DCH Corner – We’re Here for You

As we near the end of an unprecedented year for health care, we want to take the time to reflect on the positive things at Decatur County Hospital. As your local hospital, we are so thankful for the ongoing support of our community, and we are honored to be able to deliver exceptional care, close to home.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have remained open for patients who need safe access to emergency care, specialty care, infusion treatment, lab tests, radiology scans, rehabilitation, and inpatient care. Due to the flexibility of our staff, and the commitment from our providers, our patients were able to safely access care when they needed it, even in the middle of a pandemic.

As patients entered the hospital throughout various stages of this pandemic, they were greeted with various signage to help us mitigate the spread of Covid-19. From signage reminding patients to wear masks, to restricting areas of the hospital where exposure was higher risk, to increasing access to hand sanitizer, we saw great cooperation from patients and visitors to help keep our staff and community safe.

When we introduced the Decatur County Health Care Courtesy Van earlier this year (prior to the pandemic), we knew it was going to be well used. But we have been amazed at the overwhelming need for this free service, and we are grateful to our community partners in this project who continue to make this possible. Because of enhanced cleaning measures, and the cooperation of our patients, we have continued to operate the Courtesy Van throughout the entire year.

Behind the scenes, our environmental services team went into high gear to adapt their regular cleaning procedures to include additional disinfecting steps, and increased the frequency of cleaning in common areas of the building. They also learned to use new disinfecting technology such as electrostatic disinfecting guns. All of these enhanced cleaning procedures help keep our staff and patients safe while in the hospital.

We are so fortunate to have an incredible staff of frontline workers who have stayed committed to serving our community, and keeping our patients safe throughout this entire pandemic. Our providers, nurses, EMTs, ambulance drivers, outpatient clinic staff, physical and occupational therapists, respiratory therapist, radiology technicians, Senior Life Solutions staff, admit clerks, lab technicians, and dietary staff all deserve a special thank you for their unwavering commitment to directly serve our patients. And our plant operations, purchasing, business office, and technology staff deserve recognition for their support to keep the hospital running smoothly.

Finally, a special thank you also goes out to community members, local businesses, and community organizations who have supported us through this year by dropping off gifts, snacks, and letters of encouragement. These small actions of gratitude lift our spirits and give us a renewed sense of pride in the work we do every day.

As we enter the winter months, we will continue to make your visits to the hospital as safe and easy as possible. We encourage you to take advantage of our Courtesy Van by calling 1-844-782-5420, or our valet parking service to avoid having to walk across the parking lot in the cold to your appointments. To use valet parking, simply drive your car up to the main entrance under the awning, and proceed to the front desk to check in for your appointment. We will have our staff park your car while you have your appointment, and we’ll bring it back under the awning when you’re ready to go home. We are also continuing our enhanced cleaning measures throughout the hospital using new cleaning tools such as electrostatic disinfecting guns, and UV lights.

Again, we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our staff who have continued to work throughout this year.  To ensure we continued to meet our mission to deliver exceptional care, close to home, we made it a priority to keep our doors open and our staff intact even in these trying times.  We depend on our staff, and you depend on us to be open and available to serve your healthcare needs whenever they arise.  It is because of the work and sacrifice of so many that we have been able to maintain our commitment to Decatur County.

To learn more about Decatur County Hospital and all our available services, browse our website, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.