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Logansport Memorial prepares for COVID-19 cases on the rise

Last Updated on August 21, 2021 by Logansport Memorial Hospital

After a quieter, less restrictive summer, COVID-19 cases are back on the rise across Indiana and the United States. With variants emerging and hospitalizations beginning to increase, Logansport Memorial has re-evaluated its visitor restrictions policy once again to continue protecting patients and staff inside the hospital.

VISITOR RESTRICTIONS POLICY

Logansport Memorial’s recently revised visitor restrictions policy is limiting visitors to one or two healthy support people, in most patient care areas. This revised visitor policy is effective beginning Monday, August 23, 2021. In areas like Medical Imaging, where it is difficult to practice social distancing, the limitation to one
healthy support person as needed for patient assistance is preferred. If or when possible, patients are being asked to come alone.

Exceptions to this policy still include pediatric patients under the age of 18, who must have an adult with them at all times. Other exceptions are outlined on the revised policy for consistent reference.

The full visitor restrictions policy is posted on the LMH website for continued reference and will be updated and reposted as changes are made during our coordinated, collaborative response to COVID-19 in our community. Please be assured that our highest priority continues to be the health and safety of our patients and staff.

See the full visitor restrictions policy here: www.logansportmemorial.org/covid-19-visitor-restrictions-and-other-changes/

WHERE TO GO FOR COVID-19 TESTING

COVID-19 testing is an important tool in helping to track and monitor the spread of the disease in our community. Testing is now widely available with different options for your convenience. As COVID-19 continues to spread, it is important to know where to go for the testing you may need if you develop symptoms or are exposed.

For symptomatic patients (those who are showing symptoms):

Visit Logansport Memorial’s Express Medical Center for testing. No appointment necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Please be aware that wait times may increase as more patients need to be seen and treated for their symptoms. Staff will be working to accommodate you as soon as possible when wait times are longer than normal.

If you have a primary care provider in one of our physician offices, either at the hospital or in one of the affiliated off-site clinics, you may call to receive a test in the office. Appointments are required for testing in these offices, so please call ahead:

  • LMPN Family Medicine, Suite 270: (574) 722-4921
  • LMPN Internal Medicine, Suite 170: (574) 722-4331
  • LMPN Pediatrics, Suite 330: (574) 753-4151
  • LMPN Camden Health Center (in Camden, IN): (574) 686-2022
  • LMPN Peru Medical Center (in Peru, IN): (765) 472-2812
  • LMPN Rochester Health Center (in Rochester, IN): (574) 223-4141

For patients with any of these other circumstances:

  • Do not have a primary care provider
  • Have symptoms
  • Don’t have symptoms but believe you were exposed
  • Need tested prior to surgery
  • Need tested to return to work or school

COVID-19 testing is available at the Cass County Health Department, or at local pharmacies (Walgreens and CVS).

For testing at the Cass County Health Department:
You must have an appointment. Go online to scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov to select the date and time that works best for you. COVID-19 testing is currently offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at 1616 Smith Street in Logansport, across from Huston Park.

For testing at local pharmacy locations, go online to their websites for scheduling appointments. Follow the steps to enter in your zip code/location information for appointment availability at your local location:

Walgreens: www.walgreens.com
CVS: www.cvs.com

Walmart does not offer COVID-19 testing in-store, but does have at-home testing kits available. These kits are reliable and do produce trustworthy results. At-home COVID-19 testing kits can be purchased in-store or online for your convenience.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool for helping protect yourself and your loved ones. COVID-19 vaccines can help keep you from getting and spreading COVID-19, or from getting very sick even if you do test positive for COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccines were developed using science that has been around for decades. They are not experimental and have gone through all of the required stages of clinical trials. Extensive testing and monitoring has shown that these vaccines are safe and effective. The COVID-19 vaccines have also been shown to be highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death from the emerging Delta variant.

Vaccinations are available at the Cass County Health Department on Smith Street, on Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart pharmacies also offer appointments for COVID-19 vaccines at your convenience. For vaccines at one of these local pharmacies, follow the steps online to enter your zip code and see local store availability.

Appointments are required in all locations:

COVID-19 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TREATMENT

If you are experiencing recent symptoms of COVID-19, or have recently tested positive for COVID-19, you may be eligible for an FDA-authorized treatment that will help keep you out of the hospital and prevent complications from the virus. This treatment, called monoclonal antibodies, are like your body’s own antibodies as they help your immune system quickly destroy the COVID-19 virus before it makes you very sick or causes hospitalization. This monoclonal antibodies treatment must be given within 10 days of the start of your symptoms.

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, or test positive for COVID-19, call your primary care provider right away to see if this monoclonal antibodies treatment is right for you. Providers at Logansport Memorial Hospital can administer this treatment, so don’t wait. If you are concerned about developing symptoms after exposure to a COVID-positive person, based on your age and/or other high-risk factors, call your primary care provider to see if you qualify for this antibodies treatment.

If you do not have a primary care provider, you can be seen at Logansport Memorial’s Express Medical Center, the Cass County Health Department’s COVID-19 Center on Smith Street, or at the Indiana Health Center on Dividend Drive. Providers in all of these locations can refer you for this treatment if you qualify.

The monoclonal antibodies treatment is not a pill or a shot. It is an infusion of the medicine, given intravenously (through an IV) as an outpatient appointment. Patients receiving this or any other outpatient treatment for COVID-19 should park in the ER parking lot, and enter through the ER Entrance. Staff will be available to assist you in getting to the right location for your treatment.

More facts and information about this treatment option are available here: https://CombatCOVID.hhs.gov

We are working together in many ways to provide a safe environment for our patients, staff, and community, and to help ensure that all patients receive the appropriate care and treatment they need for their symptoms or sickness from COVID-19. We realize that visitor restrictions can be an inconvenience, but it is one more way that we can help protect our patients, our staff, and our community. Additional changes will be made as LMH’s response to COVID-19 continues to evolve. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

SOURCE: News release from Logansport Memorial Hospital

Logansport Memorial Hospital is an 83-bed, HFAP accredited, regional medical center providing healthcare services to residents in Cass County and the surrounding areas of north central Indiana.

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