More coronavirus infections at state psychiatric hospital in Lakewood. New policies in place
More Western State Hospital patients and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus this month, sparking more policies to slow the spread, according to the Department of Social and Health Services.
There have been 28 staff members and six patients who have tested positive for the virus. There has been one patient death related to COVID-19 at the state-run behavioral health hospital in Lakewood.
Due to limited access to personal protective equipment, DSHS recently allowed staff to bring face masks from home to prevent further transmission and has increased testing among staff and patients. To date, the hospital has tested 522 patients and employees, department spokesperson Kelly Von Holtz said.
The department reported last month five employees and two patients contracted the coronavirus and that it had taken precautions to mitigate the outbreak.
The Washington State Department of Health visited the hospital in early April and reported that it has taken effective measures to prevent a much larger outbreak, according to a DOH press release.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 at Western State Hospital is serious,” said state epidemiologist Scott Lindquist, “but because of the proactive work of staff onsite, and the early adoption of infection control practices, their outcomes have the potential to be less damaging to patients, staff and the community.”
The health department also recommended further safety policies in a letter to Western State.
Health officials want:
All staff working in wards with infected patients to be masked.
Staff to be assigned to a single ward to minimize transmission between wards.
Patients with new symptoms to be isolated until test results are known.
Anytime there is a new case, it should be treated as a new “outbreak” and seen as transmission of the virus from staff to patients.
One registered nurse at the hospital, Sharon Bethard, said staff feel anxious about going into work everyday.
“We don’t know who is positive or showing symptoms. It’s frightening,” she told The News Tribune.
She doesn’t feel the cloth masks staff can now wear provide enough protection.
There is not enough personal protective equipment for all the wards, so only the COVID-19 ward receives disposable surgical masks, Bethard said. Staff in other wards are expected to bring in their own, homemade masks.
“We make masks from home, I don’t think that’s enough,” she said.
There are different challenges at Western State than at a medical hospital. It’s difficult to follow the six-foot guideline to social distancing, even more so when patients can become agitated or have a bad day.
“We have different populations. They are very mobile. Patients walk around the entire ward, and we remind them of social distancing, but it’s hard to practice that,” she said.
As the outbreak continues to evolve, teams from the health department will be in regular contact with the infection prevention staff, the department said in a press release.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 5:10 AM.
