The Dallas County Hospital and Family Medicine Clinics urged the community Friday to wear face masks at all times when outside the home as a proactive precaution against COVID-19.
The hospital and clinics have followed CDC guidelines for the protection of all staff, patients and families during the current health emergency and taken many precautions as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
“The safety of our patients, community and staff is our highest priority,” said a DCH spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the hospital and clinics have put in place a number of extra precautions, including wearing proper personal protection equipment (PPE) in patient care, screening every individual for symptoms upon entering the facilities, scheduling necessary well visits during half of the day in the clinics, spacing patients in the waiting room, seeing potentially infectious patients and well patients in separate parts of the facilities, implementing Virtual Visit capabilities and cancelling the Sick Kids Clinic until visitor restrictions are lifted.
“We continue to ask for hand-sewn masks and are giving those masks to individuals who present to our facilities without one,” said Dallas County Hospital and Family Medicine Clinics Chief Clinical Officer Cindy Peeler. “Across the nation, we are seeing a PPE shortage and by wearing your mask to our facilities, it allows us to be sure we can provide those who need a mask with a mask.”
The Dallas County Hospital and Family Medicine Clinics continues to request donations of PPE stock, such as N95 respirators and surgical masks, hand-sewn masks, face shields and goggles. If you have this equipment that you could donate, call Macinzie at 515-465-7516 ahead of time to make arrangements for delivery to the Dallas County Hospital.
