Update: August 20, 2021

—FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY—

Words of Comfort and Inspiration: “As I round throughout the hospital, I keep hearing a common phrase: ‘I’m just taking one day at a time.’ This is one way to focus on the task at hand. Taking one day at a time does include planning and preparing for tomorrow. But I like to think of it as: taking care of yourself today with positive self-care, taking care today of your family and your friends and taking care today of those who are suffering and have come to us for our help. Let’s take one day at a time as we hope and pray for a better tomorrow.”—Pastoral Care Director Keith Kincaid

State Stats (increases/decreases since Aug. 18)

643,993 COVID-19 cases (up 12,156)
11,851 COVID-19 patient deaths (up 145)
3,013 COVID-19 patients hospitalized (up 1)
476 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (up 35)
As of Aug. 11, unvaccinated COVID-19 patients account for:
89% of cases
80% of patient deaths
91% of hospitalizations.
Tangipahoa Parish’s positivity rate decreased from 17.8% to 15.9% over the new reporting period of Aug. 4-11, which was shared by the state on Aug. 18 at 12:30 p.m. Incidence rate also has dropped. We are certainly moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, this is just a local trend. Everywhere else in the state, the number of hospitalizations continues to rise. Also, ventilator usage has increased almost 10% statewide.

NOHS Stats (increases/decreases since Aug. 18)

NOMC:
- 87 COVID-19 patients hospitalized (down 7)
- 17 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (up 1)
- 5 COVID-19 patient deaths
NORH: 20 patients (1 COVID+); 1 possible admit
Hood: 14 hospitalized (0 COVID+); 1 COVID+ ED boarder
Tested 34,598 with 2 tests pending (up 386)
5,551 positive test results for inpatients/outpatients combined (up 92)
1,469 COVID-19 patients recovered (up 27)

Staffing & Volume

MICU 2 has 5 patients.
ER has 12 boarders as of 7:30 a.m., 2 of whom are COVID+.
We are on diversion for everything but trauma and stroke.
Staffing remains extremely tight with all supplemental staffing contingency plans remaining active.
ER Infusions continue on Med I with 58 infusions performed since Aug. 18.
Non-emergent elective surgeries are suspended for next week. Requests for exceptions are being made on a case-by-case basis. Today’s Surgical Services schedule is as follows:
4 at NOMC
0 at Surgery Center
5 Cath Lab cases
3 Endoscopies.
Drive-Thru COVID Testing by appointment remains open with 165 individuals served since Aug. 18 and 16 appointments scheduled so far today.
Employee Wellness returned 9 employees back to work since Aug. 18, leaving 47 out monitoring symptoms at home (15 RNs; 0 respiratory therapists).
Clinics are stable.
Supply levels are good. We have more than enough PPE.

Infection Prevention Top 5

NEVER put mask or other used PPE items down on work surfaces or on top of equipment.
NO double masking.
Discard ear loop mask when soiled or when suspected contamination has occurred. Don a new mask as soon as possible.
Discard N95 mask after a single use.
Pay attention to hand hygiene.
For further assistance, contact Infection Prevention Manager Amanda Morse at ext. 6414 or Nurse Ashley Foster at ext. 6440.

Vaccinations

Employee vaccination rate = 66%
Vaccinations are available at our Urgent Care Clinics from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday. Self-schedule an appointment at https://covidvaccine.northoaks.org or by calling (985) 230-SHOT [7468]. Since Aug. 18, these clinics have administered 50 first doses and 136 second doses.
Make an informed choice! Reach out to Dr. Robert Peltier at ext. 7755 or peltierr@northoaks.org for evidence-based answers to your vaccine-related questions. The public can send him questions at info@northoaks.org.

Support & Encouragement for You!

Take a short respite from the stress of the pandemic. Join your coworkers for complimentary gentle yoga, mindful breathing and relaxation classes on Tuesday, Aug. 24, in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center at either 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. Space is limited to 75 employees/session; email Jeff Jarreau to register at jarreauj@northoaks.org.
We hope everyone enjoyed the breakfast, cookie and BBQ treats this week! Please help us extend a huge thank you to last night’s BBQ and delivery team, and our dedicated Nutritional Services team who have put a priority on supporting our team!

Reminders

All employees must adhere to the same patient visitation guidelines and restrictions as the public. This is for the safety of all.
Day 2 of North Oaks Foundation’s COVID 100 Immunization Clinic will be held tomorrow, Aug. 21, for registrants who received their first dose on July 31.

Public Relations/Communications

We continue to partner with other Northshore hospitals to keep the public informed via social media. Our Aug. 19 data share reports 333 combined COVID patients hospitalized. Unvaccinated patients account for 91% of these hospitalizations and have an average median age of 59.
Dr. Peltier appeared on the local talk show “Ponchatoula Live” hosted by Parker Layrisson on Aug. 19 to share insights into the pandemic’s local impact and to impart vaccine facts. A link to watch the show is posted to our Facebook page.
Mark your calendars for Northshore Media Group’s Telephone Town Hall featuring Dr. Robert Peltier and other medical experts from our fellow Northshore Hospitals answering callers’ questions about COVID and vaccines on Friday, Aug. 27, from 9-10 a.m. Listen on any of these Northshore Media Group radio stations: Tangi 96.5 FM, KAJUN 107.1 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM, The Highway 104.7 FM or The Lake 94.7 FM.

COVID-19 will not win. Together, we’ve got this!

Your contributions are truly appreciated!