Efficiency of Canopy Entrance Allows Closure of Flagpole Entrance
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Efficiency of Canopy Entrance Allows Closure of Flagpole Entrance

All patients and visitors entering Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) will use the “canopy entrance” starting on Sunday, July 17. The prominent tent-like structure and enclosed walkway is accessed using the second right turn for patients entering the hospital campus from Dewey Street. Parking for the Canopy Entrance is in the P lot, which is the next left-hand turn. Visit https://svhealthcare.org/patients-visitors/parking for a map. 

The canopy entrance opened in March for patients needing the emergency department, laboratory, imaging, surgery, endoscopy, sleep studies, and visitors to inpatient units. The flagpole entrance had been indicated as an entrance for renal dialysis and medical infusion patients and as a pick-up location for patients discharged from some inpatient services, including Medical-Surgical Units, the Intensive Care Unit, and Women’s and Children’s Services. The use of the Canopy Entrance for all pateints will continue for approximately 12 months, while the current main entrance and the adjacent Emergency Department undergo a significant renovation and expansion.

“The Canopy Entrance is operating very efficiently,” said Director of Hospitality Services Tiffany Tobin. “So it makes sense to streamline all of the entering and exiting through that point. It’s simpler for patients and staff and helps improve the experience for everyone.”

The area surrounding the Canopy Entrance is intended for patient pick-up and drop-off only. Patients and visitors are required to park and walk or take a shuttle that will circulate the campus 7 a.m. –7 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Shelters for patients waiting for a shuttle are located in the most frequently used lots. Prominently marked pedestrian walkways guide patients and visitors. As patients approach the canopy, they will find hospitality staff, who will guide them to services and appointments.

The Emergency Department Renovation and Expansion will nearly double the size of the current Emergency Department, which was designed to accommodate 14,000 patient visits a year but currently sees nearly 25,000 annually. The project will further enhance patient safety, infection prevention, and patient privacy. Vertical treatment areas will allow for highly efficient treatment of low-acuity conditions. The project also includes an expansion to the Emergency Crisis Area for those experiencing mental health distress and increased telehealth connectivity with Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

Outside the Emergency Department, the project includes renovations of the Main Entrance, outpatient registration area, the Imaging Department waiting area, and the phlebotomy and laboratory upgrades. A new connector will provide improved access to SVMC ExpressCare and the Respiratory Evaluation Center and the Medical Office Building to the hospital.

Regular updates on the project are available in SVHC’s weekly e-newsletter, on social media, and on the health system’s website, svhealthcare.org/EDRenovation.

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Cautious Entertaining

After almost 3 months of staying home and with the weather getting nicer, many of us are itching to invite friends over and catch up. While this is a natural inclination, it should be approached with significant caution. COVID-19 is still circulating. If you are planning to host, follow these helpful tips for a safe gathering at your home.

Keep the numbers small. Invite as few people as possible. One-on-one meetings are safer than group gatherings. The recommendations from Vermont Governor Phil Scott recommend 25 or fewer. I would still aim for fewer than 10, especially depending on the size of your entertaining space.

Choose invitees carefully. You should know almost everything about the socializing habits of the people you are inviting. Your guests should be as careful in their social interactions as you are in yours. You should also trust that your guests would be cancel if they were feeling ill, as should you if you are suddenly symptomatic. Those at high risk, due to age or a medical condition, should be very careful about hosting or accepting invitations.

Stay outside. Outdoor air movement disperses aerosolized particles more readily than indoor environments. And plenty of space outside allows guests to stay distanced. UV light, like the rays found in sunshine, may also provide some small benefit. It has been shown to decrease the viability of the virus on objects, but it is not yet clear how intense the light must be and for how long the object needs to be exposed in order to kill the virus.

Keep it short. Duration of exposure to others has been identified as a key risk factor. The longer you are near someone shedding the virus, even if they don't have symptoms, the greater your likelihood of catching it yourself. While it is awkward to say that you are inviting people over for a 10-minute chat in the driveway, this is certainly among the lowest-risk types of socializing.

Clean beforehand. If you expect guests to touch anything, the arms of patio chairs, for instance, wipe them down in advance. Ask everyone to sanitize or wash their hands as they arrive, if they touch their face, and about every hour or so.

Stay distanced and masked. People standing tend to drift. Place chairs 6 feet apart so that people will be more likely to stay apart. Unless you are eating, keep your masks on. Share this expectation in advance, so your guests bring their masks with them.

Limit contact points. If you are preparing food, be sure to wash well before cooking and ensure everyone has a portion of his or her own. Forget about platters of vegetables or bowls of chips everyone shares and even buffets, where people share spoons and tongs.

Clean after. Wipe down anything your guests may have touched after they leave.

Keep track. Be sure to take note of who was there, the date of the social event, and each guest's contact details. If any one of the attendees becomes ill with COVID-19 or learns that they may have been exposed at the time of the event, they will be able to reach out directly to the others and to share information readily with contact tracers.

With these tips, you can host a relatively safe get-together and relieve some of the social isolation of the past several weeks. Do know, however, that no party—regardless of how careful—is risk free. Weigh the risks, decrease those you can, and then, try to have fun.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

 

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