Staff Report
Cottage Health has begun a gradual return to scheduled non-emergency essential procedures and surgeries at half capacity.
The State of California authorized medical facilities to resume these procedures if specific guidelines are met by hospitals and their communities. Thanks to the community’s strong support of social distancing measures put in place by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Cottage hospitals have seen low numbers of Covid-19 patients.
Cottage developed criteria to ensure safety for non-emergency procedures by continually monitoring these measures:
– Growth rate of new cases within the community
– Covid-19 testing capacity – test all patients scheduled for surgery/procedure
– Inventory of personal protective equipment and medical supplies
– Therapeutics inventory levels
– Number of available beds in the hospital
– Placement availability in post-acute care facilities
Additional staff and patient safety protocols include intensive cleaning processes in all areas of the hospital. Individuals can also expect the following:
- Patients will be tested for Covid-19 no more than three days prior to a scheduled surgery/procedure
- All patients admitted to the hospital will be tested for Covid-19
- Social distancing will be practiced in waiting rooms and mask use will be required in common areas
- Visitor restrictions will continue in compliance with county health officer orders.
“Protecting the health of everyone who comes into our hospitals is always our priority. We are using extensive infection control training and safety precautions to protect patients and staff in our hospitals,” said Ron Werft, President and CEO of Cottage Health. “We want to assure the community: We are well prepared, and our hospitals are safe for ongoing care. Please don’t delay seeking medical care when you need it.”
About Cottage Health cottagehealth.org
The not-for-profit Cottage Health is the leader in providing advanced medical care to the Central Coast region. Specialties include the Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. The Cottage Health medical staff is comprised of more than 700 physicians, many with subspecialties typically found only at university medical centers. Last year, the Cottage Health hospitals in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley provided inpatient care for 21,000 people, treated 80,000 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments and helped deliver 2,100 newborns.
