Newswise — LOS ANGELES – In response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the rising number of cases in California, Keck Medicine of USC has announced the following precautions to protect staff and patients and reduce the spread of the disease:
Visitors & Patients
- All patients are being screened for COVID-19 and triaged for appropriate treatment, including remote treatment at home by a recently activated clinical team.
- When visiting hospitalized patients, only one visitor over the age of 14 will be permitted at a time; compassionate exceptions for critical situations will be granted.
- Non-essential visitors (such as vendors or community members) will not be granted access to any facility.
Staff
- All health care providers with Keck Medicine have been credentialed to practice telemedicine in order to expand capacity, enabling virtual visits with patients instead of in-person.
- Domestic and international travel has been restricted for staff. Those who have returned from international travel are being screened for COVID-19 and managed accordingly.
- An automated re-order system for supplies has been in effect to ensure facilities remained stocked. The health system is confident in its ability to provide sufficient supplies for our staff and patients and will continuously monitor the situation.
- Surge planning is underway, including temporary structures for additional clinical screening and isolation.
“We are being incredibly proactive and are enacting all necessary precautions at our facilities, both acute and outpatient, to protect our community and slow the spread of COVID-19,” says Rodney Hanners, COO of Keck Medicine of USC and CEO of Keck Medical Center of USC. “The well-being of our staff, patients and loved ones is foremost in our planning as we continue to provide a safe environment without compromising our exceptional patient care.”
“All of our procedures are developed for the maximum safety and care of our patients,” says Stephanie Hall, MD, chief medical officer of Keck Medicine. “The ability of our providers to provide virtual visits is an especially important development as we fight this outbreak, and just one of many ways we are protecting both our staff and patients.”
The World Health Organization has labeled COVID-19 a pandemic. In an ongoing effort to keep the public informed about the disease, Keck Medicine has created a COVID-19 website that will be updated regularly.
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Editor’s Note: Both Hanners and Hall are available for media interviews. For an interview, please contact Meg Aldrich at [email protected] or (323) 442-3941.
Keck Medicine of USC is one of only two university-based medical systems in the Los Angeles area. Its internationally renowned physicians and scientists provide world-class patient care at Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and more than 80 outpatient clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties.
Keck Medical Center was ranked No. 16 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2019-20 Best Hospital Honor Roll and among the top 3 hospitals in Los Angeles and top 5 in California. The hospital also ranked in the top 4 in urology (tie); top 10 in geriatrics; top 15 in ophthalmology, cardiology & heart surgery, gastroenterology & GI surgery and nephrology; top 20 in neurology & neurosurgery; top 25 in cancer; and top 35 in pulmonology & lung surgery.
For more information, visit KeckMedicine.org.
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