LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Two Arkansans are being tested for COVID-19, the illness associated with the current outbreak of coronavirus. While no cases have been confirmed in Arkansas, local hospitals say they are ready if and when one happens.
Representatives for many of the primary hospitals in Little Rock indicated they are prepared in the event a patient shows up and meets the criteria for coronavirus testing. Arkansas Heart Hospital is the first to change its procedures as a preventative step.
A small team of nurses greets everyone who enters the building. They take the person’s temperature behind their ear, then ask whether the person had been out of the country in the last 14 days or come in contact with anyone who had been out of the country during that period.
“In looking at the climate with influenza and coronavirus spreading, we thought that it would be appropriate to limit exposure for our patients and for our staff,” said Dr. Scott Beau, Arkansas Heart Hospital’s medical director.
Additionally, only two visitors aged 15 and older may visit any patient at a given time. Dr. Beau said Arkansas Heart Hospital had never enacted visitor restrictions before.
“I think the flu vaccine is about 50 percent effective this year,” he explained. “So, it’s not as good as some years, better than in others. But, with the spread of coronavirus in addition to the flu, and with the overlap of symptoms between these conditions, we thought it would be appropriate to limit exposure at this point.”
Dr. Steppe Mette, Chief Medical Officer at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said it has no plans to implement similar visitor restrictions.
“COVID-19 is a real public health concern,” he stated. “We need to take it seriously. We’re confident that we have the training and the resources and the personnel to manage any patient—actual or possible—that shows up here.”
Dr. Mette said communication has been streamlined among the multiple UAMS facilities and colleges to make sure all students, professors, and staff know the screening criteria for potential coronavirus infections and what to do should a patient meet those criteria.
“I have a high degree of confidence that we are ready to do so,” he said. “But, it’s that degree of anxiety or making sure that we really are ready to take care of a patient who shows up here.
“The symptoms are not specific, so one has to have a high degree of suspicion. So, it’s the traveler or the contact, and then the symptoms, which are fever and lower respiratory tract symptoms: cough, shortness of breath.”
UAMS has 30 negative pressure rooms in which patients with infectious diseases such as COVID-19 can be isolated. Air is pulled from the hallway into the room to prevent germs from spreading, and Dr. Mette said UAMS is stocked with N95 respirators in case doctors and nurses need to move a patient to a different area.
Dr. Mette said many of the procedures staff members have been trained to follow come from previous concerns about viruses such as Ebola or SARS.
“For Ebola, which was a little bit more extreme, it required a little bit more preparation,” he recalled. “We were well-versed in how to take care of those patients, or suspected patients. So, it’s easy to translate the learnings from what we did in preparation for Ebola in 2014 to now, although there are some differences.”
Dr. Beau said he is not surprised that Arkansas Heart Hospital is the only one in the city to enact visitor restrictions. He mentioned that Arkansas Heart Hospital is a small facility with one, easily-controlled main entrance. UAMS, by contrast, has a large main campus with multiple ways in and out of each building.
“So far, I’ve been checking in with the screeners at the doors, and the overwhelming response has been positive from the patients,” he mentioned. “They’ve been thankful. It’s similar, I guess, to when you go through any other screening process. It’s for the patients’ safety, it’s for the staff’s safety, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive and understanding.”
Dr. Beau added that the screening is fast, non-invasive, and has minimal impact on the hospital’s operations or visitors’ experience. He suggested that everyone wash their hands and take common-sense precautions rather than isolate themselves in fear of a disease that has not yet reached the state. “I think we can only be so careful, and at some point, have to continue doing our daily lives,” he stated.
A spokesman for Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System said it has all the supplies and given its staff all the training they will need to interact with and treat someone who comes in showing signs of COVID-19.
A representative for CHI St. Vincent said in an emailed statement, “The safety of our visitors, patients, employees and physicians remains our highest priority. We want to assure the community that CHI St. Vincent is closely monitoring all developments with COVID-19 and we are prepared to identify, isolate and treat any potential patient who seeks care at our facility. We are in contact with local and state health officials as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our staff is following the latest guidance from these public health agencies. CHI St. Vincent has the supplies and equipment needed to effectively manage the care of any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients and we are continuously assessing the volume of supplies at our hospitals.
“We also continue to update the way we identify patients who may have COVID-19 as changes are made to the case definition. We have a screening tool and algorithms as part of our electronic health record system that help clinicians evaluate patients who may have the virus, and we are asking those visiting our facilities if they are experiencing any symptoms consistent with infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Additionally, communication with our employees and physicians is of the utmost importance and we have implemented added trainings for our employees and regularly conduct exercises for clinicians and staff on the correct procedures for using personal protection equipment while treating patients who may have COVID-19.
“We will continue to adjust our approach to make sure we are as prepared as possible to treat cases in our community.”