Mercy Hospital in Springfield says two of its workers have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Both workers traveled out of the state within the last 14 days.
Mercy is working with any co-workers who may have been exposed.
Here’s more from Mercy:
Two co-workers at Mercy Hospital Springfield have tested positive for COVID-19.
Both had traveled out of the state within the last 14 days. Both are managing their illness at home and are in our prayers.
Mercy Springfield leadership will be in touch with co-workers who may have been at risk of exposure due to close contact with these co-workers.
As COVID-19 becomes more prevalent in the community, it is not entirely unexpected that we would have cases confirmed in caregivers.
Patient and co-worker safety is our top priority.
We have been preparing for the likelihood of widespread community infection and have been adjusting our policies to provide the right balance of protecting our co-workers and physicians while also being able to provide safe patient care for our community.
It is our mission to follow in the footsteps of the Sisters of Mercy and answer the call to care for our community in even the most challenging circumstances.
How is Mercy responding to the staff members who are ill with COVID-19?
Mercy knew that as COVID-19 became more prevalent in our community, we would have co-workers who were impacted by the virus. That’s why a new COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave policy went into effect several weeks ago, giving Mercy co-workers up to two weeks additional paid time off if they get ill during the pandemic. In addition, Co-worker Health is in close contact with affected co-workers to help monitor their symptoms, and the co-workers are in our prayers.
Mercy cares deeply about the health and well-being of all of our co-workers and we also recognize our other co-workers are under additional stress as they continue to provide care for our communities, so we’ve asked our chaplains to reach out and provide support to those who may need comfort during their day. Mercy always offers an Employee Assistance Program, which includes telephone counseling sessions. We also believe in the power of prayer and as such, we are holding special prayer opportunities, including ongoing prayers of our Sisters of Mercy.
How do staff members get tested for COVID? What criteria must they meet before they can get tested?
We know that getting tested prior to symptoms (like cough or fever) can result in a false negative. If our co-workers have symptoms, we are testing them. Just like our visitors, they are screened for fever and symptoms every day when arriving for work.
