Last Friday’s Virginia Hospital Center Medical Leadership Huddle was extremely informative. Here are a few highlights presented by Dr. Jeffrey DiLisi (MD, MBA, VHC Sr Vice President and Chief Medical Officer) and Dr. Rohit Modak (MD, Board certified infectious disease specialist):
- VHC has seen a decline in COVID-19 hospitalized cases over the past two weeks. Although, the numbers are still higher than other parts of the state, Arlington is lower than Fairfax and Washington DC.
- Dr. DiLisi emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant, continuing social distancing, following the phased re-opening plan as it is released, and getting the flu shot in the fall.
- They understand there are still medical needs and emergencies. If you do need medical care for any reason, you should feel confident coming to VHC. VHC remains better than the national average overall in terms of testing, safety and recovery.
- Testing. Every person is tested before they are admitted for care. And, since VHC uses the Rapid Result Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Test, results are received within 30 minutes (compared to some tests that can take several days to get results). They also use Nasopharyngeal testing (inserting a swab deep into the nose) which provides much more accurate results (at about 90% sensitivity).
- Safety. VHC has always ranked extremely high in terms of PPE use and following safety protocols. Of the 3,000 employees at VHC, 6 have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s only 0.2% of the hospital’s employee population – and less than the general public’s risk of 1-2% of contracting the virus
- Recovery. Of all patients admitted to VHC with confirmed COVID-19, they have a 13% mortality rate, compared to the national average of over 20%.
To watch the previous week’s leadership huddles, visit the VHC website here.
