With increased prevalence of novel coronavirus (now called COVID-19) in the U.S. and New York State, St. Lawrence Health System, including Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Gouverneur Hospital, and Massena Hospital, is working closely with local, state and federal public health agencies, as well as our own health care professionals, to ensure they are prepared.

“While we will continue to enhance upon our existing measures of preparedness, our expert health care providers, including our in-house infectious disease specialists, regularly care for patients with severe respiratory illnesses and other infectious diseases,” St. Lawrence Health System said in a press release. “They are well trained and follow specific procedures using all the tools and techniques in place to protect themselves, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). We are drawing on this experience as we continue to prepare and address key issues, including the early recognition and isolation of any patient identified as being high risk for COVID-19.”

“Collaboratively, healthcare and public health specialists thoroughly review and consider all screening results on a case-by-case basis when determining who should be tested,” said Infectious Disease Specialist and member of St. Lawrence Health System’s COVID-19 Steering Committee Daniel Soule, DO. “When a patient presents at any one of our hospitals with signs, symptoms, and epidemiologic risk factors consistent with COVID-19, he or she is roomed within our airborne precaution unit, which is equipped with negative-pressure ventilation to alleviate any potential spread of airborne particles. While under observation in the unit, he or she will be tested for a number of other respiratory illnesses, such as the influenza before being tested for COVID-19. We are as prepared as we can be at this time and are confident with the processes and procedures we have in place.”

St. Lawrence Health System offered reminders to communities that there are everyday preventative actions they can take to help limit the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza.

• Stay home when you are sick and limit contact with others.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a 60% alcohol based hand sanitizer.

• Cover your cough with your elbow and sneeze within a tissue.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects in your home (cellphones, for example).

• Do not travel while sick.

“As part of our preparations we have been reinforcing infection prevention protocols, and this week we implemented new screening procedures at our entrances as a proactive measure. We have positioned supplies at points of entry, so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediately isolated to protect our colleagues and other patients,” the release said.

It is also important that if you are having symptoms, call ahead of your visit to the doctor to communicate travel history and symptoms before arriving, enabling health officials to determine the best setting for care.

“Finally, it is critical that our communities know where to obtain the most accurate and current information from credible sources. We’ve created a COVID-19 page to our website at www.stlawrencehealthsystem.org. The site provides answers to common questions, facts about COVID-19, symptoms to watch for, best-practice prevention measures, and links to real-time data hosted by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH),” the release said.

The public is encouraged to use NYSDOH’s 24-hour hotline at 1-888-364-3065, where trained healthcare professionals will answer questions about COVID-19. The CDC is also an excellent source for the latest information.

“We will continue to provide our communities with updates as conditions evolve,” officials said.