{"id":2457175,"date":"2020-04-14T22:40:01","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T04:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/"},"modified":"2020-04-15T08:16:34","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T14:16:34","slug":"aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen Valley Hospital low on COVID-19 cases but preps for statewide surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6739894551845\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324370-842\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1024x688.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Debra Demeulenaere takes the temperature of patient Jamie Grenney before he enters through the east entrance of the hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.605577689243\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Debra Demeulenaere takes the temperature of patient Jamie Grenney before he enters through the east entrance of the hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1024x688.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1024x688.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1024x688.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Debra Demeulenaere takes the temperature of patient Jamie Grenney before he enters through the east entrance of the hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1-1024x672.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Signs posted outside Aspen Valley Hospital thank the staff for their hardwork on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.4747191011236\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.4943820224719\">\n<p><strong>Signs posted outside Aspen Valley Hospital thank the staff for their hardwork on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1-1024x672.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1-1024x672.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-1-1024x672.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Signs posted outside Aspen Valley Hospital thank the staff for their hardwork on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Connie Leonard sews masks in a bone density scanner room at Aspen Valley Hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Leonard expressed that it\u2019s a team effort to make the masks that are now being used at the hospital and there\u2019s usually at least four other people helping assemble the PPE. The first 100 masks were made on Leonard\u2019s dining room table, now the crew has made over 500 masks since last week. As long as people need masks, explained Leonard, they will continue making them. To help continue making masks, Obermeyer donated elastic. The fabric used is material that surgical trays are wrapped in. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"2.4669117647059\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15.788235294118\">\n<p><strong>Connie Leonard sews masks in a bone density scanner room at Aspen Valley Hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Leonard expressed that it\u2019s a team effort to make the masks that are now being used at the hospital and there\u2019s usually at least four other people helping assemble the PPE. The first 100 masks were made on Leonard\u2019s dining room table, now the crew has made over 500 masks since last week. As long as people need masks, explained Leonard, they will continue making them. To help continue making masks, Obermeyer donated elastic. The fabric used is material that surgical trays are wrapped in. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2-1024x682.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/avhoperations-atd-041520-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Connie Leonard sews masks in a bone density scanner room at Aspen Valley Hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Leonard expressed that it\u2019s a team effort to make the masks that are now being used at the hospital and there\u2019s usually at least four other people helping assemble the PPE. The first 100 masks were made on Leonard\u2019s dining room table, now the crew has made over 500 masks since last week. As long as people need masks, explained Leonard, they will continue making them. To help continue making masks, Obermeyer donated elastic. The fabric used is material that surgical trays are wrapped in. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Aspen Valley Hospital is reporting light to moderate volumes of patient traffic related to the coronavirus, but members of its executive team are readying for a surge at the state\u2019s larger hospitals that would impact local operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One possibility being discussed is the 25-bed Aspen hospital receiving \u201cless acute\u201d COVID-19 patients in the event of a surge, while Valley Hospital in Glenwood Springs would absorb the more severe local cases if hospitals in Denver and Grand Junction reach operational and patient capacity, according to AVH Chief Transformation Officer Elaine Gerson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Speaking at the hospital board of director\u2019s monthly meeting Monday during a video-conference call, Gerson said that is one scenario the area\u2019s four hospitals \u2014 Aspen, Valley View in Glenwood Springs, Grand River in Rifle and Vail Health \u2014 have considered while examining their local roles in the greater COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The four regional hospitals, Gerson said, \u201clook at each other as a pod, if you will, on how do we manage the patients in this area when we look at who\u2019s got what resources and what\u2019s needed, and if Denver reaches a surge and they can\u2019t take our transfer patients, or St. Mary\u2019s in Grand Junction reaches a surge and they can\u2019t take our patients, what do we do in that event of something like that? We\u2019ve been in discussions every day for the past couple of weeks in looking at where our capacity has been in each of these hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The state is looking at four tiers of patients under a scenario where a patient surge occurs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tier 1 patients would be considered critical and in need of ICU care, while Tier 2 patients could be treated at a critical-access hospital such as AVH. The tiers\u2019 definitions were set by the Colorado Unified Command Center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOur more acute patients might need to go to Valley View and we might need to take their less acute patients off of their hands,\u201d Gerson said of what might happen if Grand Junction and Front Range hospitals are maximized.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tier 3 patients under a surge scenario would be those who are healing and placed in an alternative medical sites such as an arena or convention center, for example.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The four regional hospitals also have been in talks with Colorado Mountain College officials about using its Spring Valley campus dormitories as a Tier 4 facility for managing the discharge of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, Gerson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLots of things are happening on the planning side,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in unprecedented challenges to the medical community both locally and globally, it also has exposed vulnerabilities in America\u2019s health care infrastructures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re all learning about this brand new disease together,\u201d Dr. Catherine Bernard, AVH chief of staff, told the board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">AVH officials, however, said patient admissions are relatively low for COVID-19 cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, two COVID-19 patients were currently hospitalized in Aspen, while a total of four AVH patients had been transferred to other medical facilities for care, according to Jennifer Slaughter, AVH\u2019s director of community relations,<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Through the end of Monday, <a id=\"N0x1133fa0N0x13270c0:N0x1133fa0N0x1285ca8\" href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pitkin County had 49 confirmed cases <\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>of COVID-19, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Public Environment, which also reported 468 confirmed cases in Eagle County and 59 in Garfield County.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The numbers, however, don\u2019t accurately reflect the true number of people afflicted with the virus because of the limited number of locally administered tests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County\u2019s <a id=\"N0x1133fa0N0x1327120:N0x1133fa0N0x1285e58\" href=\"https:\/\/datastudio.google.com\/reporting\/1Ro3JBNSLxmc8HT7JcS_Mch8c7mU60wC7\/page\/plbIB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID-19 symptom-monitoring page<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> reported 340 responses through 4 p.m. Tuesday, as well. The county established the symptom tracker to \u201chelp us gain greater clarity on the types of symptoms experienced by our community and areas of impact. This will also help us align response resources in Pitkin County and evaluate strategies to decrease the spread of illness,\u201d the system-monitoring website says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At one point, about 5% to 6% of AVH\u2019s staff, or 30 individuals, reported having COVID-19-related symptoms, said Alicia Miller, who runs the hospital\u2019s human resources department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eighteen AVH employees, or 4%, currently say they have symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMost are at home and are able to work from home,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The hospital technically is in lockdown mode for health-safety reasons, with the building\u2019s east entrance the sole way to get in for non-emergent patients. New fathers are the only relatives from the outside allowed inside the hospital to see newborns, and the hospital\u2019s cafeteria and gift shop are closed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe feel very comfortable that we are providing a safe and secure environment for our physicians and staff and our patients, most importantly, who need our services,\u201d said David Ressler, hospital CEO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Valley Hospital has set up a respiratory tent for in-person visits that can be made by referral only. Officials emphasized walk-ups won\u2019t be accepted without a referral from their primary care physician.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou have to have an appointment to get into the tent,\u201d said Lori Maloy, the hospital\u2019s chief clinical officer. \u201cIt\u2019s not a walk-in tent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The tent, located near the hospital entrance, is open from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Those without a primary care doctor can call Aspen Valley Hospital Primary Care at 970-279-4111. The doctor there could make a referral or suggest measures the patient takes individually at home, Bernard said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ressler and his fellow department heads said the community\u2019s encouragement has been inspiring. The Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Emergency Fund has received $892,000 in donations over the past few weeks, said Deborah Breen, president and CEO of the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation, the fundraising organization for AVH.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Donated masks and neck gaiters also have poured in from Aspen Skiing Co., Sport Obermeyer, Aspen Meadows and Hazelton Construction, among others, Breen said. One person bought a lunch for the entire hospital staff one day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ressler noted that residential neighbors of AVH often stand outside during the facility\u2019s shift change with posters offering words of encouragement and appreciation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe amount of work that has taken place since March 9, I couldn\u2019t be more proud of, and I am privileged to be part of the incident management team,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have truly performed at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:rcarroll@aspentimes.com\">rcarroll@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-valley-hospital-low-on-covid-19-cases-but-preps-for-statewide-surge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Debra Demeulenaere takes the temperature of patient Jamie Grenney before he enters through the east entrance of the hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Signs posted outside Aspen Valley Hospital thank the staff for their hardwork on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 04:08:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2457204,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457175\/revisions\/2457204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}