CRMC Prepares for COVID-19

COOKEVILLE Cookeville Regional Medical Center has been making preparations for COVID-19 (coronavirus) for several weeks by continuing to screen all patients for travel at all intake points and following updates from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Symptoms of COVID-19 are as follows:

  • Fever;
  • Cough; or
  • Shortness of breath

Unless symptoms are severe, it is recommended that people stay home and avoid close contact with others. If symptoms cannot be managed at home, it is recommended that a person who suspects COVID-19 call his or her healthcare provider first before entering a healthcare facility. When speaking with a healthcare provider in-person or by phone, be sure to note symptoms, travel history or if you were exposed to a person diagnosed with the virus.

CRMC would like to remind the public that basic hygiene will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Common sense measures as follows should be practiced by each individual:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

“Keep in mind that we should each be following the same precautions that we take during the flu season,” says Dr. Mark Pierce, CRMC Infectious Disease specialist. “Think of it like the flu – cover your cough, wash your hands, clean surfaces often…these basic things will help protect you from contracting COVID-19. If you are sick, stay home and don’t go out in public or to work to prevent spreading it to others.”

To help protect our patients, staff and the community, CRMC is taking the following precautions:

  • People with fever, cough, sore throat or other flu-like symptoms are not permitted to visit.
  • People who have traveled to a high-risk area for COVID-19 (currently China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and Japan) or who have had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 are not permitted to visit.
  • Healthy visitors are asked to wash their hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after visiting. They are also urged to cover sneezes and coughs with an elbow or tissue.

CRMC will continue to provide timely updates to the community as they become available. This is a rapidly evolving situation. More information may be found online at:

CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

TDH: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html

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