This uncertain time has been taxing on all of us, but I’m sure when you think of the people who are directly affected the most, you think about our healthcare workers. We are fortunate to have talented professionals working in our region’s healthcare organizations to ensure you receive the best care possible. They are on the front lines ensuring that our loved ones are taken care of and that the correct precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to flatten the curve.  

Recently in the Chamber’s webinar series, we heard from Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Chris McLain, M.D., Chief Physician Officer and COVID-19 Physician Lead as well as Craig Self, Chief Strategy Officer and COVID-19 Incident Command Lead on the current updates (as of Monday, March 30), lessons learned in the process, challenges they are currently facing and those that are still to come.

What’s Brought Us Here 

Dr. McLain and Mr. Self explained that the first COVID-19 case that was reported from China to the World Health Organization (WHO) was on December 31. Immediately upon hearing the news, Roper St. Francis Healthcare leaders began internal reviews of policies and procedures to ensure that they would be as prepared as possible for cases coming to our region. 

The first case in the United States was on January 21. In early February, Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s  supply chain workers came in to identify resource options for when it inevitably would come to South Carolina and lab leaders began their work on testing.

On March 3, they set up an internal infection prevention task force to identify how results would be reported. On March 6, the first case was recorded in South Carolina. This pushed the Roper team to transition from the task force to standing up a COVID-19 Emergency Response Incident Command Center with the goal of continuing to offer the highest level of care for patients and provide consistent and transparent messaging to internal and external stakeholders.

Benefits of Roper St. Francis’ Emergency Response Incident Command Center: 

• Identifies a clear chain of command 
• Develops transparency – the Command Center is the single source of information 
• Limits rumors 
• Understands and prioritizes resources 
• Mobilizes coordination with other medical facilities to develop a regional strategy
• Creates a tracking system for all COVID-19 patients 

The Command Center is currently open during normal business hours and becomes virtual after hours.  

March 17 was when the first case was recorded at Roper St. Francis. On March 20, they made the difficult decision to discontinue elective surgeries and put in place vendor and visitor restrictions in order to prevent the spread and make more ventilator machines and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) available.

They do note that there have been special circumstances, like end of life, that allow for visitors to come in with the patient. Elective procedures also do depend on if they are able to be pushed to a later date. In cases such as cardiac or oncology circumstances, these urgent and emergent cases will not be pushed off because of the elective surgeries ban.

Challenges 

Of course, during a pandemic, even when you prepare as best as possible, it doesn’t come without its challenges.

• Shortage of testing – with the numbers continuing to increase it becomes more difficult to keep a large supply of tests. Both Dr. McLain and Mr. Self remain optimistic that this will continue to get better. The Roper team has been in coordination with other health organizations and are increasing in-house testing to create more options. Currently, as of March 30, they are waiting on the reagents* to be delivered sometime this week. 
• Rapidly changing conditions – Roper St. Francis Healthcare and other organizations have had to learn to be more agile, pivoting in order to give their team members the training necessary to continue their work. Swift coordination efforts have had to happen internally and externally to provide the best service and information.
• Shortage of supplies – Roper St. Francis Healthcare continues to monitor the equipment needed during this time. They are checking inventory at least two times a day and will continue to provide conservation education. The Roper team is accepting donations for critical supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE), faceshields, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Here is a complete list of items they can accept.  Donations can be delivered  Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at  9165 University Blvd., Suite 200. No appointment or pre-approval is needed. If you have questions, please email Covid19Donations@rsfh.com. 

Lessons Learned 

With challenges come opportunities for growth and improvement. Through this trying time, the Roper team has learned to be: 

• Quick, nimble and resilient to serve their patients.
• Thoughtful, but fast in decision making. Decisions need to be discussed and finalized daily in order to keep up with the change in this pandemic. 
• Open to transitioning healthcare services to more virtual opportunities to care for patients. Telehealth is a new care paradigm that Roper St. Francis Healthcare has had for many years, but it has proved to be very valuable during this time and will continue to be as we move out of this COVID-19 period.

Throughout the webinar, it was obvious that Dr. McLain and Mr. Self continue to be in awe of the adaptability of their front-line employees who work with a passion to serve. The dedication these medical professionals have shown during this time and outside of a pandemic are unparalleled; it’s just easier to see when what’s going on in a hospital affects the entire world

The Roper St. Francis team remains committed to flattening the curve and offering the best care for their patients. Webinars like these offer great opportunities for our members to share information and give you insight from the experts. View the full webinar here: https://cmcc.flywheelsites.com/news/webinars/covid-19-readiness-and-response-with-roper-st-francis-healthcare/

Check out our upcoming webinars here: www.charlestonchamber.org/coronavirus-resources

*a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction or added to test if a reaction occurs