Archives: Covid-19 Updates

Face Mask protocol continues to be refined by all North Country Healthcare (NCH) partners.

North Country Home Health & Hospice Agency, a proud partner of North Country Healthcare, continues to work closely with the members of the North Country Healthcare Incident Command Team on the refinement of treatment plans for any Hospice patient who would test positive for COVID-19.

Please click here for important information about the use of nebulizers during this time of COVID-19 Telehealth services continue to be implemented for our patients, with more than 160 such appointments this week

If you or someone you know uses a CPAP/BiPAP machine during this time of COVID-19, please click here.

North Country Healthcare and our proud partners continue to work closely on refining surge planning.

North Country Healthcare affiliates welcome and greatly appreciate your support. Would you like to donate your time, talent or resources? A link to indicate how you'd like to lend your support will be available shortly. Items particularly welcomed include N95 masks, gowns and hand sanitizer. Thank you for your kind generosity to date.

Please remember to practice social distancing. NCH-affiliate hospitals conducted remote press conferences with area media. Questions about COVID-19 testing? Please click here.

North Country Healthcare affiliates continue to work closely with community partners on enhancing available care options and resources. The NCH Incident Command Center members continue to meet, as they have daily for multiple weeks. Planning and best practices continue to be shared. We are also working closely with our nursing homes to remain connected virtually for patient review.

In order to help us make critical and judicious decisions at all of our NCH partner locations regarding COVID-19 testing, we encourage individuals to call their primary care provider (or dial 2-1-1 if you do not have a primary care provider) to determine next steps in terms of patient care. Thank you.

North Country Healthcare partners continue to acquire resources including personal protective equipment donated by our community members. Hand sanitizer, facemasks and surgical gowns are welcome. Those interested can contact your local NCH affiliate.

The proud partners of North Country Healthcare remind you to please take these three steps if you begin to exhibit a fever, cough or shortness of breath: 1) Call your primary care provider and follow all of his/her instructions. 2) If you don't have a primary care provider, please dial 2-1-1 or the nearest primary care office. 3) Do not visit a hospital emergency room without receiving prior arrival instructions from that medical facility.

Please click here to view a letter to the community from North Country Healthcare Chief Executive Officer, Tom Mee, RN, BSN, MBA.

MRI services will continue to be available at Androscoggin Valley Hospital for emergent needs. Telehealth services continue to be deployed for specialty clinics, emergency care, and more.

In our ongoing abundance of caution, North Country Healthcare (NCH) facilities have suspended accepting cash payments in-person and accepting customer service walk-ins. Those looking to make a payment are encouraged to use mail or online means, as available. Medical Records may be picked-up curbside, as available. Please call ahead. Telehealth options for specialty and emergency care continue to be established at NCH facilities.

First and foremost, thank you to all who have expressed an interest in or who have already donated supplies including N95 masks, hand sanitizer and gloves. Please feel free to contact your respective North Country Healthcare (NCH) facility if you would like to contribute. NCH facilities are increasing the use of telehealth resources available for our Hospitalists, numerous specialty providers, Home Health providers, and Emergency Department providers. Screening of patients and employees continues at NCH facilities.

In our ongoing abundance of caution, North Country Healthcare has restricted visitors to all our facilities, and effective Tuesday, March 24, will temporarily suspended outpatient specialty services. Wherever possible, we will make every effort to utilize technology to provide services between a patient's home and the respective healthcare provider. We will contact patients for whom this option will exist. In addition, all routine laboratory tests, screening mammography, bone density, routine ultrasound, routine stress tests, pulmonary function tests, and Physical and Occupational Therapy within our hospitals have been postponed until the current public health crisis has been lifted. If you have any questions about emergent laboratory testing for therapeutic reasons, please contact your ordering healthcare provider to ensure that your need can be met. Some of our provider practices have the ability to draw blood and send it for testing. Recognizing the pandemic of COVID-19, we are taking every measure possible to best ensure the health and well-being of our patients, providers, nurses and staff. We are dedicated to serving our communities and appreciate your ongoing trust, patience and understanding.

In order to promote and best ensure a high-quality, healing environment, Androscoggin Valley Hosptial, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, and Weeks Medical Center are closed to visitors. Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) and Laboratory tests which are not medically necessary have been suspended.

Dear North Country Residents and Visitors, Despite the fact that COVID-19 was unexpected, the proud partners of North Country Healthcare (Androscoggin Valley Hospital, North Country Home Health & Hospice Agency, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, and Weeks Medical Center) remain committed to our collective Mission of assuring consistent, high quality, accessible, and integrated healthcare to the communities we serve. However, as we adjust to these unprecedented times, that care may just look a little different. As we continue to demonstrate and promote CDC guidelines of social distancing (remaining six feet from one another), washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezing into your elbow, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces daily, and staying home if you are sick, we recognize that our ongoing efforts to best ensure public health require us to take additional steps. In recent days, our NCH facilities have: - Restricted visitors to just one individual aged 18-59, per patient; - Limited access of our Cafeteria to just providers and staff; - Begun verbal and temperature screenings at entrances; - Suspended our volunteer programs to ensure their and our patients’ and staffs’ health; - Initiated telephone screenings with our Home Health patients prior to home visits. We also realize that it is critical that we not only continue to care for our patients now, but also look ahead to what future needs might be. As such, we have made the difficult decision to postpone elective procedures (those which can safely be postponed) at Androscoggin Valley Hospital, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, and Weeks Medical Center. We are taking this action to ensure that we can continue to have the proper amount of space (beds) and personal protective equipment available should further developments occur. In addition, as referenced earlier, this will significantly help in terms of social distancing for both staff and patients. Please know that as we move forward during these challenging times, we have every confidence in the expertise of our providers, nurses and staff as we collectively remain focused on keeping our friends, associates, and neighbors healthy. We thank you for the trust that you have placed in us. Please continue to review the latest CDC guidelines for up-to-date information regarding COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. North Country Healthcare updates will also be available at this site.

North Country Healthcare facilities implementing series of questions and temperature screening for arriving patients and visitors. North Country Healthcare continuing to explore available virtual visits for patients off-site.

North Country Healthcare and our affiliates continue to implement precautionary measures to best ensure patient and staff safety relative to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Effective immediately and until further notice, NCH facilities are now restricted to patients, one visitor (aged 18-59) per patient, our healthcare providers, and NCH and NCH-affiliate staff. Our Cafeterias are closed to members of the public. In addition, all public meetings and classes at NCH-affiliate locations have been suspended.

No visitors under the age of 18 are allowed during this time, since young people are potential infectors without necessarily being ill themselves. No visitors over age 59 to minimize their risk of infection. Visitors will continue to be screened for flu-like or respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath. Any visitors with obvious signs of illness will be asked kindly to leave.

Outpatients will be screened via telephone to ensure a symptom-free environment for those within clinics/hospitals.

Rigorous control standards (social distancing, washing hands often with soap and water, avoiding contact with sick people, etc.) reinforced within community.

North Country Healthcare Incident Command Center opens. Clinical and support staff fitted for personal protective equipment and purifying air respirators. “The providers and staff of North Country Healthcare partners continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and are working closely with the New Hampshire Hospital Association,” commented Tom Mee, RN, BSN, MBA, System, Chief Executive Officer, North Country Healthcare. Steps which New Hampshire residents can take now to protect themselves include: • Staying home and avoiding public places when sick (i.e. social distancing) • Covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing (into your sleeve and not into your hands) • Washing hands frequently • Avoiding being within six feet (close contact) of a person who is sick • Avoiding sharing drinks, smoking/vaping devices, or other utensils or objects that may transmit saliva • Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces