Southern Illinois Healthcare has submitted roughly 500 COVID-19 tests to labs for analysis over the past several weeks, and the organization's CEO says they're ready for the surge that may be coming.
Rex Budde says facilities have ramped up their preparation, designating areas for COVID patient care and readying supplies. He says despite a lack of testing supplies on a national level, things are running fairly well here.
"We've been sending our tests, if they've been very symptomatic, to IDPH - and they've been wonderful; turning results around in 24-48 hours. And then we've been using an outside lab for others who are less symptomatic, or in the hospital as rule-outs, things like that. That's taken a little bit longer. But, as far as I know, if you present with symptoms, everybody's been tested."
Budde says southern Illinois' rural nature means the uptick in cases is slower to arrive here.
"You know, we're not a densely populated area, so that works in our favor. I do worry about the prisons and the nursing homes - they're kind of densely populated. But I think people down here, for the most part, have done a good job with the social distancing, and I think that's why we've seen as few positives as we have seen."
Budde says there are triage units set up outside local emergency departments, screening patients before they enter the hospital to keep potential COVID patients separate from others, but he says as of March 31, there are no patients admitted for COVID-19.
SIH set up a COVID-19 hotline for people to call if they experience symptoms. That number is 844-988-7800. It connects you with a provider who can pre-screen your symptoms, and order a test if necessary.