Coos Bay, April 7, 2020: Bay Area Hospital has created new policies and put out several asks for donations in the last several weeks as the seriousness of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has escalated across the state and nation as a whole. The hospital would like to make an effort to provide the community with as much information in the clearest way possible, particularly to those in our community that lack opportunity or access to information in a digital format only. The following are recent and important changes that have been made at Bay Area Hospital and information about donations of supplies
Operational Changes
Entrance closures: Bay Area Hospital is only allowing entrance to the hospital through the new main lobby and through the Emergency Room. The new main lobby is open Monday-Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for patients coming to the hospital to receive care. Our Emergency Room continues to be open 24/7.
No visitors: Visitors will not be allowed at Bay Area Hospital, unless they are the parents of a pediatric patient, or they are partner or support person of someone giving birth in our Family Birth Center. Extenuating circumstances and end of life situations will be taken into consideration.
Screening stations: Bay Area Hospital has implemented a screening policy for those who are presenting for care, those who are the parents of pediatric patients, and those who are the support person of someone giving birth in our Family Birth Center. Screening stations have been set up at the new main entrance and at the entrance to the Emergency Room. Visitors limited to the groups mentioned above who present with symptoms will not be allowed to enter. Anyone presenting for care at the hospital with symptoms will be asked to wear a mask.
Informational Updates
The Women’s Imaging Center located at 2650 N 17th Street, Coos Bay, will be closed. All currently and future scheduled exams will be moved to the main hospital building. Anyone who is currently scheduled for an exam at the Women’s Imaging Center will be contacted and given instructions regarding their new exam time and location. Every effort will be made to keep the currently scheduled appointment time. If you have questions, please call the Women’s Imaging Center at 541-267-5411.
Bay Area Hospital has taken steps to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with Executive Order 20-10 issued on March 19, 20202 and with interim guidance provided by the Oregon Health Authority provided on March, 23, 2020. Elective and non-urgent procedures are being cancelled or rescheduled no earlier than June 15, 2020. Patients are asked to work with their physician to determine if their procedure should be continued or cancelled given their particular situation. The hospital asks that patients do not call the hospital to inquire about their cancelled procedure, but to contact the physician’s office that scheduled the surgery for further information.
The Health Information Management (Medical Records) Office will not be processing walk-in records requests. To obtain your medical records please call the Medical Records office at 541-269-8157. Or, you can obtain your records online by going to our website, bayareahospital.org, hovering over ‘Patients & Visitors Information’ on the blue bar across the home page and clicking on ‘Medical Records’. Select and download the appropriate “Authorization for the Use and Disclosure of Protected Health Information’ form, print and complete the form, and mail or fax the form along with a copy of your ID to the applicable address or fax number listed on the form. If you have trouble or need to ask questions, please contact the Medical Records Office at 541-269-8157.
The Patient Accounts/Cashiers Office is closed to walk-in customers. To make a payment via phone please call 1-855-221-9300. To speak with a Bay Area Hospital Patient Accounts Representative, please call 541-269-8132 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Payments can also be made online by going to bayareahospital.org and clicking on the ‘Pay My Bill’ button at the very top of the home page. This option is available 24/7 and will require you to have a ‘visit number’ that can be found on your statement. Another option is to pay by check or debit card (please include your visit number or the patient name with your payment). Checks can be mailed through the United States Postal Services (USPS) to P.O. Box 1666, Roseburg, OR, 97420 (never send cash through the mail); or, a check or statement stub with your debit or credit card information can be placed into the drop box affixed to the wall outside of the Patient Accounts Office.
All Community Health Education classes and trainings including those offered through the Kids’ HOPE Center are cancelled at this time. These classes include, but are not limited to: Chronic Pain Solutions, Advanced Directive Planning, Blood Pressure screenings, Diabetes screenings, Train Your Brain, Management of Maternity Services (MOMS) Program classes, and Darkness to Light trainings.
Donations Ask
Bay Area Hospital is actively accepting donations of protective eyewear equipment, N95 respirators, nitrile gloves, hand sanitizer, and cleaning wipes from private or commercial entities at this time for hospital use.
Donations of homemade face masks and isolation gowns are being accepted as well. Hospital-approved patterns of face masks and isolation gowns can be found on our special Coronavirus webpage which can be found here: http://www.bayareahospital.org/covid-19.aspx. The hospital’s preferred face mask design is the Deaconess Face Mask. The Facebook group ‘Sewing Masks for Coos County’ has up-to-date information and coordinated efforts to help interested community members get or share supplies, and is a good place to ask questions to those who have been making masks for weeks now and have sewing knowledge.
Donations of any of the above-mentioned items can be brought directly to Bay Area Hospital’s screening stations located at the main entrance of the hospital, and at the Emergency Room Monday-Sunday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The Coos Head Food Co-Op has graciously offered their business as a drop off location as well for homemade masks and isolation gowns. The Co-Op is located at 353 S 2nd Street in Coos Bay, and can accept donations during their business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10:100 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
If you have questions or need additional information please contact Kelli Dion, Public Information Officer and Chief Quality Officer at (541) 269- 8185.
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Bay Area Hospital improves the health of our community every day and offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic services spanning medical, surgical, pediatric, critical care, home health, outpatient and acute psychiatric, oncology, obstetrical, and other specialties.
