Letter To The Community: Mike Robertson, CEO, Piedmont Newnan Hospital

Over the past seven days, Piedmont Newnan, like hospitals across the state and most of the country, has seen an increase in COVID-19 positive patients. While we are prepared to handle this increase, we continue to manage capacity and hospital throughput on a daily basis.

Additionally, to best protect the safety of our patients and staff, we have reverted back to a no-visitor policy, only allowing one essential family member (visitor) per patient for labor and delivery, end of life care and care of minors or those requiring assistance, and encourage use of electronic devices to communicate with patients who are hospitalized.

It’s clear that COVID-19 is part of our collective day-to-day reality, and we have incorporated the treatment of these patients into our ongoing approach, while also meeting the healthcare needs of our much larger patient base, for everything from emergent to ongoing medical care.

As a healthcare system, we care for millions of non-COVID patients, and will not be stopping surgical cases or ambulatory care as we believe that delaying care – even for routine visits and procedures – is no longer necessary, not to mention potentially dangerous for those forgoing care, given the effective precautions and careful planning currently in place.  It’s alarming that we continue to see people in our communities unnecessarily avoiding needed health care – even emergency care, when it’s a life-threatening situation like stroke or heart attack where every minute counts.

Piedmont Newnan has the proper safety measures in place, including ensuring that our staff has the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and know-how. We continue to screen all patients and approved visitors through temperature checks and screening questions asked at the door.  Patients presenting with symptoms associated with COVID-19 are immediately escorted to isolation rooms away from other patients.

Our hospital has rooms that isolate patients being treated for COVID-19. These rooms keep COVID-19 patients separate from other non-COVID patients and feature ventilation systems that don’t allow for the exchange of air with other areas of the hospital. And, we have the appropriate protocols in place to ensure all patient rooms are cleaned appropriately before and after a patient’s stay.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, we’ve remained in constant communication with system leaders, infectious disease physicians, and the Georgia Department of Public Health to ensure that we were following the best practices, processes, and procedures, and adhering to the CDC guidelines.

At Piedmont, our goal remains threefold: 1) Continue to put patient and staff safety at the center of everything we do; 2) Prevent spread through the most effective measure, which is proper PPE; and 3) Ensure the most efficient process to preserve our testing supplies.

Importantly, we urge everyone to continue keep themselves and loved ones safe by practicing the 3 W’s – Wear a Mask; Wash your Hands; Watch your Distance. All patients, visitors, and employees must wear a mask at all times inside our facilities.

Everyone at Piedmont Newnan appreciates the trust you have placed in us during this extraordinary time.  Thank you for your support, stay safe and wear a mask.

Sincerely,

Mike Robertson
CEO, Piedmont Newnan Hospital