated risk (orange) and severe risk (red). The risks are determined using a number of factors including an overall positivity rate, weekly positivity rate, the trajectory of cases in the past 14 days, adult ICU availability, ventilator availability, community spread, testing availability and contact tracing.

As of August 14, Boone and Nance county were in the low risk zone, and Platte and Colfax county were in the moderate risk zone. These risk assessments are based on guidance from public health experts, but ECDHD noted that the risk dials do not replace federal, state, or local directed health measures. Likewise, they urged at-risk and vulnerable populations to take stringent precautions, regardless of the risk level in their area.

 

Test Nebraska at CCH

CCH has plenty of testing appointments available through its Test Nebraska site. Appointments are available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The tests take place at CCH’s outdoor testing site and sample collection takes no more than five minutes. People will be contacted via email with test results within about 72 hours.

People who are having symptoms of COVID-19 and would like to be tested through Test Nebraska, must register online at https://www.testnebraska.com/en. After registering through Test Nebraska, people will receive a QR code and be assigned a testing appointment at CCH.

Test Nebraska is a partnership between the state government and private companies to increase access to COVID-19 testing and reduce the spread of the virus. For more information on Test Nebraska, visit https://www.testnebraska.com/en.

Officials Urge Continued Safety Precautions

As services resume and businesses and schools reopen, community members are urged to continue to maintain COVID-19 safety precautions. In a recent press release from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Gary Anthone, chief medical officer and director of Public Health for DHHS, said these precautions are particularly important as school resumes.

“We recognize the many Nebraskans who are following prevention measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and encourage them to keep it up," Anthone said in the release. “With greater movement happening in communities as schools are back in session and colleges reconvene, these actions help protect everyone and preserve our hospital capacity.”

Parents of students, in particular, were encouraged to pay attention to possible signs of COVID-19 and keep their children home if they were running a fever or displaying other symptoms of COVID-19, including chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tiredness, muscle aches, headaches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Parents should then contact their child’s health care provider and consider scheduling a test.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our area, CCH is also encouraging local residents to continue practicing social distancing, wash their hands frequently, wear a mask in public, get tested and stay home if they are sick or have been potentially exposed to COVID-19.

Travel Restrictions and DHMs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its travel requirements so that people who travel out of the country or out of state are no longer advised to self-quarantine for 14 days when they return.

However, travel restrictions remain in place in Nebraska. The current directed health measures in Nebraska will be extended through September 13. These DHMs require people who are returning home from international travel to self-quarantine and self-monitor for 14 days upon their return. In addition to being under these statewide travel restrictions, Platte County remains under phase three DHMs.

The CDC advised travelers to follow state and local recommendations such as this DHM, wear a mask outside the home, follow social distancing guidelines, wash their hands often and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms when they return home.

For the latest updates on Nebraska DHMs, including a breakdown of phase three DHMs, visit: http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/default.aspx. For the latest information from the CDC, visit: https://www.cdc.gov.

Additional Resources At a recent press conference, Gov. Pete Ricketts highlighted the toll COVID-19 is having on people’s mental health and well-being. He urged Nebraskans who need support to call the Nebraska Family Helpline: 1-888-866-8660, Nebraska Rural Response Hotline: 1-800-464-0258 and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Highlights from these press conferences as well as other statewide COVID-19 information is available on the new COVID-19 website: https://coronavirus.nebraska.gov/Home.

As always, you can find the latest information on CCH’s response to COVID-19 on our website: www.columbushosp.org