FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kaitlynn Riley
Hospital Remains Available for All Medical Emergencies, Not Just COVID-19
Patients Suffering Non-COVID-19 Emergencies, Such as Heart Attacks or Strokes, Should Not Delay Care and Still Visit ER
April 24, 2020 – Ensuring safe access to emergency medical care continues to be important, even during a pandemic. The Emergency Department physicians and staff at Garden City Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare, remain available to serve emergency needs for 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.
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 Saju George, CEO of Garden City 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.”
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 Garden City Hospital: Garden City Hospital, a part of Prime Healthcare, is a community hospital with a full range of services. GCH has provided over 72 years of caring to the residents of western Wayne County, Michigan. Over the past few years, the hospital has been recognized nationally through quality awards such as the 100 Top Hospitals® and Everest Award by IBM Watson Health™ in 2019 and ranked among top five percent in Michigan for clinical excellence with the 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades. The hospital has also been named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals™ for orthopedic surgery in 2020 and has earned the Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ by Healthgrades for two consecutive years. Garden City Hospital has been named a five-star recipient for pacemaker procedures, hip fracture treatment, spinal fusion surgery, gallbladder removal surgery and treatment of stroke by Healthgrades in 2020 and is a BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan Blue Distinction Center+ for Hip & Knee Replacement and Maternity Care. Learn more at www.gch.org.
