City, Frisbie officials ramp up efforts to prepare for potential outbreaks

ROCHESTER - A city leadership team will meet on Tuesday to discuss inter-departmental handling and information sharing regarding the coronavirus, City Manager Blaine Cox said today.

"City staff have been in contact with Strafford County officials seeking guidance and coordination," Cox added.

Meanwhile, as part of their preparedness, HCA Healthcare and its care facilities, including Frisbie Memorial Hospital, are working diligently to help ensure they're prepared for potential issues related to the spread of coronavirus, HCA officials state.

HCA health officials said preparedness efforts include reinforcing appropriate infection prevention protocols, helping to ensure we have needed supplies and equipment, staffing contingency plans and emergency planning and preparedness.

So far there have been no known coronavirus, also called COVID 19, cases in New Hampshire or Maine, although several in New Hampshire, including a UNH student who had been in South Korea, are under voluntary quarantine out of an abundance of caution.

As of Saturday, the CDC had reported 22 either confirmed or suspected cases nationwide.

HCA also recently released other efforts they are coordinating in order to be best prepared for any potential outbreak in the Greater Rochester area.

They include:

Reinforcing Infection Prevention and Related Protocols

• Screening for potential coronavirus patients
• Hand hygiene and proper use of Personal Protective Equipment
• Proper environmental cleaning
• Isolation procedures for patients who may have a respiratory infection
• Visitor policies to prohibit people who may have a respiratory illness from visiting
• Communication with local health departments and the CDC

Supplies

• Emphasizing responsible use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns, face shields, N-95 respirators and linens
• Identifying alternative sources for PPE
• Preparing to share PPE among our hospitals, if needed, to help ensure continued availability

Staffing

• Preparing facility-level contingency staffing plans, including the use of our in-house nurse staffing agency

Emergency Preparedness

• Conducting regular update calls to ensure enterprise readiness and to help quickly identify and respond to any issues that may arise
• Encouraging our facilities to conduct tabletop exercises to help them identify potential issues before they arise and to help the enterprise identify best practices that can be implemented as part of our preparations