Transition 
News
EMS Partners,
As we move into the second half of our Kingsport market transition I wanted to provide you with some points for your review and distribution to your personnel:
· Effective at midnight tonight/tomorrow morning (4/22), all OB/GYN services will transition from HV to IPCH. This change will be permanent.
· As I shared last week, the pause on medical and surgical admissions at IPCH remains temporary as we continue working through the pandemic event.
· All OB/GYN patients in the Kingsport market should be routed to IPCH, with the exception of your OB trauma patients, which will continue to have their destination determination according to your respective state trauma destination guidelines, and your departmental SOP’s.
· The ED at IPCH remains open with no changes.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any questions you have. Rebecca Beck is the administrative sponsor for this transition and she, too, will be glad to assist you.
Sincerely,
Anita Perry
UPDATES REGARDING COVID-19 PROCESSES
ER INTAKE
The following information relates to the transport of COVID-19 patients and the appropriate processes for intake at the ED’s. It is the goal that appropriate patients will be cared for at their local health departments, or at home. Many measures have been put into place across the region to assist with this.
Please work with your respective dispatch centers to ensure the screening questions suggested by the CDC are being asked.
The current Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put stress on healthcare providers all over the world. In addition, patients are crowding (and often overcrowding) healthcare facilities and especially Emergency Departments (ED) located in those facilities.
On March 10, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provided updated guidance for EMS agencies and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States. Major changes are outlined below, but please refer to the complete guidance document to assist with COVID-19 planning activities.
;'
Free hand sanitizer, please call the EMS Council and request a FREE CASE of hand sanitizer for your EMS Agency.
COVID-19 Guidelines and Resources
The Southwest Virginia EMS Council has created this page to provide information related to the COVID-19 crisis to our regional EMS agencies and providers. We have just released guidance for EMS agencies as you respond in your communities to possible and confirmed COVID-19 cases. It is essential for EMS agencies and providers to be diligent in addressing patient care during this public health emergency. Understanding proper techniques for limiting exposure and the spread of disease is vital. The resources linked below contain the latest available information. Refer to these sites frequently. Review guidelines for proper use of PPE, and pay attention to urgent communications being sent by various stakeholders. To assist our agencies and providers, new protocols and guidelines have been approved by the regional Medical Direction Committee for immediate implementation. Please discuss these with your operational medical direction. These are available on our mobile app and attached here: