Do not ignore your symptoms. Seek care when you need it. Ignoring health problems can lead to serious complications. At Columbus Regional, our hospital and clinics can treat you while keeping you safe from COVID-19.
Precautions CRHS is taking to keep you safe include:
The health of our community is a top priority. When discussing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), It is important to be educated on how to stay healthy and where to find key information.
Rose McPherson, Emergency Department Manager Joins Dr. David Heller to discuss COVID-19 on Community Action
CEO John Young speaks with Justin Smith of the News Reporter with the latest updates on how the hospital is handling the Covid-19.
The Columbus County COVID-19 death rate is more than double the North Carolina state average. Columbus County has one of the highest COVID-19 rates in southeastern North Carolina.
PLEASE take these steps to stop the spread of COVID-19:
CCHD and CRHS Joint Flyer [PDF]
WHITEVILLE, NC – Starting Wednesday, April 29, 2020, Columbus Regional Healthcare System will be offering a drive-through option for COVID-19 testing. Testing will take place at the main circle entrance to the hospital. The hours will be Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 12 PM and 5 PM to 9 PM. This drive-through option is part of a larger COVID-19 testing strategy to help identify and treat those with the virus.
Please note, the drive-through service is by appointment only. Anyone interested in getting an appointment should call the Columbus Regional COVID-19 testing hotline, Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, at 910-642-1570. The COVID-19 test is covered by insurance and self-pay options are available.
Appointments will be given to those patients who meet criteria established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. If an appointment is needed, the qualified individual will be registered over the phone and given an appointment time. At the designated time, the individual will arrive, drive through the circle entrance, be tested and sent home. Once the test has been completed, Columbus Regional staff will contact the individual with their tests results as soon as they are available.
Columbus Regional has a comprehensive action plan in place to identify COVID-19 positive patients and treat them, while keeping all patients and teammates safe and protected. CRHS is following the latest national and local standards and protocols. Safety measures that are in place include a health screening of anyone going into a CRHS facility, extensive cleaning and disinfecting protocols throughout the system, appropriate personal protective equipment is available, and CRHS teammates are following best practices to keep everyone safe. While you are encouraged to continue staying home and practicing good social distancing, you can be confident that CRHS is providing the highest standards of care if you need it.
This is a rapidly developing situation, and Columbus Regional will continue to respond accordingly.
Please continue monitoring the website at http://www.crhealthcare.org/ and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CRHealthcare for the most recent updates.
According to the CDC’s latest recommendation, the answer for almost everyone is yes. That’s because we now know coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms.
You might not be used to wearing a mask to the grocery store or seeing others in them, but like social distancing, it’s another easy way we can work together to get through this.
By clicking the link above, you can learn how cloth masks protect others, plus how you can make your own at home. (No sewing necessary).
Columbus Regional Healthcare System has been notified of its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The individual required a short hospital stay at Columbus Regional but is now at home in isolation. Columbus Regional has worked with the Columbus County Health Department and continues to follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to protect patients and teammates and to limit the spread of the virus.
To protect patients, families, and healthcare workers from the spread of COVID-19, Columbus Regional continues to temporarily limit visitors. Visitors are not allowed in the emergency department or on the floors, with very few exceptions, including minor children. Any visitors that are permitted on the campus are subject to a health screening to ensure they do not have any flu-like
symptoms, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System continues to monitor and respond to this rapidly evolving situation. This temporary restriction on visitors follows local, state, and national guidelines and best practices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to protect patients, visitors, and healthcare workers.
Columbus Regional continues to encourage everyone to follow the recommendations of the CDC, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and the Columbus County Health Department to take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which are:
For the most recent updates from Columbus Regional, please continue monitoring the website at
http://www.crhealthcare.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/ and Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/CRHealthcare.
In order to protect patients, their families, and healthcare workers from the spread of COVID-19, Columbus Regional Healthcare System is implementing additional temporary visitor restrictions. Effective Sunday, March 22, 2020, patient visitors will be permitted only in the following limited circumstances:
In these limited circumstances, visitors must be an immediate family member who is 18 or older and has no fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Visitation hours are limited to 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Columbus Regional recognizes that interactions with family and friends can be a helpful part of the healing process. Patients and families are strongly encouraged to utilize other forms of support for their loved ones in the hospital, such as phone calls and video chat.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and Columbus Regional Healthcare System continues to monitor and respond to COVID-19. The safety of our patients, teammates, and our community is the top priority. This temporary restriction on visitors follows local, state, and national guidelines and best practices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As Columbus Regional continues to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 in our community, the emergency room has developed a higher level of medical screening and triage for patients requiring emergency care. The white tent outside of the emergency department IS NOT A COVID-19 TESTING SITE. Should it be needed, it will be used to create more space for the current emergency department and emergency department services.
These changes may be difficult or inconvenient for the patient and their loved ones. However, these changes are to ensure we are doing everything we can as a system to keep our patients, their families, our teammates, and our community safe and to limit the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.
This is a rapidly developing situation, and Columbus Regional will continue to respond accordingly. Please continue monitoring our website at http://www.crhealthcare.org/coronavirus-disease-2019- covid-19/ and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CRHealthcare for the most recent updates.
Columbus Regional Updates in Response to COVID-19
As Columbus Regional Healthcare System continues to monitor and respond to COVID-19, the safety of our patient, teammates, and our community is the top priority. Following current guidance of national and state health leaders, and in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Columbus Regional is implementing the following changes to protect our patients, providers, and teammates.
Visitors:
Patients are limited to one visitor per day. The visitor must be an immediate family member who is 18 or older. No one under the age of 18 will be allowed on campus, unless seeking emergency medical treatment. All visitors will be screened at the entrance points to the hospital, and anyone with a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or possible exposure to COVID-19 will not be allowed to visit. Visitation hours are limited to 10 AM until 7 PM. Patients in the emergency room are not allowed to have any visitors, with the exception of patients under the age of 18, who may have one guardian. Patients at Columbus Regional Health Network may have one visitor with them, who will be screened prior to entrance into the clinic.
Hospital Access:
On weekdays, entrance to the hospital is limited to the Yellow Canopy, the ASU Covered Walkway, and the Emergency Department. On weekends entrance to the hospital is limited to the Yellow Canopy. The emergency department will remain open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The main entrance of the hospital, from visitor parking, no longer has access to the main hospital. That entrance is limited to services provided in the professional office building, such as Donayre Cancer Care Center and Physical Therapy. This entrance closes at 5 PM on weekdays and remains closed on the weekends.
The emergency room is developing a higher level of screening and triage for those patients requiring emergency care. We know that these changes may be an inconvenience to families of patients in the hospital, however, it is imperative that we take active steps to prepare for and respond to the developments of COVID-19 and keep our patients, their families, our teammates, and the community safe.
This is a rapidly developing situation, and Columbus Regional will continue to respond accordingly. Please continue monitoring this page and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CRHealthcare for the most recent updates.
Visitors
As we continue to monitor COVID-19, Columbus Regional Healthcare System is updating the visitor restrictions. While we understand this may be an inconvenience for patients in the hospital and their families, we must do what we can to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our patients, their families, our teammates, and the community healthy.
Restricted Access
Access to the hospital will be restricted to three entrance points. Please enter the hospital through one of the following entrances on the west side of the campus:
Access to the hospital through the main entrance on the east side of campus will no longer be open. Access from that entrance will be limited to Donayre Cancer Care Center, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Cardiopulmonary.
Visitors
As COVID-19 continues to spread in North Carolina, Columbus Regional Healthcare System is implementing stricter restrictions on visitors at the facility. Our top priority is the safety of our patients, their family, and our teammates. While we understand that these restrictions may be an inconvenience to families with patients in the hospital, we must all do what we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our patients, teammates, and community healthy.
Due to the rapidly changing nature of this event, these guidelines will continue to change. Please continue to review the Columbus Regional Healthcare System Website and Facebook page for the latest information.
Think you might have COVID-19?
If you have traveled to an area where COVID-19 is present within the last 14 days and have symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), contact your primary care provider or the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Hotline at (866) 462-3821 for guidance. If you have these symptoms, before visiting an emergency department, your primary care provider, or other healthcare provider’s office, please call ahead so that they can plan safety precautions to prevent the spread of infection during your visit.
Wednesday, April 29th, 2020
Tuesday, April 28th, 2020
Tuesday, April 28th, 2020
Tuesday, April 21st, 2020
Thursday, April 9th, 2020
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