Patrick Moody
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
Hospitals, including Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, have adopted strict safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Henry Mayo has launched a campaign to educate the community on the processes and procedures the hospital has put in place to keep patients and visitors safe.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, visits to hospital emergency departments have declined across the country, including in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Dr. Larry Kidd, Henry Mayo’s chief clinical officer. “The fact is, hospitals are extremely safe environments. We want people to know that so they don’t postpone needed medical care.”
Henry Mayo’s education campaign is called “Safe in our Care.” It includes a series of short videos that explain the safety procedures patients and visitors go through when they come to Henry Mayo. The videos also spotlight the extra cleaning and other precautions the hospital is taking.
Safety procedures include having Emergency Department (ED) patients, upon arrival, having their temperatures taken and answering a series of screening questions outside the ED. Patients who have fevers or other risk factors are isolated from other patients.
Patients who come to Henry Mayo for elective procedures are screened by telephone before their appointments. Patients who have surgeries done at the hospital are tested for COVID-19 three to five days before their surgeries. Their temperatures are also taken upon arrival for their procedures. Patients who come for routine care, such as physical therapy or an annual mammogram, are also screened both by telephone and in person.
All patients, visitors and employees have their temperatures taken upon arrival. Extra cleaning, such as wiping down clipboards and pens after each use, and cleaning all waiting areas frequently, is done in every Henry Mayo location. Finally, Henry May is practicing “universal masking,” which means all visitors and staff members are required to wear masks at all times.
“The one thing we want our patients to know,” said Dr. Kidd, “is that they are safe in our care.”
Patrick Moody is the director of marketing and public relations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. For more information about local community health programs, visit HenryMayo.com.
