The Bellevue Hospital reinstates services

BELLEVUE — The Bellevue Hospital has created a plan to safely begin to reopen some services as allowed. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently provided guidance to hospitals to begin reinstating services suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Under this guidance all medically necessary procedures that do not require an overnight stay in a healthcare facility or do not require an inpatient hospital admission are moving forward. "As the hospital begins to open up more of our services, we want to emphasize that our patients are our top priority," said Michael K. Winthrop, president and CEO of The Bellevue Hospital. "We are here to keep you safe and to provide our community quality healthcare." "We are asking our patients and visitors to also wear their own cloth face coverings upon arrival to our hospital, outpatient clinics and physicians' offices and to keep the covering on while traveling through our hospital," Winthrop added. "We appreciate our community's cooperation on this proactive measure to protect our patients and employees." Services, which resumed this week, include selected elective surgeries, all diagnostic imaging services, pain management, wound reconstruction, EKG testing and limited Vein & Body Specialists procedures. Rehabilitation services, laboratory services, ambulatory care, occupational health, diabetic education and medication management also will continue seeing patients. "To help maintain proper physical distancing in the hospital, we are asking patients pre-register and schedule all procedures and visits before arriving at the hospital," said Sara Brokaw, vice president of patient care services at The Bellevue Hospital. "For example, walk-in appointments were once available for X-Rays. We now ask that you pre-register by phone before arriving for outpatient services." For Diagnostic Imaging services and EKG testing, call centralized scheduling to schedule appointments and pre-register at 419-483-4040, Ext. 3067. The Bellevue Hospital's outpatient lab draw hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at 1400 W. Main St., Suite D, located in the medical offices behind the hospital. To preregister, call 419-483-4040, Ext. 4455. All other services will be registered as usual through the department unless indicated. To protect patients from the spread of COVID-19, TBH has put standard precautions in place including restricting visitors, staggering appointment times to reduce multiple patients in waiting rooms, utilizing masks and personal protective equipment (PPE), and screening both staff and patients by checking temperatures and asking about symptoms of flu-like illnesses. If arriving for an outpatient visit, it is best for the patient to arrive close to the scheduled time. Visitor restrictions are still in place at this time and the Main Station Café and gift shop remain closed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bellevue Hospital's physician group also has started offering Connect for Care video office visits to allow patients to receive care without having to leave the comfort of their homes. Similar to a regular office visit, medical providers are able to discuss symptoms and concerns with their patients via video visits from a smartphone or computer. Patients would need to call their Great Lakes Physicians provider to discuss these appointment options. For more details, visit https://www. bellevuehospital.com/services/ great-lakes. For more information on TBH's COVID-19 response, visit www.bellevuehospital.com.