- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCoughing. Fever. Trouble breathing. These are some of the potential symptoms of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). If you or someone in your family exhibits these symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend you call your health care provider. Most people will have mild illness and will be asked to recover at home. If this applies to you, here are the steps you should take. Stay home Unless you are seeking medical care, please stay home. Self-isolate in a room away from other people in your home as much as you can. Use a different bathroom if you have one. Clean “high-touch” surfaces in those rooms, but let someone else clean and disinfect surfaces in common areas. Such surfaces include phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Don’t share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels/wash cloths, bar soap or bedding with other people in your home. Wash these items thoroughly after using them. Wash your hands Hand washing is the single most important step in preventing infection from COVID-19. Use soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer to wash your hands, and have every member of your family do the same. Wash your hands after you touch surfaces, use the bathroom, cough, sneeze and before you eat or prepare meals. Monitor your symptoms If you are experiencing more serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, pain or pressure in the chest, confusion or bluish lips, call 911 and say you may have COVID-19. This will allow health care providers to take steps to protect themselves and other patients. Wear a cloth covering, scarf or face mask if you have one. If you don’t, cover your coughs and sneezes with tissue. The CDC advises that you practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from others. When it’s okay to stop home isolation You can stop isolating when you’ve had no fever (without taking fever-reducing medications) for at least 72 hours, your other symptoms have improved and it has been a least seven days since your symptoms first appeared, the CDC says. After your fever has subsided, we recommend you follow these prevention steps for 10 days: Stay home except to get medical care. Don’t go to work or any public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride sharing or taxis. Ask a friend or family member who is healthy to help you with errands including buying groceries or picking up medications. Avoid people who are at high-risk of developing severe infections from COVID-19, including elderly people, people who are immunocompromised and people who have chronic health conditions such as chronic heart, lung or kidney problems. Author Jean Murray is Anne Arundel Medical Center’s director of Infection Control.0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWith stay-at-home orders in place across our state and country, coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the way we interact with everyone, including our family and friends. Traditional family gatherings are on hold. Easter Sunday dinners and Passover seders won’t look like they have in previous years. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find creative ways to celebrate these holidays and other get-togethers with our loved ones. While we are hearing a lot about social distancing, I’d like to think of it more as physical distancing. Staying connected to other people is vital to our mental health – even if that means we’re not in the same physical space. That’s where technology can be a wonderful tool. Tools such as Zoom, FaceTime and Skype can help keep your holiday traditions alive. For example, if you have plans for a special holiday dinner, you can arrange to have all of your family members log in at the same time and share a meal virtually. If an Easter egg hunt is part of your annual celebrations, see if you can do a live broadcast of your children scouting for eggs. Many churches and other houses of worship are holding online services, too. During these unusual times, the elderly tend to be the most vulnerable, as they may live alone and are unable to see their children and grandchildren. That’s why it’s important to still do things that are joyful and to include older family members as much as possible in these activities. It’s beneficial for your children, too! Looking ahead As we look past the spring holidays and ahead to the next few months, consider other ways to stay in touch, such as a simple phone call or a good old-fashioned letter. Writing letters is something we’ve gotten away from over the years. But receiving a letter in the mail will really lift your spirits – especially now. Social media can also be a great distraction in uncertain times. We could all use a little humor and lightheartedness and it is yet another way to stay connected to others while keeping our physical distance. But on the flip side, social media can also be full of negativity, rumors and misinformation. If you find yourself getting bogged down by too much bad news, it’s time to log off. We often caution against allowing children to spend too much time on their devices. However, encourage your kids to call or FaceTime with their friends that they can’t see right now. Playing video games and other online games with friends is another good way for them to socialize from afar. Mental health matters These times are trying for everyone. If you struggle with your mental health, it’s especially difficult. Many people with mental health issues may want to isolate themselves, but connecting with other people becomes more important than ever. For people who take medication, make sure you fill your prescriptions and stock up on any medications you are on (some pharmacies, such as CVS, are offering free delivery.) If you can, arrange telehealth visits with your therapist or provider. And don’t forget to practice self-care. One of my favorite breathing exercises is to breathe in faith and breathe out fear. I like to do a series of three cleansing breaths. Above all, remember that this isn’t going to last forever and we are all in this together. Author Jo Deaton is the senior director of nursing for Behavioral Health at Anne Arundel Medical Center. She can be reached at 667-204-7313.0
- Community, News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAfter watching the news for days, Steven Saint Amour was aware that hospitals would soon face a shortage of PPE – something that kept him up at night. Looking for ways to help, he stopped by Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) and dropped off his contact information at the information desk. “I just couldn’t wrap my head around the collective loss of knowledge and experience after I saw the news where they reported that over 50 doctors in Italy and an untold number of other health providers had died,” Saint Amour explained. “Who would have ever imagined that these people faced equal or greater risk than our folks serving in the military, police and fire department? I chose to fight.” Shortly after, he received a call from Jan Wood, president of AAMC’s Foundation, who said she would take all personal protective equipment (PPE) that Saint Amour kept on hand and anything else they could donate. “As we face this health care crisis, our partnership with our community has never been more important or more valuable,” Wood said. “Steve and his mighty team have combined ingenuity, passion, kindness, expertise and a ‘can-do’ spirit to make a real difference in AAMC’s ability to provide the best possible care for our community and we are incredibly grateful.” Getting to work Saint Amour has been involved in the subsea industry for over 38 years and is recognized as an authority in the field of aviation and marine casualty investigations. His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to donate approximately $2,000 worth of PPE from Eclipse Group, Inc., his own subsea services company, which he co-founded with his wife, Joan, over a decade ago. Saint Amour determined more needed to be done. In another middle of the night “aha!” moment, he looked at his 3D printer and did research online. He came across information about a team of doctors in Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont., who designed and coded masks with 3D printers. Saint Amour realized one printer would not produce masks fast enough. “We were already on lockdown and in the middle of dinner, my 17-year-old daughter very calmly and casually said she knew were we could find more,” he explained. Next day, Saint Amour called St. Mary’s High School (SMHS) and before he knew it, he had more 3D printers coming his way. Expanding the network of 3D printers Saint Amour picked up two machines from SMHS in the morning and got to work. “Later in the day, they called to say they had four more 3D printers at the elementary school and by Friday we had six printers printing masks,” he recalled. SMHS Principal Mindi Imes, without hesitation, joined the effort by putting out a call to action to 72 regional schools to donate their 3D printers and printing supplies. Volunteers promptly responded willing to lend their printers and as of April 3, Saint Amour has 21 printers. He keeps these in either his conference room in his company’s warehouse or at various other locations, including the homes of private citizens determined to help provide help to AAMC. Over the past week, he’s been contacted by local schools, residents, groups and other individuals offering to lend their 3D printers. “It’s kind of a grassroots effort,” he said. How it works The 3D printers are turned on at 5 or 6 pm and 10-12 hours later, there are 40 plastic mask shells ready to be assembled. To finalize these, Saint Amour and his team add a double gasket material so that it has a good seal and barrier on the wearer’s face, and then they insert a filter element and elastics to hold the mask to the face. In five minutes, the 3D printed mask is ready for use. Masks are delivered, each one independently in their own plastic bag. AAMC is using the masks for patients and for those in health care spaces who are not taking care of patients yet need extra protection. About 80 percent of the mask is plastic with an aperture at the front, making it easy to sanitize the mask, change the filter and reuse – a critical feature as PPE is precious now. Right now, Saint Amour is donating nearly 60 masks every day to AAMC. His goal is to produce 100 masks per day. “Our hold up right now is not having more 3D printers,” he said. Saint Amour is also working with volunteers in several other states and Canada to expand the effort and encourage them to produce masks using 3D printers. “We can either be spectators to a human disaster or we can act,” he said. Ways you can help If you or someone you know has a 3D Printer, consider joining St. Mary’s and Steve Saint Amour at Eclipse to produce Montana Masks. For more information about the local operation, the process for using your 3D printer to help, or starting your own local movement, please email SMHS Principal, Mindi Imes. If you would like to support the local Annapolis Montana Mask Movement, please donate using Venmo to JoanSaintAmour. Funds raised will be used to coordinate the purchase of supplies to create protective gear. St. Mary’s Elementary School Principal Rebecca Zimmerman is coordinating the purchase and collection of items needed, including 3D printing filament, furnace filters and disinfectant wipes.0
- Community, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center recently launched the Grateful Hearts campaign to show our health care workers that we are thankful for what they do every day. And now, as we battle the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we’re more thankful than ever for these superheroes who protect our community. During this campaign, we are asking the community to share their gratitude and join the #HeartsForHealthcareWorkers movement. Joining the campaign is simple: decorate and display paper hearts in your home, post a picture of your heart on social media and be sure to tag us using the hashtag #IHeartAAMC. We are in challenging times and this campaign ultimately shows the gratitude for the powerful impact our health care workers have in patients’ lives. Highlighting our health care workers as the heartbeat of our community also has mental health benefits. More and more research proves the consistent link between gratitude and greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, alleviate depression, improve health, better manage adversity and build strong relationships. Showing gratitude is important for all of us, but it is an especially important trait to develop in children. When you teach your children to practice gratitude, you aren’t just teaching them a social skill, you’re providing your children with a tool for happiness and resilience. Building grateful character traits can increase your child’s happiness and resiliency when faced with life’s challenges. It’s easy to participate in the campaign, simply download one or both of the printable hearts and post in your home to show how grateful you are for our frontline heroes. Don’t forget to share on social media and tag us using the hashtag #IHeartAAMC.0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThings are moving quickly. Every day brings new information and with it, new challenges. The most pressing focus of our Incident Command Team and leadership is on the safety of our staff and patients. Our priority is to safely staff, supply, and equip our hospital now and in the future. Today, I additionally want to express to you my gratitude and appreciation to each member of our team for all you are doing. Many of you are learning – like me – to work differently. Some are working remotely while trying to balance home and professional responsibilities. Others are utilizing their skills and abilities in new roles. Many continue the important work they have done all along – unified, focused, and sincere. Each of you is vital to the AAMC team. I cannot fully express my gratitude, and I’m not alone in being grateful for the work you are doing. I wanted to share this note, written by Pat Holle, one of AAMC’s Patient Family Advisors (PFA). PFAs work with our teams to bring the patient and family perspective into all we do. Her words echo so many others in our community and across the world. AAMC Patient and Family Advisor Patricia Holle Dear AAMC staff, When I was diagnosed with cancer, spring was starting, just like now. How vividly I remember looking at the flowers and trees blooming, the grass growing, and our beautiful world showing off its best. The skies somehow seemed more blue and the new growth more magnificent than ever. I remember treasuring each moment, wondering if this would be my last spring here on earth. Being reminded by my diagnosis that no day is guaranteed, every connection with friends and family and co-workers was even more treasured. As we face this pandemic together, I am reminded of that spring. These unprecedented times have made us all even more conscious of the fragility of life, our humanity, and yet, even in all this uncertainty, also our connectedness to each other. On behalf of our community, I’d like to thank each of you who run towards the front lines, as the rest of us retreat into the safety of our homes. You didn’t sign up for this – you probably never imagined a day like this would come – but still you choose to show up for each shift, doing the noble, messy, and exhausting work that will likely define your career. In this, you have brought us hope. There are no words to adequately thank you, but I hope that you are feeling the love and support from our community as we do what we can, whether it be sending in food, donating blood or money to the Community Response Fund, or sewing masks. And I do know this, spring will come again. In awe and gratitude, Pat Holle, Co-Chair, AAMC Patient and Family Advisor Council0
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