Need medical care in Rock Hill? COVID-19 testing? Don’t be afraid, health workers say
Fear of coronavirus has led some people to delay much-needed medical care, according to Karen Jenkins, director of emergency medicine at Piedmont Medical Center.
“People are coming for care to the emergency department later than usual,” Jenkins said. “They are staying at home and they are waiting and getting sicker and sicker.”
Jenkins said Piedmont in Rock Hill has seen cases where people with appendicitis waited too long to come to the hospital.
“They are waiting until their pain has become unbearable and they’re at risk of rupturing,” she said. “That’s some of the things we’re seeing with people delaying care out of fear.”
Piedmont in Rock Hill has implemented safety practices at all facilities -- local imaging centers, the hospital in Rock Hill and the emergency department in Fort Mill, Jenkins said. They include screening all staff for symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Staff members’ temperatures are taken each day before they begin work.
Patients, visitors and staff also are given masks and screened for symptoms at the entrance to all facilities, Jenkins said. She described Piedmont facilities as “very safe.”
Piedmont has protocols to care for COVID-19 patients away from others, said Daisy Burroughs, spokesperson for Piedmont.
“Our hospital is committed to the universal protection and safety of our patients, physicians and staff. We have rigorous infection prevention protocols in place and they are working,” reads a statement from Piedmont.
Piedmont recently resumed elective care for procedures such as knee replacements, surgical weight loss and hip replacement surgery, Burroughs said.
“We are treating all patients that require care and present to our hospital,” Burroughs said in an e-mail to The Herald.
Non-emergency ailments should be addressed as soon as possible, Jenkins said.
“Those things, if delayed, cause progression of disease,” she said.
Jenkins said COVID-19 also has caused families to delay standard care such as vaccinations for children or attending their regular check-up appointments. She said people should not delay immunizations, blood pressure checks, diabetes checkups or other checkups important to their health.
“Patients don’t need to feel like they are afraid to come get care,” Jenkins said. “They shouldn’t delay their care for even non-COVID related symptoms so that they are getting the best care at the appropriate time and not letting their diseases progress further than they need to.”
Before going to the hospital people should note what medications they take and ensure they have safe travel to the hospital or call 911 if experiencing severe symptoms, Jenkins said.
Affinity Health Center in Rock Hill also has seen patients delaying care, but is starting to return to a normal volume, said Anita Case, executive director. Patients and staff are given masks and are screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
“Anyone with symptoms are taken to a special exam room through a side entrance to limit possible exposure to others in the building,” Case said in an e-mail to The Herald.
Affinity patients are asked not to bring visitors, or should have them wait in the car, Case said. Seating is spaced apart in the lobby. Affinity offers virtual visits for patients when appropriate.
North Central Family Medical Center in Rock Hill began scheduling about half the normal amount of patients per hour, per provider in early March to better serve patients, said Ernest Brown, chief executive officer. North Central has two offices in Rock Hill and one in Chester.
“We saw a drastic reduction in the number of patient visits daily during that first week,” Brown said in an e-mail to The Herald. “Although we initially experienced a sharp drop in demand for services, patients are now calling and coming back for services.”
North Central screens patients and staff members before they can enter any facility, Brown said. Masks are required.
The center also offers primary care service to patients through virtual means and curbside pharmacy pickup service, Brown said. For more information, patients should call 803-325-7744.
COVID-19 Testing
Multiple healthcare facilities in the York County region offer tests for people with COVID-19 symptoms. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Piedmont is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for identifying and treating patients who may have COVID-19, The Herald previously reported.
Piedmont has removed the triage tent outside the entrance of the emergency department but continues COVID-19 testing on site, Burroughs said.
Piedmont also has an online screening tool people with symptoms can use to determine what next to do. The assessment tool is at the bottom right of Piedmont’s website.
North Central is providing COVID-19 testing for patients with symptoms, Brown said. The center plans to offer drive-through testing by appointment once additional personal protective equipment and tests are available. The plan is to make testing available at North Central’s Saluda Street location in Rock Hill and in Chester.
Affinity Health Center is offering curbside coronavirus testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in Rock Hill. Testing is by appointment, The Herald previously reported. Residents wanting a test need to call 803-909-6363, ext. 0 to first be screened for coronavirus-related symptoms.
Atrium Health, which has an urgent care in Rock Hill, has an online COVID-19 risk assessment. The hospital is limiting in-house testing to patients with flu-like symptoms who meet certain risk criteria, The Herald previously reported.
As of Tuesday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s public lab along with private labs have conducted 93,140 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 7,927 were positive.
York County has 258 reported coronavirus cases as of Monday night, according to DHEC. Lancaster County has 115 and Chester County has 39. COVID-19 cases by zip code are listed on DHEC’s website.
Antibody tests
Another tool in the fight against coronavirus is antibody testing. The tests determine if someone has previously been exposed to COVID-19, a release from Atrium Health states.
“The presence of antibodies in a person’s blood can help in determining a person’s immune response and can also support future research to establish clinical guidelines to improve public health,” the release states.
Atrium Health announced on May 7 it would pilot anitbody testing with employees starting this week. The plan is to offer the tests for existing and new patients at primary care, women’s care, Levine Children’s and urgent care practices, the release states.
“We are still learning the full capability of what antibody testing can provide, but if we’re able to test for coronavirus antibodies now, it can help as we interpret the data over time and allow us to make informed decisions with results as we advise patients on the next steps as we learn more about this disease,” Suzanna Fox, deputy chief physician and senior medical director of Atrium Health’s women’s service line, said in a prepared statement.
For more information, new and current patients should call their Atrium Health practice.
North Central plans to offer antibody testing soon, Brown said.
Affinity is looking at options to expand testing services, Case said.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 4:21 PM.
