Washington County receives COVID-19, capacity and remodel update from Washington Regional Medical Center
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Summary
Washington Regional Medical Center told Washington County commissioners it has expanded screening, reports 13 employee COVID-19 cases since March (nine traced to household exposure), has rising emergency-department visits, is offering weekly community testing, and has completed a new roof while remodeling to expand inpatient capacity.
Washington Regional Medical Center leaders provided a written and verbal update to the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 8, reporting rising patient volumes, ongoing COVID-19 precautions and facility improvements.
The hospital reported its Emergency Department visits increased from 313 in May to 445 in August; inpatient/observation patient days were 107 in May and 129 in August, and swing-bed rehab days rose to 162 in August. The Rural Health Clinic recorded 444 patient visits in August.
WRMC described its employee screening protocols as “screen all employees every 30 days, temperature and symptom screening on arrival each shift, and PCR testing if symptoms are present.” The hospital reported 13 employees tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020, and that nine of those cases were traced to a potentially positive family member prior to the employee’s symptom onset or screening.
The hospital said it is partnering with MTWDH (Wes Grey) to offer mass public COVID-19 testing for Washington and Tyrrell counties every Tuesday in September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WRMC also outlined current visitation limits: no general ED visitation except for pediatric, cognitive-impairment or end-of-life cases; inpatients may have one immediate family visitor aged 18 or older from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., provided the visitor has no fever or symptoms.
On facilities, WRMC said a new roof was completed Sept. 8 and parking-lot paving work finished; remodeling will expand med-surg inpatient rooms from 12 to 21, add bariatric-capable beds and increase telemetry capacity. The hospital packet notes pending demolition of an old primary-care/doctors’ office building as part of the project.
WRMC circulated a press release announcing that Dr. Lee Anne Sorto (Clinical Operations Administrator), Matthew Alligood (Director of Nursing) and Sandra Lyle (Interim HR Director) were selected as fellows for the Duke–Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Program. Dr. Sorto was quoted in the release saying the program will help the organization “address the needs of their communities — especially those of vulnerable populations — and to become change agents within their practice settings.”
The board asked WRMC to continue providing written reports until in-person meetings resume.