Middle Park Health update: Extended care residents return & focus is on funding

0
1141
Middle Park strong! The staff of Middle Park Medical are our Medical Heroe rl Scout Troop, who brought cookies, signs, and love to let them know how much we appreciate what they do.
Middle Park strong! The staff of Middle Park Medical are our Medical Heroe rl Scout Troop, who brought cookies, signs, and love to let them know how much we appreciate what they do.

by Marissa Lorenz

Middle Park Health (MPH) is remaining active in order to ensure the health of the Grand community with continued care to patients and to buttress the financial health of the district by pursuing government loans and other funding.

Long-term residents return to Kremmling

Long-term residents are being moved back into the extended care facility at MPH Kremmling. To date, two patients have returned and the facility is preparing for the anticipated return of two others. Patients were transferred to other facilities across the state at the beginning of the County’s COVID preparations, in order to free-up some of the only overnight medical capability in Grand County. The facility was identified and partnered with the Grand County COVID Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a possible isolation facility in case of local outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease.

“We would like to note that we have taken extra precautions prior to and continuing as we move the residents back to Kremmling,” says Tiffany Freitag, MPH Director of Community Relations.

“These precautions include a tiered response of testing employees who may come in contact with the extended care residents, separating the Kremmling hospitals into ‘zones’ keeping the residents separated from ‘sick’ patients who may come into the hospital, scheduling separate staff members to care for the residents versus potential ‘sick’ patients, restricting visitors, monitoring all employee’s vital signs even if they are asymptomatic, increasing all cleaning and sanitizing measures following guidelines from the CDC, etc.”

The facility has capacity for eight extended care residents at this time and is accepting new residents. That capacity looks to be expanded with the future remodel. In the meantime, the hospital has been zoned to allow for both long-term care and isolation needs, should the need arise.

Schelly Olson, Public Information Officer with the EOC, confirms that the Vintage Hotel in Winter Park has been designated as Grand County’s primary isolation facility. “It is ready to accept individuals needing isolation.”

MPH urges not to delay care

Regular, specialty, and emergency health care services are ongoing at all Middle Park Health locations. “It is important that the community know we are here to take care of all their medical needs, from minor illnesses and injuries to critical emergencies. We are open for scheduling in all departments and are taking the necessary precautions for our staff and patient’s safety,” continues Freitag.

She urges patients “not to delay care,” and points to a nationwide increase in emergency health concerns going untreated as COVID concerns have kept people from seeking necessary care. “Please do not ignore symptoms that would normally bring you to the emergency department.”

District approved for COVID-related funds

Middle Park Health was recently approved for a $2.5 million loan under the Small Business Association’s Payroll Protection Program (PPP).

Under the program, small business can qualify for loans of up to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll in 2019. Funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security or CARES Act, the loans are forgivable if all loan monies are used for qualifying expenses within eight weeks of receipt. A minimum of 75 percent must be used for employee payroll, and up to 25 percent can be applied to mortgage, rent, and utility expenses that were contracted prior to February 20, 2020.

The District also opened a new $750,000 line of credit through the Bank of the West. Freitag
explains that the move was “purely a contingency” and that the line of credit was applied for before awareness of the PPP funding option. “We are continuing to look at other funding options, either through legislative action or other organizations. We are pursuing multiple avenues for funding.”

For more about the Payroll Protection Program and other small business resources, go to SBA.gov. Learn more about services offered by MPH at MiddleParkHealth.org. Schedule appointments by calling 970-887-5886, and go to the nearest emergency at any sign of emergency.