In the midst of COVID-19, the administrative and medical professionals at Charleston Clinic, Tallahatchie General Hospital and Extended Care Facility have been on top of their game.
Proactively, they adopted and implemented strategies designed to protect their patients as well as the caregivers themselves, who must remain well in order to help the ill.
The hospital and Extended Care nursing home no longer allow visitors, and the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center, a part of the TGH campus, is closed as a precautionary measure.
On the heels of the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Monday announcement reporting the first positive novel coronavirus case in Tallahatchie County, Charleston physician Dr. Rob Carter posted on his Facebook page, matter-of-factly, “I guarantee it will be the first of many.”
However, he went on to stress, “The vast majority of people affected will have only mild symptoms and will not need any treatment.”
Discouraging clinic visits for all but the most severely ill, Carter said that he and other medical providers at Charleston Clinic “have started utilizing telephone visits in lieu of in-person visits,” and hope to begin telemedicine visits — technology akin to “FaceTime for providers and patients,” he explained — late this week.
Carter closed by saying, “Stay safe. Be vigilant. Remain calm. And wash your hands A LOT.”
The latest recommendations for preventive measures are:
• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly using soap and water. Effective handwashing takes about 20 seconds, and includes cleaning under fingernails, between fingers and washing the back of hands as well as the front.
• Stay home if at all possible, especially if you are sick. Avoid contact with anyone who is ill.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. When possible, cough, sneeze or blow your nose into a tissue, and throw the tissue away.
• Avoid crowds and any gatherings where 10 people or more would come into close contact.
• Practice social distancing, keeping at least 6 feet away from other people when you go out.
• Shop wisely by planning ahead so that you don’t have to go more than once a week.
• Call your doctor if you suspect that you have been exposed and are experiencing mild symptoms, especially shortness of breath, severe cough, fever or severe chest pain.
