Rural Hospitals 04/14/2020

While major cities are being hit hard by the coronavirus, healthcare workers here in rural areas are also on the front line of covid-19.

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While major cities are being hit hard by the coronavirus, healthcare workers here in rural areas are also on the front line of covid-19.

Our stephanie poole joins us in the studio with more on how rural hospitals are working to stop the spread..

Long shifts and limited supplies...these are just are few of the obstacles nurses and doctors are facing in smaller communities.

For winston and montgomery counties, protocol to contain the virus is vital.

"everyone is communicated very specific instructions and we're trying to do that for the good of the patient and their family members and anyone they may come into contact with."

Dr. dustin gentry is a staff physician at winston medical center.

He says if a patient is diagnosed with the coronaviurs, healthcare workers must follow strict guidelines.

" for patients that come in through the emergency room and get admitted to the hospital, those patients are given cautions.

We have negative air pressure rooms, we have contingency plans in case we run out of spaces or ppe.

We are discussing appropriate care and we're reaching out to specialist often to provide standard care as it evolves."

In tyler homes memorial hospital, employees are using the same protocol to mandate covid-19.

However, director of nursing jeffrey whitfield says keeping personal protective equipment on hand is becoming a challenge.

"we're having to re-use some and we're storing our mask in a paper bag as long as it doesn't get soiled or wet or anything.

Gowns we typically throw away after one use.

We really don't know what this thing is capable of yet, there's a-lot of unknowns and that's what makes it so scary.

We're taking it head-on, stuff changes all the time."

That's why health workers are making sure to keep the virus 'in' so there's a standing chance to flatten the curve.

"this situation just gets worse and worse if we don't follow those rules and it just makes our job even harder.

If you're being told one thing and someone else if being told another thing that rises a-lot of confusion.

There's a-lot of specific guidelines and we're all trying to the best we can."

The cdc guidelines for social distancing and cleaning remains the same, whether you live in a rural community or a more populated area.