Samaritan COVID-19 preparation discussed

MOSES LAKE — A 24-hour hotline for people seeking information about COVID-19 symptoms, operated by Samaritan Healthcare, is getting enough traffic it had to be expanded to seven days a week. Director of Nursing Jan Sternberg said the hotline is getting 20 to 50 calls during the day and 10 to 15 calls during the evening.

The hotline was established to reduce unnecessary visits to the Samaritan Hospital emergency room and Samaritan Clinic, and help keep the system from getting overwhelmed, Sternberg said. Calls have come from throughout the state, even from out of state. The hotline is part of the plan to handle a possible influx of patients as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was discussed at the regular commission meeting Tuesday.

Samaritan officials also established a testing facility for possible COVID-19 cases, and Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan said it too has expanded its operation to seven days a week.

Sullivan said hospital officials don’t know when, or even if, a surge of patients is coming. She said Grant County Health District officials are in a better position to answer that question.

Commissioners approved a policy temporarily waiving some requirements for medical professionals to work at Samaritan Hospital. Cecelia Trydestam, chief of the medical staff, said doctors wouldn’t be asked to work outside the scope of their licenses, but that some medical professionals who normally don’t practice at the hospital could work there temporarily.

Physician participation would be voluntary. Some medical professionals are in high-risk categories, and they shouldn’t be in a situation that puts them at greater risk, Trydestam said.

Commissioner Alan White asked about an earlier estimate, that the hospital could be required to accommodate up to 200 patients. Sullivan said that as of Tuesday the plan, which is scheduled for completion Friday, still is being written for up to 200 patients.

In answer to a question from Dale Paris, Sullivan said that projection includes patients from throughout the county, not just the Moses Lake area.