Since word of COVID-19’s arrival in Seattle, close work has been done between Kootenai Health, Panhandle Health District, and other community agencies to develop a community plan and assess resources daily.

Part of this preparation includes creating two COVID-19 isolation units within the hospital, one on the medical unit, and another on one of the critical care units to accommodate sicker patients. Having these designated locations help limit staff and patient exposure to the virus when caring for suspected or positive cases within the hospital.

The medical unit, hosted on Kootenai Health’s newest addition, 3 East, consists of 32 patient rooms; all of which have been converted to negative pressure rooms. Negative room pressure is an isolation technique used in hospitals and medical centers to prevent cross-contamination from room to room. It includes adjusting the room’s airflow to allow air to flow into the isolation room but not out of the room. This is a common technique used to isolate patients with airborne illnesses.

In addition to these facility adjustments, all staff on these COVID-19 units are using hospital-grade personal protective equipment (PPE). This includes face masks, eye protection, face shields, gloves, and gowns. Many of these pieces can be sanitized and reused to preserve supplies. Everyone working on these units is trained according to CDC guidelines and industry best practices.

“We’re navigating all of this together as a unit,” 3 East nurse manager Jennifer Collins, RN, said. “We transitioned our unit to being COVID-19 only back on March 17. We’ve had time to learn these new workflows for this particular patient population and ensure our staff feel comfortable and prepared.”

Several other measures have been put in place to protect staff members and those outside the designated units. For example, only essential staff providing patient care are allowed on the unit, visitors are not allowed on the units (iPads and other means of communication are provided if needed), and nursing staff have learned extra skills to limit the number of people entering the patient rooms.

“Because the patients on this unit are either suspected to have COVID-19 or have already tested positive, we’re doing everything we can to protect ourselves and others,” Collins said. “We’re doing what’s called care clustering. This means our nurses do as much in one visit as possible. This helps limit the number of people going in and out of rooms.”

Each day staff members on these units are provided a detailed update on COVID-19, policy changes, as well as any updates to the CDC’s PPE guidelines. Because the hospital has only seen a couple of positive cases, clinical staff have had ample time to hone their COVID-19 skills and protocols and mentally prepare.

“Staff morale is good,” Collins said. “We’re not scared; we’re prepared. We are ready if we start to see a shift in cases. I think Kootenai is ahead of the curve in preparedness. I also think the community’s work in preventing the spread has gone a long way in heading off a large surge of patients in our area.”

In addition to the community’s effort in preventing the spread of COVID-19, Collins also commends those who have reached out to offer their support during such a difficult time.

“We’ve probably had things like food drop-offs or other treats weekly in addition to PPE donation and supportive messages online,” she said. “It’s wonderful to feel that our work is appreciated. As a unit we’ve been sending cards and cookies to the Spokane COVID units for moral support and acknowledging our own staff for their efforts.

“The truth is we have no idea if or when we’ll see a spike in cases here. We’re not seeing the same horror stories here that places like New York are experiencing. Not knowing if we will see something similar is hard. But this is why we got into health care — to help our community. We’re here and ready to care for people.”

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Kootenai Health and the Panhandle Health District are actively working to share information about COVID-19 with our community. You can find the latest updates and ways to protect yourself at cdc.gov/covid19. If you have questions about COVID-19 or think you may have the virus, call the Panhandle Health District COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-415-5225.