Montgomery County, TN – Montgomery County Government Emergency Services Director Jimmie Edwards, initiated the first collaborative medical community conference call this morning to share information and discuss what is needed in our local healthcare community.
Included in the call were representatives from Tennova Healthcare of Clarksville, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Montgomery County Health Department, Premier Medical Group, various walk-in and urgent care clinics, Austin Peay State University and Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
“It’s important to know that most of us have been communicating for several weeks. These conference calls provide us with the ability to involve all healthcare facilities in Clarksville, Montgomery County. We left the conversation in agreement that it is important to conduct the calls on a regular basis,” stated Edwards.
The group discussed test counts, the possibility of planning for clinical pathways related to assessment, testing, and treatment locations, personal protective equipment needs and the overall supply situation and path for the distribution of supplies..
Many people are coming to healthcare facilities for symptoms that match coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, but approximately 93% of those tests come back negative from the Tennessee Department of Health.
“The people coming in for testing confirm there are a lot of illnesses going around at this time. We are seeing people with respiratory issues related to everything from the regular flu, to bronchitis, to allergies which have all or some of the same symptoms as coronavirus (COVID-19). On our busiest day so far, we had nearly 150 people in line for assessment, 61 were tested because they had coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms. Of those 61 tested that day, none were positive for coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Montgomery County Health Director Joey Smith.
Dr. Mike Carrigan, Chief Administrator of Premier Medical Group said, “We must continue to get the message out on where people should go first for treatment, where to go for triage, and to keep them out of the hospital emergency rooms.”
Those who represented the clinics and are not testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) are working to treat systematic viral issues and keep people from going to the emergency rooms unnecessarily.
Edwards stated, “This is a fluid situation that continues to evolve. Working together through this pandemic is what we have been trained to do and is absolutely critical in winning the war against COVID-19.”
Citizens who feel they have the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), should call their primary healthcare provider and follow instructions on whether to seek testing. For more information on the symptoms, homecare, response and outbreaks related to coronavirus (COVID-19), visit cdc.gov
For local information and community resources, visit the Montgomery County Government or City of Clarksville web sites.
