Oswego Health Is Prepared

OSWEGO COUNTY – Since COVID-19 (coronavirus) was first declared a public health emergency in January and the first positive case was reported on March 22 in Oswego County, key medical staff and senior leadership within the Oswego Health network have been meeting daily to be prepared to meet the needs of the community to ensure preparedness plans are in place.

Our response to this pandemic is carried out in close collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), the Oswego County Health Department and our emergency responders.

“I am confident in our team here at Oswego Health and we will do everything that we can to support the community and our employees during this time,” said Chief Medical Officer, Duane Tull, MD. “We do around the clock training with all medical staff and have protocols in place which prioritize the safety of our patients and our staff.”

As an organization, we are grateful for the leadership of Terri Hammill, RN, ICP, Director of Infection Prevention & Environmental Services and Katie Pagliaroli, RN, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, who have been at the forefront of the crisis, educating and training our staff.

We are truly lucky to have them as part of our team and with their guidance we have established a COVID-19 task force which has representation from infection control, engineering, environmental services, nursing, physicians and leadership that participate in daily updates and preparedness response.

We work hand-in-hand with the Oswego County Health Department and have weekly calls with the Office of Emergency Management, community physicians, first responders and senior living facilities throughout Oswego County to offer support and resources.

In addition, as a healthcare system we participate in the weekly calls with Governor Cuomo to bring the latest CDC and WHO recommendations back to our staff and community. 

Oswego Health Response to COVID-19

• Effective March 14, visitation has been suspended to Oswego Hospital, Fulton and Central Square Urgent Care Centers, Seneca Hill Manor, Springside at Seneca Hill, and all Medical Offices throughout Oswego County, except when medically necessary (i.e. visitor is essential to the care of the patient) or for family members or legal representation of patients in imminent end-of-life situation. Any visitor meeting these exceptions will be screened according to the New York State Department of Health Order.
• On March 18, a mobile testing site was operationalized outside of Oswego Hospital on West 7^th Street as a proactive measure to provide the community with a safe environment for quick COVID-19 testing. 
• Effective March 22, all patients and employees are safely screened for symptoms prior to entering all health system locations. 
• On March 24, Oswego Health submitted a surge plan to NYS that would allow us to increase our staffed acute care beds from 44 to 95, more than doubling our capacity, should our community need this level of care and support. The plan was a combined effort between infection control, engineering, environmental services, nursing, our physicians and leadership. Construction on the third and fourth floor of the hospital has been temporarily stopped in order to mobilize the new rooms as part of this plan. We also are subscripting areas throughout the hospital for use and repurposing. The surge plan will ultimately double our ICU beds to 16 and we have been able to identify 23 ventilators to use as needed. 
• As of March 25, all elective surgeries were canceled until further notice.
• Across the entire healthcare system including the three Oswego Health primary care practices and all specialty services, patients can now consider telemedicine options. With the use of telemedicine, patients can communicate with their provider through secure video chats. Patients can expect a phone call from the staff to ensure that they are ready for the call. The provider then establishes a video link via secure technology that allows real-time two-way communication.

Oswego Health is thankful for the continued encouragement during this unprecedented time. We are incredibly touched by the support of so many businesses, donors and friends. In addition, it is truly amazing to see the dedication and commitment of our medical staff, employees and all Oswego County community physicians as everyone is willing to step up to serve when the community needs it most. 

Oswego County is our community, and the safety and well-being of our residents has always been and remains our main priority.  

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