DCH Coronavirus Update 7-17-20

Testing and Confirmed Cases

To protect patient privacy, DCH has established a minimum threshold of five for reporting numbers of inpatients with laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

DCH internal counts as of 2:20 p.m. on 7/17/20:

• 85 inpatients are being treated for COVID-19.
• 27 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are being treated in the ICU.
• 10 who are positive for COVID-19 are on ventilators.
• 1,833 (cumulative) unique positives for COVID-19 tests including results from the ED, triage tent and inpatient. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 12,999 (cumulative) unique negatives for COVID-19 at DCH sites.
• 2,342 (cumulative) positive COVID-19 at DCH sites. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 16,123 (cumulative) negative tests at DCH sites.
• 422 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have been discharged.
• 88 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died at DCH. This is not an indication of the cause of death, only that the individuals were positive for COVID-19 at the time of death.
• 55 Tuscaloosa County residents (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died (per the Alabama Department of Public Health).

Activity Blankets and Volunteers

COVID-19 has changed the entire landscape at DCH. Families are worried about their loved ones, and our volunteers are missing their on-site DCH roles (and we very much miss them!).

A joint effort between DCH Palliative Care and DCH Volunteer Services is meeting some of the needs of both groups.

The Palliative Care Team saw a need could be filled by providing activity blankets to dementia patients who are often restless. These small lap quilts provide sensory and tactile stimulation for our patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, explained Sarah Pederson, Palliative Care coordinator.

Volunteer Services stepped up and coordinated with the DCH Volunteer Auxiliary to pay for the quilting material and other supplies. Kits were then shipped to DCH volunteers who made the activity blankets from home.

“Not only are these quilts unique and creative, but they have also been well-received by our patients and their families,” Pederson said.

A patient’s son “was overjoyed” when he learned that his mother received one of the quilts, Pederson said. “He said, ‘Mom always carried a teddy bear around with her at her assisted living, and we were worried about what she was doing without something to hold.’ He was so relieved to hear his mom was taken care of.”

Palliative care is a medical specialty that focuses on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people with serious illnesses. “This supportive care is now more important than ever with COVID-19 impacting how families can participate in their loved ones’ care,” Pederson said.

“The Palliative Care Team is so thankful for our fantastic volunteers who help us provide comprehensive care,” she said.

In the photos:

- Delilah (white pants) meets Wendi Parminter, director of Volunteer Services, outside of DCH Regional Medical Center to drop off a completed quilt.

- Zoya, a young volunteer, shows off the quilt she completed for the project.

- Sarah Pederson (dark top) receives some of the completed quilts from Parminter.