County, city of Fallon and Banner Churchill Community Hospital staying ahead of virus

Be prepared. If you’ve been in a Scouting program, you’ve heard this motto. It is good advice for us all, so Churchill County, the City of Fallon and Banner Churchill Community Hospital have banded together and are acting on that advice to stay ahead of COVID-19.

Drive past the hospital and you’ll see tents in the parking lot. Even before the first case of COVID-19 is reported in Churchill County, first responders and local government want to be ready to serve you in the most effective and safe way possible.

These tents will serve as a triage center for any suspected COVID-19 patients. In these tents, patients will be screened before being admitted to the hospital to alleviate pressure on the emergency room and to preserve beds for those who need them most. Banner Health hospitals and clinics are following a testing algorithm and will test patients when appropriate. Only those who meet criteria will be tested.

Banner Churchill Community Hospital does not encourage testing for those with no symptoms or mild symptoms. For those individuals it is recommended that they stay at home, isolate from others in their household and manage/monitor their symptoms. They should remain isolated for at least 72 hours. For additional questions, call Nevada’s Coronavirus Direct Line at 800-860-0620.

So give a friendly wave as you drive by and let them know you appreciate all their hard work, forward thinking and preparedness in this era of COVID-19.