Good Shepherd Health Care System is limiting visiting hours in light of the continued spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
Good Shepherd officials are working with Umatilla County Public Health, the Oregon Health Authority, and is following guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to prepare the community’s health care system.
Until further notice, the hospital is strongly encouraging community members not to visit the campus unless they require health care services. Patient visitation will be limited to one person per patient. Children under the age of 13 should not visit unless they are visiting a single parent who is the patient. Additionally, if a patient is not seeking emergency care, and intends to come to GSHCS for essential medical services, they should call ahead to the medical care location prior to leaving their home.
In addition to these adjusted visitation guidelines, access into the hospital and clinics will be limited to specific doors. All patients and vendors are to enter campus via the Elm Street entrance and they will be subject to a brief screening in order to direct them appropriately for the services needed.
Locations for entering our facilities will be limited to the following doors during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.:
- Emergency Room Entrance
- Entrance A (Good Shepherd Medical Group Clinic Entrance)
- Entrance C (Pharmacy Entrance)
- Good Shepherd Medical Plaza Main Entrance
- Columbia Professional Plaza (Front Entrance Only)
After hours (between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.) the Emergency Room entrance is the only door open and will continue with 24-hour access. All other exterior doors, including the main Hospital Entrance, Day Surgery entrance, as well as Entrance B (near the Education Department) will be locked until further notice.
Patients may be receiving a call from their physician’s office regarding their upcoming clinic visit and/or surgical procedure. Education Department scheduled activities are suspended and postponed through March 31. If you have a question about upcoming Education Department classes or meetings, please call 541-667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org.
Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy is also providing free prescription delivery services to its patients’ households. Patients may call the Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy at 541-667-3652 to request this service and make appropriate arrangements. For those patients who would like to utilize curbside delivery at the pharmacy, they are welcome to park at the curb closest to the Pharmacy – Entrance C, and call 541-667-3652 for a curbside delivery of their prescriptions.
GSHCS has established a multidisciplinary leadership team who is working to ensure the facilities have the capacity, supplies, equipment and staffing to handle a potential coronavirus patient and/or an influx of patients.
“The community’s partnership in helping us reduce the number of people in our facilities will allow us to focus on caring for our patients,” said Jodi Gavel, Good Shepherd infection preventionist. “These containment efforts our health care system has put into place, along with the restrictions set forth by our state, will help reduce the spread of infectious disease in our communities
For up-to-date GSHCS information, please visit the GSHCS Facebook page or www.gshealth.org. For general COVID-19 questions, community members may call the OHA hotline by dialing 211 from a cell phone (not a landline). If a community member believes they have been infected by COVID-19 or are exhibiting symptoms such as fever or respiratory illness (cough or shortness of breath), call your primary care physician’s office and/or Umatilla County Public Health at 541-278-5432. For medical emergencies, dial 911.
