(San Dimas, Calif., April 16, 2020) – Ensuring safe access to emergency medical care continues to be important, even during a pandemic. Prime hospitals are available to serve emergency needs for both COVID and non-COVID related issues. Patients should not delay care when needed, especially for conditions where early diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving, such as heart attack and stroke. This is a public service message to communities and patients to continue to seek care in your local emergency room for non-COVID conditions when needed and our emergency rooms and physicians remain ready to care for you.
Recent trends suggest that patients are not seeking care for emergencies and delays in diagnosis are leading to poor outcomes. Stay-at-home orders issued by public health agencies make exceptions for those in need of emergency medical treatments. Signs or symptoms of medical emergencies should not be ignored. Those experiencing signs of a heart attack or stroke, such as chest pain or sudden muscle weakness, should still call 911 or visit the emergency room immediately.
“Our Emergency Department remains open, safe and ready to serve patients and our community, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week,” said Parrish Scarboro, CEO of San Dimas Community Hospital, who added that the hospital is concerned that some people might ignore danger signs and postpone trips to the ER for fear of being exposed to the coronavirus. “We are well prepared to handle non-COVID emergencies as well as able to deal with an influx of potential COVID-19 cases, and are following all state, local, and federal guidelines to safeguard our staff and other patients from exposure.”
San Dimas Community Hospital is prepared for today, preparing for tomorrow, and sharing information to keep our patients and caregivers safe. The hospital is nationally recognized for several awards for their services including HealthGrades Excellence Award since 2018, Nation’s Top 100 Hospitals, an “A” rating in safety from LeapFrog, the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award, and Number One Birth Certificate Compliance in the State of California. Furthermore, extra protections have been put in place for screening patients before they enter the ER, to ensure they don’t have a fever, or symptoms of COVID in an effort to expedite treatment of care.
Those experiencing mild flu-like symptoms should consult with their primary care physician while taking precautions to self-isolate and limit contact with family members while at home. If symptoms worsen, however – including a consistent cough and fever — visit an emergency room as soon as possible.
Information on the potential warning signs of a heart attack can be found here: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack. For signs of a stroke, visit https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/stroke-symptoms.
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About San Dimas Community Hospital
San Dimas Community Hospital is an award winning, 101-bed facility serving the San Dimas, Glendora, Covina and La Verne, California communities with compassionate, quality care. Services include 24-hour emergency care, a family birth center, orthopedic surgery, advanced diagnostic services, cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal services. A three-time recipient of the 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health, San Dimas Community Hospital’s has also been acknowledged by the Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Safety, and is a recipient of the prestigious Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Learn more at sandimashospital.com.