[UPDATE] An Employee With Southern Humboldt Health Care District Tested Positive for COVID-19

COVID-19 testing in the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory.

COVID-19 testing in the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory. [Photo from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services]

Southern Humboldt Health District’s Chief Executive Officer Matt Rees confirmed this morning that an employee of the district has tested positive for COVID-19.

Rees wrote us with a prepared statement late this morning.

He said,

With the spread of this coronavirus we knew at some point this might, and was even likely, to happen.  We have contacted the appropriate agencies and have started an investigation as well as additional testing.  This is in addition to our weekly testing of hospital and skilled nursing facility staff.  We have many other measures in place, as part of our mitigation plan, to keep our employees and patients safe.  Clinical staff wear personal protective equipment.  We have a stock of personal protective equipment and continuously inventory that stock.  We screen everyone who enters the district – employees, patients, vendors, and visitors.

Due to the ongoing investigation, we have temporarily restricted visitors again.

We encourage all to continue with the measures encouraged by public health such as wearing face masks, hand washing, and social distancing.  In addition, we encourage the community to get their flu shots, as contracting both the influenza virus and coronavirus can be particularly dangerous.  Lastly, we encourage smoking cessation, as that also increases the risk of complications due to COVID-19.  SoHum health can provide flu shots and smoking cessation support through clinic appointments.

UPDATE: Facebook post from Southern Humboldt Health District’s Facebook page:

On October 6th, the Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District learned that one of our staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was placed under a 14-day quarantine, and Humboldt County Public Health and Licensing and Certification have been notified. Contact tracing is underway, and all people who were in close, prolonged contact with the individual have been advised and tested. Follow up testing will occur over the next few days to ensure no additional infections are related to this case.
SoHum Health has a stringent mitigation plan in place that has been approved by the California Department of Public Health to keep our patients and staff as safe as possible. Unfortunately, with a virus as highly infectious as COVID-19 and 93 total employees interacting with the community daily, it was only a matter of time until one of our employees would contract the infection. It is because of the abundance of precautions that SoHum Health is taking, that we have gone this long without having a staff member contract the disease.
SoHum Health continues to have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) reserves, and we require all clinical and hospital staff to wear masks and face shields when interacting with patients. Every person entering the facility is screened for symptoms. Symptomatic individuals are redirected to an outdoor tent, where staff don full PPE before interacting with the patient. Staff in departments that interface with patients, including Nursing, Clinic medical providers, Radiology, Environmental Services, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Lab, are tested for SARS CoV-2 on a routine basis. It was through a routine swab test that this employee was identified as positive. We are fortunate that the regular testing that is in place allowed us to identify this infection sooner than we would have otherwise.
SoHum Health would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that COVID-19 is still very much present in our community. It is all of our responsibility to take action to reduce the spread of this disease, including regular hand washing, wearing a mask while in public, maintaining social distancing, and staying home and contacting your medical provider if you are feeling sick. As we head into the fall and winter season, we urge everyone to consider getting a flu shot to reduce their risk of contracting both of these viruses, which increases the risk of serious complications. Take steps to keep your immune system healthy with good nutrition, sufficient rest, and reducing your stress levels. We’re not out of the woods yet, but we can get through this and keep our community safe if we work together.
Questions can be directed to [email protected].

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17 Comments
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Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
3 years ago

Employees of SHCHD:

Be safe, be well, hang in there!

ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
3 years ago

Well, this is a bit of information. My wife is in that hospital and this is way too vague for me. They shut down the visitation 2 days ago – i.e. on the 5th.
1. What are they investigating? Will this lead to contact tracing? If so “started” is not a happy word 2 days later.
2. I’m told the employee did not work in the hospital wing – presumably had no patient contact. I know they don’t want to out the sick employee but I’d like some reassurance that (s)he had no contact with my wife.
3. Did they find out from a test? If so, when was the test taken? My understanding is that it still takes a couple of days to get results back. That could mean this sick employee was working for at least 2 days before detection, possibly more. Weekly testing sounds like too little too late even without a positive among the employees. Daily would be more reassuring. A weekly test could allow a COVID carrier to be around for 8 or 9 days undetected (7 days between tests and 2 days for results).
4. “Many other measures” Maybe so but having PPE with “clinical staff” wearing it and “screening” isn’t “many” measures. It is 2. These are good things to do, but have they disinfected the workspace of the sick employee? Have they got contact tracing going on? Are other employees in isolation? I distrust vague terms like “many”.

Remember when RRHC had a carload of COVID patients a few months ago. We got complete news about it. I wish that were true here too. Maybe I’m too sensitive because my wife’s life is at stake. She is ok with the situation, and she is there. So am I overreacting?

ED

P*** W***lies
Guest
P*** W***lies
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

This is a good example of how testing and transmission have no real connectivity.

We are dealing with a system that has largely been unclear on just about every aspect of this shutdown.

You remember what Joseph Stalin said about Voting. ..?

Just insert testing, and you have our top down control of this shutdown.

Best wishes to you and your Wife.

PW.

a neighbor
Guest
a neighbor
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

So sorry that your wife is in the hospital. Wishing you and your family all the best.
Have faith!

No Joke
Guest
No Joke
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

I guess it depends on whether the test was done because the person wasn’t feeling well or had contact with another case, or if they came up positive during a random surveillance test. If they suspected they were ill they probably didn’t go to work while waiting for test results. If they tested positive without prior symptoms, hopefully they were wearing a mask at work.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

Best wishes to your wife and to you ED.

Willie Bray
Guest
3 years ago

🕯🌳Hey what were they protesting at the Fortuna City Hall at 3:00pm got pictures but didn’t make out what were saying?

R.Hutson
Guest
R.Hutson
3 years ago
Reply to  Willie Bray

Regarding the protest in Fortuna, it’s a #MMIW gathering, they are trying to get attention on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous peoples. There’s a live stream on Redheaded Blackbelt Facebook page.

https://kymkemp.com/2020/10/06/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-rally-in-fortuna-wednesday/?fbclid=IwAR0qvj8BrXTlcvSQQJQh42_vm3kpDeO4aFlYY4LGTFCOtJ8BkLd2GD-OSW4

Willie Bray
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  R.Hutson

🕯🌳Thank you. Got pictures.

Bunny Wilder
Guest
Bunny Wilder
3 years ago

Yes ED you are seriously overreacting. Listen to your wife and have a little faith. It’s a hospital Ed they know what to do.

Swine
Guest
Swine
3 years ago
Reply to  Bunny Wilder

Hahahaha.. Donthey?

BonnieBlue
Guest
BonnieBlue
3 years ago
Reply to  Swine

Your user name says all anyone needs to know about you, Swine.

Tired or liberal's
Guest
Tired or liberal's
3 years ago
Reply to  Bunny Wilder

Hospital in Humboldt county, yeah right real assuring. Trump 2020 [edit]

BonnieBlue
Guest
BonnieBlue
3 years ago

Trump (got) Covid45 (in) 2020. He’s a Plague Super-Spreader. Now he’ll lose even biglier.

ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
3 years ago

Much more detail in this message, and more comforting

SoHum Health – Jerold Phelps Community Hospital

On October 6th, the Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District learned that one of our staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was placed under a 14-day quarantine, and Humboldt County Public Health and Licensing and Certification have been notified. Contact tracing is underway, and all people who were in close, prolonged contact with the individual have been advised and tested. Follow up testing will occur over the next few days to ensure no additional infections are related to this case.

SoHum Health has a stringent mitigation plan in place that has been approved by the California Department of Public Health to keep our patients and staff as safe as possible. Unfortunately, with a virus as highly infectious as COVID-19 and 93 total employees interacting with the community daily, it was only a matter of time until one of our employees would contract the infection. It is because of the abundance of precautions that SoHum Health is taking, that we have gone this long without having a staff member contract the disease.

SoHum Health continues to have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) reserves, and we require all clinical and hospital staff to wear masks and face shields when interacting with patients. Every person entering the facility is screened for symptoms. Symptomatic individuals are redirected to an outdoor tent, where staff don full PPE before interacting with the patient. Staff in departments that interface with patients, including Nursing, Clinic medical providers, Radiology, Environmental Services, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Lab, are tested for SARS CoV-2 on a routine basis. It was through a routine swab test that this employee was identified as positive. We are fortunate that the regular testing that is in place allowed us to identify this infection sooner than we would have otherwise.

SoHum Health would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that COVID-19 is still very much present in our community. It is all of our responsibility to take action to reduce the spread of this disease, including regular hand washing, wearing a mask while in public, maintaining social distancing, and staying home and contacting your medical provider if you are feeling sick. As we head into the fall and winter season, we urge everyone to consider getting a flu shot to reduce their risk of contracting both of these viruses, which increases the risk of serious complications. Take steps to keep your immune system healthy with good nutrition, sufficient rest, and reducing your stress levels. We’re not out of the woods yet, but we can get through this and keep our community safe if we work together.

Questions can be directed to [email protected].
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ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
3 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I was hoping you would. Glad to help out.