RC Hospital and Clinics COVID-19 Related Announcements

As of Monday, March 16, 2020, RC Hospital & Clinics will be cancelling all events scheduled to be held onsite at our facilities as well as events we were conducting offsite through April 19, 2020 due to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation. Events include, but are not limited to: Affiliation Meetings scheduled in Bird Island (March 18), Danube (March 25), Adult Grief Group, Revolution Wellness Lunch and Learn Sessions, Navigating the New You, Team Pace Makers Burger Bar (March 26), etc. When we can and our team is ready events will be rescheduled as needed. We strongly believe all of our events are extremely important to our community, but our focus right now is making sure our team is ready to serve our patients in this time of rapid changes due to COVID-19.

On Monday, March 16, 2020, RC Hospital & Clinics will be temporarily closing the Renville Clinic and on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 the Hector Clinic, due to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation.  This is a not a decision we have taken lightly as our Incident Command Team has been preparing for weeks on the necessary precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  The temporary closure of these clinics will allow our team to provide additional staff at our Olivia site to best serve our patients in this time of rapid changes due to COVID-19.  The Olivia Clinic will continue to be open regular hours.  However, EVERYONE should follow the guidelines listed below.   If you have more questions, feel free to call the MN Department of Health COVID-19 hotline at 1-651-201-3920 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

RC Hospital & Clinics will continue to follow all current and updated guidance from the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health on best practices. Our goal is to provide the best care in a safe and healing environment for everyone.

eClinic Services

For your safety, and that of others, we highly encourage you to:

• Start an online (www.rchospital.com)  eClinic visit if you have symptoms of COVID-19, which is now FREE OF CHARGE.
  • Symptoms may include
    • Fever (100.4 or higher), cough, and shortness of breath – AND
    • You have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 OR You have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19 (including areas in the United States known to have a high number of COVID-19 cases)
• If you are sick, stay home
• Wash your hand thoroughly
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue
• Call 1-800-916-1836 and ask for the Triage Nurse before seeking care in-person.

Drive – Thru Testing Station

On Tuesday, March 17 at 8:00 a.m. RC Hospital & Clinics will initiate a Drive-Thru Screening Station at the Olivia location.  Patients who have respiratory illness symptoms and CAN NO LONGER MANAGE THEIR CARE AT HOME should follow the steps below when seeking care at RC Hospital & Clinics in Olivia, MN.

1. First, call 1-800-916-1836 and ask for the Triage Nurse.
2. If asked to come in for testing, please drive to RC Hospital & Clinics drive-thru screening station that is located near our ER entrance.
3. RC Hospital & Clinics staff will greet you when you arrive.

Note:  At this time Minnesota HealthCare Systems do not have the capability to test ALL patients for COVID-19, but if the evaluating provider deems it necessary the patient may be tested

As COVID-19 continues to spread here and across the United States, we will likely see an increase with this infectious disease in the coming weeks. Our team remains confident in our plans and preparations along with continuing to work with our community stakeholders.

If you are looking for more information regarding COVID-19, check out the many resources on our website at rchospital.com.  As we work through our plans, we will continue to update our community.

Together we will continue to focus on providing safe care, helping prevent the spread of the virus and protecting our community.

 

 

For Immediate Release:  RC Hospital & Clinics COVID-19 Update

Date:  Saturday, March 14, 2020

We were notified by the Minnesota Department of Health that one patient in Renville County has tested positive for COVID-19. With multiple cases now confirmed in Minnesota and surrounding states, we knew it was only a matter of time before the virus was in our area. 

Patient privacy is a top priority, and we follow federal privacy regulations (under HIPAA) as well as our own organization’s privacy policy. What we can tell you is that the patient who tested positive is from Renville County and appears to be travel-related, and the patient is now at home recovering. Please know that per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just being in the same facility where an infectious person was seen or cared for is considered low-risk for exposure.

Everyone’s safety is important to us

As with any potential case in which an infectious disease is suspected, our care teams follow established protocols to ensure the safety of everyone involved.   Our care teams have initiated protocols specific to COVID-19 for identification, treatment and safety precautions (personal protective equipment for caregivers, masking of patients, isolation, etc.) to prevent the spread of disease.

RC Hospital & Clinics has also taken lead to initiate an aggressive Incident Command response to address COIVD-19 concerns.  To make sure our community is best prepared, we have included key stakeholders including Renville County Emergency Management, Renville County Public Health, local city officials, school officials, and more.  The more our teams work together the better we can work to protect our communities. 

On Tuesday, March 17 at 8:00 a.m. RC Hospital & Clinics will initiate a Drive-Thru Screening Station at the Olivia location.  Patients who have respiratory illness symptoms and CAN NO LONGER MANAGE THEIR CARE AT HOME should follow the steps below when seeking care at RC Hospital & Clinics in Olivia, MN.

1. First, call 1-800-916-1836 and ask for the Triage Nurse.
2. If asked to come in for testing, please drive to RC Hospital & Clinics drive-thru screening station that is located near our ER entrance. 
3. RC Hospital & Clinics staff will greet you when you arrive. 

We continue to follow all current and updated guidance from the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health on best practices. Our goal is to provide the best care in a safe and healing environment for everyone.

For your safety, and that of others, we highly encourage you to:

• Start an eClinic visit if you have symptoms of COVID-19
  • Symptoms may include
    • Fever (100.4 or higher), cough, and shortness of breath – AND
    • You have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 OR You have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19 (including areas in the United States known to have a high number of COVID-19 cases)
• If you are sick, stay home
• Wash your hand thoroughly
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue
• Call 1-800-916-1836 and ask for the Triage Nurse before seeking care in-person.

As COVID-19 continues to spread here and across the United States, we will likely see an increase with this infectious disease in the coming weeks. Our team is confident in our plans and preparations along with continuing to work with our community stakeholders. 

If you are looking for more information regarding COVID-19, check out the many resources on our website at rchospital.com.  As we work through our plans, we will continue to update our community. 

Together we will continue to focus on providing safe care, helping prevent the spread of the virus and protecting our community.  

MDH COVID-19 HOTLINE | 7A-7P | 1-651-201-3920