10

Forging Through the Pandemic

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Implemented our Incident Command System,
a structure used for preparation, training and
mitigating all types of emergencies. GSHCS has used
this key structure since the Oregon State and United
States Governments declared States of Emergency
last March 2020, which includes a multidisciplinary
leadership team working around-the-clock to ensure
our facilities have the capacity, supplies, equipment
and staffing to handle a potential surge in patients.

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Maintained a 30-day supply of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) at all times to protect our
healthcare workers despite the national shortage of
PPE. Conserving PPE was primarily the reason that
elective surgery cases were discontinued (for non-
life-threatening and non-urgent procedures) for a
period of time, which, in turn, caused much of the
financial hardships that hospitals (especially rural
hospitals) faced in the early weeks of the COVID-19
outbreak.

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In planning for the “what if”, we modified our
Treatment Center (formerly called Unit C) to serve
as a dedicated COVID-19 unit – to further strengthen
infection control. The dedicated unit added 12
beds to care for a potential surge in COVID-19
patients. Departments (Cancer Center, Treatment
Center, Infusion Center and Wound Care) in their
former space were uprooted and moved to our Day
Surgery wing in our Surgical Services Department,
and individuals whose offices were displaced were
relocated to the former Surgery Waiting Area.
We were amazed at the willingness of our staff to
complete this challenging move and how quickly
they made it happen.

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To the date of this publishing, GSHCS has completed
5,404 COVID-19 tests for patients
that met testing criteria.

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We limited visitation in accordance with OHA and
CDC guidelines to keep our patients, staff and
visitors safe.

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Our employees completed 14,671.75 COVID-19
worked hours during the pandemic.

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Our Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy delivered

No matter what has transpired with COVID-19 (and any 
conspiracy theories, too), Good Shepherd’s healthcare 
workers have remained steadfast in their dedication to 
serve patients with high quality, compassionate care. 
With the title of hero or not, they have continued to do 
what they do and maintain their focus – saving lives. The 
pandemic has brought many challenges with it and even 
spotlighted holes and gaps in supply chains, processes, 
staffing, financials and even facility space should we see 
an influx of patients. GSHCS had to rethink things and 
get creative in order to meet the needs of a potential 
patient surge during the pandemic. While working 
closely with Umatilla County Public Health (UCPH), the 
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are some of 
the triumphs our health care system pulled together to 
accomplish: 

prescriptions to 52 patients a day (on average) via 
curbside delivery and our CareVan completed 731 
home deliveries since the pandemic began.

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Implemented social distancing measures in all
waiting areas throughout our facilities: and stationed
screening processes at our entrances
for patients, staff and visitors.

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The hospital and its services that our housekeepers
are responsible for cleaning is over 300,000 square
feet (which is 10,000 square feet per employee),
equivalent to about 10 homes per day (average
home is 2,500 square feet). Our Environmental
Services team took on the “extra cleaning” process
for COVID-19 dedicated patient rooms with
strict infection control processes and time-frame
requirements based on CDC and OHA guidelines

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Each day (365/year), our Materials Management
team scans and stocks approximately 4,700
items in our nursing units, surgery center and all
clinics on and off campus to ensure our healthcare

workers have what they need to care for patients.
5,043,547 individual items per year are needed for
the hospital to function at normal volumes, which
fluctuated considerably with the pandemic.

Good Shepherd’s Emergency Department team members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Quality & Infection Control Department met every 

challenge the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth with 

determination and dedication.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Respiratory 

Therapy Manager Tony Garberg, RRT, with staff 

that together successfully reprocessed p100 masks 

during the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting our 

frontline healthcare workers.