Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital Weekly Update, May 19, 2020.

Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital Weekly Update, May 19, 2020.

The following was submitted by Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital:

If you have specific questions about hospital operations, please contact the hospital directly at 231-843-2591. The hospital does not respond to questions asked on the MCP or OCP Facebook pages

LUDINGTON — We encourage you to visit spectrumhealth.org/covid-19. The dashboard below reflects the 16-county region served by Spectrum Health. Local information can be found on the District #10 Health Department web site at www.dhd10.org.

As of Monday, May 18, 2020:

COVID-19 positive cases. There have been 27 confirmed cases in Mason County, 50 in Oceana County, 11 in Manistee County, and three in Lake County. Confirmed cases will be reported through the District Health Department. There have been 1,094 specimens collected at Ludington Hospital, with 379 of those tested in the Ludington Hospital laboratory and the remainder tested at the Grand Rapids Spectrum Health laboratory. Of those tested, 34 have had a positive result, which is 3.11% of the total specimens collected.

Spectrum Health to Launch In-House COVID-19 Antibody (Serology) Testing. The Spectrum Health laboratory has developed capabilities to perform in-house COVID-19 antibody testing and is able to complete approximately 1,000 COVID-19 antibody tests per day. Antibody testing is not intended to diagnose patients with acute COVID-19 disease. A positive antibody test indicates previous exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 but does not indicate immunity or protection against future infection. Testing is done through a blood test and will require a physician order.

Graph represents all of Spectrum Health System.

Preservation of PPE. Personal protective equipment is vital in keeping our team safe when caring for patients. With shortages of this equipment, Spectrum Health purchased a UV light disinfection system that can disinfect N95 masks up to five times, thus extending their usage. Spectrum Health has disinfected over 10,000 masks. This UV light system has allowed us to keep our teams and patients safe while maintaining a supply of personal protective equipment.

Appointments and procedures. In accordance with Governor Whitmer’s executive orders, Spectrum Health is resuming appointments and procedures for patients whose care cannot wait. With safety our top priority, we are contacting patients and inviting their return for necessary medical procedures. Our teams are taking extra precautions in social distancing protocols, personal protective equipment, facilities cleaning and patient testing where warranted. Safety will always be our number one priority for everyone we serve. 

Main entry to hospital reopens. The main entrance at the south side of the hospital has reopened for patients. Screeners are there to greet, assist with masks and hand sanitizer, and provide instructions if needed. Patients may wear their own masks to the hospital but will be asked to change into one of ours upon arrival and to apply hand sanitizer before and after handling masks. These protocols represent best practices for infection prevention and are designed for benefit of patients and team members alike. Thank you for your compliance.

Employer Resources from Spectrum Health.  A full page of resources is available at https://www.spectrumhealth.org/covid19/employerresources for all employers who are interested in learning more and getting information to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. A comprehensive employer guide is now available and can be downloaded from the site.

National Nurses Week and National Health Care Week.  These past two weeks, we have celebrated our health care team members in many different ways. Nothing has compared, however, to the support and gratitude the community has shown for their work and dedication. Thank you to all!