The Chief Operating Officer of the Los Alamitos Medical Center said this week the hospital has prepared to “slowly and safely” reopen its doors to treat medical emergencies other than COVID-19
“We’ve been meeting with medical staff and physicians to reach a consensus,” said Hong Min, Chief Operating Officer, “and we have created a safe pathway for the many deferred cases” to resume.
While the hospital has treated COVID-19 patients since the crisis began, Los Alamitos Medical has not seen any of the overflow conditions seen in the media in other states.
Min said the hospital’s management has been working with its medical executive committee, doctors and staff to “develop the safety protocols” to slowly reopen.
“Obviously, we want to keep our patients safe and keep our staff safe as well,” he said.
Despite the treatment of COVID patients throughout the crisis, Min said the hospital has fortunately never faced any protective wear problems like many other institutions around the country.
“We have always had enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so that’s not been an issue for us,” said Min.
While the hospital was expected to begin accepting patients with serious medical conditions other than COVID on Monday, Min was emphatic that Los Al Medical was “not 100 percent open for business.”
Elective surgeries are still not being performed, hospital officials said.
Min acknowledged that the hospital’s overall census had “dramatically” declined since the outbreak began. Tenet Healthcare has received financial aid from the stimulus package which he said “has helped” the hospital system cope with the crisis, he said.
Now, however, he said the hospital must eventually return to normal while taking every precaution to do so. Min said Los Al Medicali is inviting patients to return for emergency and other serious procedures that have been delayed because of the pandemic.
For the most part, Min said Los Al Medical was prepared for a large influx of COVID-19 patients that never fully materialized,. He attributed recent increases in the number of Orange County positive cases, was due to increased testing.
He acknowledged, however, that there are “still several unknowns out there” and the hospital stands ready.
Min said the medical staff has adopted strict protocols that will keep incoming surgeries away from any COVID patients. The staff, meanwhile, is continuously disinfecting every surface in the hospital.
“You can only put off care for so long,” said Min, adding it was time to begin allowing the most serious patients in the area to “come back to the hospital.”
Though it’s been “a very scary time to be in healthcare,” said Min, the hospital and its medical staff has received extraordinary support from the community during the outbreak.
Min said the physicians, nurses, and staff all chose healthcare because they “chose the field of medicine to treat disease and help people.” “This is our time,” he said.
