Oregon coronavirus quarantines 'dozens' of Hillsboro hospital staff

[Mme. Defarge]

https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/oregon-coronavirus-quarantines-dozens-of-hillsboro-hospital-staff.html

Dozens of employees at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro have been quarantined after it was determined they may have had contact with the COVID-19 virus.

The first Oregonian to come down with the virus sought treatment at the facility and was eventually put into isolation. But at some point, he came into contact with unprotected employees, according Michael Foley, a spokesman for Kaiser.

Sources within local healthcare unions said as many as 70 Kaiser Westside workers were placed in quarantine. The number has been declining, Foley said, as Kaiser has determined certain employees were never exposed. Foley refused to provide additional details, including how many total employees were quarantined and exactly how many remain off duty.

"Per current CDC guidelines, people who have had contact with COVID-19 patients are asked to maintain self-isolation at home for 14 days,” said Dr. Mary E. Giswold, associate director of Kaiser’s hospital and post-acute care. “Some of our staff, including nurses and physicians, met the criteria for contact and are on furlough. The number of furloughed staff changed daily, as we began with an abundance of caution and followed with a more detailed investigation into whether contact occurred.”

The Kaiser employees will be paid during their furlough.


It is typical in a public health emergency for anyone suspected of coming into contact with the virus to place themselves in voluntary quarantine at their residence.

[CentralMass]

1. My neck of the woods.

[Mme. Defarge]

3. I had major emergency surgery there in 2018.

Wonderful facility and care. It saved my life. I shudder to think how this could impact care.

[CentralMass]

4. Yes it is a scary scenario.

[Leghorn21]

2. Ohhhhh, this is agonizing - the people we need the most on the front lines have to exit stage

left for two weeks, **be well**, y’all

As of a week ago, every single healthcare worker of ANY SORT should be in full protective gear, all day every day, but that is surely not going to happen right yet, and who knows if they even have enough gear to wear??!!

[Boxerfan]

5. Loss of critical staff because of negligence (By Trump)

If we had a fully staffed CDC & he actually gave a fuck-we would have testing kits.

And we would have been screening return passengers 2 months ago. That is what competent fore thinking professionals would have done . That is not what we have.
Test kits or the lack of them-is a major scandal.
And yeah my area. And I'm an at risk older male with lung problems. So fuckin happy.