COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)

Washington Hospital is well prepared to care for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) patients.

We treat and handle all suspected coronavirus cases according to our infectious disease protocols. In addition, we follow strict guidelines as defined by the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes having designated isolation rooms in our Emergency Department and throughout our facilities, thus allowing us to keep patients with possible infectious diseases separate from others. The health and safety of our patients and visitors, as well as our staff, physicians and volunteers, remains a top priority for us.

Don't delay your health care. To learn more about Washington Hospital's precautions during COVID-19, go to www.whhs.com/dontdelay.

COVID-19 Testing

Washington Hospital has a Rapid Screening and Treatment Unit (RSTU) for patients with respiratory symptoms, including suspected COVID-19. While the RSTU is located outside of the Emergency Department on Civic Center Drive, it is part of the Hospital's Emergency Department and the patient's insurance will be billed for the service.

The RSTU is NOT an Alamda County COVID-19 community testing site. The patient's insurance will be billed for COVID-19 testing, but co-pays and/or deductibles are waived by most insurance companies for COVID-19-related services only. For the list of community testing sites in Alameda County, go to http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov/testing.aspx.

The RSTU is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All patients are seen in the Emergency Department when the RSTU is closed, but all patients are seen in separate private rooms for everyone's safety.

COVID-19 testing is only performed when patients have any of the following symptoms:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

The ED provider will determine if testing is performed on asymptomatic patients (patients without COVID-19 symptoms) who have been exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19.

An ED provider will call the patient with COVID-19 results when results are ready. Patients can also get test results by logging into their personal MyChart account, three to four days after the test is administered.

Convalescent Plasma Donation

Washington Hospital has joined more than 2,200 hospitals across the country in a government-supported program to administer convalescent plasma as a therapy for those who are severely ill with COVID-19. This is part of an investigational study led by the Mayo Clinic, which recently posted a report showing that this promising approach appears to be safe for COVID-19 patients.

The treatment entails harvesting antibody-rich plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19, then transfusing it into those who are newly infected with the virus. The hope is the convalescent plasma will help speed recovery and increase the odds of survival for those fighting COVID-19.

“The issue right now is there are not enough donors to meet the current need for convalescent plasma,” said Dr. Azizirad. “We encourage people who have recovered from COVID-19 to register with the Red Cross to donate plasma so they can benefit others in their community who are currently fighting the illness. We also hope local physicians will remind their patients who have had the virus to help in this way.” For more information on plasma donation, visit the Red Cross website at: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html

Temporary Visitor Restrictions

For your safety and in response to the shelter-in-place directive, starting Wednesday, March 18, we will not be allowing visitors in the Main Hospital and the Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion.

• Patients will designate a single individual who will be the point of contact for all information and conversations with your care team
• Point of contact will be responsible for sharing information with other family members or loved ones that should have this information
• A member of your care team will contact the designated point of contact at least once a day for a regular update, or more frequently if there are significant changes in your condition or care
• Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the caregiving team, which include end-of-life situations, parent of newborn and pediatric patients

We know that this change is not going to be easy. Please know this change is to ensure everyone's health and safety during this COVID-19 pandemic and to comply with the shelter-in-place directive. For technology options to help facilitate communication with patients in the Hospital, please call our HELP desk at 510.818.7099.

Impacted Services/Reduced Hours

Urgent Care: Open every day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Outpatient Lab Hours: Open Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sunday closed.

Women's Center Hours: Open Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Outpatient Imaging: Only urgent outpatient imaging studies are being done and require a special physician order. Central Registration should be contacted at 510.818.7410 to schedule orders marked as "urgent" by physician.

Recommendations to prevent illness overall include the following:

• Wash hands with soap and water
• If soap and water not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Follow shelter-in-place order
• Unless you work in an essential business, only leave your home for essential errands, such as purchasing groceries or picking up medications
• Practice social distancing—stay 6 feet from others—when you need to be away from your home

For more on coronavirus, we encourage you to visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Also, the Alameda County Public Health Department is an excellent local resource, and they have coronavirus information at http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov.aspx.

If you have questions or concerns about coronavirus, call your primary care physician. For all life-threatening emergencies, call your nearest emergency department for further instruction.

Donating to Washington Hospital

We thank the community for reaching out to inquire about how they can help Washington Hospital Healthcare System with the fight against COVID-19. Across the nation, hospitals both big and small, are facing an unprecedented challenge in a number of areas including hospital-grade personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers. The Hospital is constantly monitoring supply levels while continuing to aggressively investigate new vendor sources.

Anyone interested in donating to the Hospital can do so by contacting Washington Hospital Healthcare Foundation at 510.818.7350. We ask that items not be delivered to the Emergency Department or any other area of the Hospital without first contacting the Foundation.

These are difficult times for everyone, but we will continue to be here for the community. Patient, staff and physician safety is the number one priority and we thank you all for coming together to help.