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Prisma Health developing comprehensive COVID-19 surge plan for Midlands

Press Release

Patients may be cared for at different locations beginning this week

Prisma Health is developing a surge plan for its hospitals to react to the anticipated COVID-19 peak of patients in the Midlands. To best care for our patients, we are grouping together COVID-19 patients and, in the Midlands, moving expectant mothers, newborns and oncology patients between Prisma Health inpatient facilities.

The surge plan uses all of the Prisma Health–Midlands hospitals and their 1,000 beds to help address increased volumes. To help ease the transitions for Prisma Health patients who will need to move between care facilities, caregivers from their current hospital units will travel with them to their new locations. The current plan includes:

  • Designating Prisma Health Baptist Hospital and Prisma Health Richland Hospital to share the responsibility of caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.
    • Lower acuity patients will be cared for at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital.
    • Patients who have critical needs will be cared for at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.
  • Designating Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital as the Midlands facility for low-risk labor & delivery patients and oncology patients.
    • High-risk labor and delivery patients will continue to deliver at Prisma Health Richland Hospital given the availability of specialty services at this facility.
    • Mothers who are inpatients and have already delivered prior to the April 11 start date will not be moved. They will be discharged home.
    • Expectant mothers, including low-risk, who are planning to deliver at Prisma Health Richland Hospital still will do so.
    • Oncology patients will be relocated to Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital starting April 7.
  • Expanding specific nursing units to cohort, or group, as many suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients in as few locations as. This helps limit exposure of team members and other patients in the hospital to the coronavirus.

“We are providing information about our COVID-19 response to the community to reassure everyone that we are here for you,” said Steve Shelton, MD, Incident Commander of Prisma Health–Midlands. “Our team is working tirelessly to care for this community – our current patients and those who we will care for with the anticipated COVID-19 patient increase. Our comprehensive plan is designed to provide the best care for patients while maintaining the safety of our team members.”

Shelton added, “We understand that this information includes changes for some of our patients. Every action we are taking is in the best interests of our patients, our team members and the health of our community, and we apologize for any inconveniences this may cause you.”

For more information about COVID-19 and Prisma Health’s continued response, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus.

Prisma Health Assists with Critical COVID-19 Needs in Kershaw County

Press Release

Midlands Regional Healthcare Coalition members share resources in emergencies and in ongoing collaboration

When Kershaw County unexpectedly became South Carolina’s early hotspot for COVID-19 cases, Prisma Health was uniquely positioned to provide critical assistance. Both healthcare systems are members of the Midlands Regional Healthcare Coalition, one of the state’s four regional coalitions that coordinate for emergency preparedness. KershawHealth hospital in Camden experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases in March, and Prisma Health was able to transfer five ventilators to their facility. The ventilators were rapidly put into service for critical patients who needed breathing support as they fought COVID-19.

“We are proud to serve as a regional partner to help ensure that critical needs are being addressed and resources are shared wherever possible. There are quite a few models of ventilators and in our larger healthcare system we were able to locate the exact models of ventilators that KershawHealth’s critical care teams were already trained to use,” said Stephen Shelton, MD, who serves as Prisma Health–Midlands Incident Commander for the COVID-19 crisis response.

The five ventilators were located at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital in Sumter. All five units have now been in active use for a month in Camden, providing lifesaving support and will be returned to Tuomey Hospital when KershawHealth no longer needs them.

In addition, Prisma Health was able to provide KershawHealth a supply of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing kits until more arrived. This assistance helped KershawHealth respond quickly to its initial surge of patients and provided the time they needed to locate and purchase scarce supplies as they continued to ramp up their ongoing COVID-19 response.

Tallulah Holmstrom, MD, Chief Medical Officer, KershawHealth, said, “Our collaboration with Prisma Health is longstanding. Patients reap the benefits when their community hospital has a cooperative relationship for services such as extended lab support for hospital bloodwork. We also benefit from Prisma Health’s recent launch of in-house testing for COVID-19. Now, instead of waiting days or a week for inpatient results, we are receiving their results in hours. When we work together, we can better serve our patients and communities, especially as we face this public health crisis.”

For more information about COVID-19 and Prisma Health’s continued response, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

Prisma Health to begin testing effectiveness of blood plasma in severe or critically ill COVID-19 patients as part of national investigational therapy

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Treatment is developed from donated blood plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients

Prisma Health is participating in a national investigational treatment to test the effectiveness of blood plasma in severe or critically-ill COVID-19 patients. The treatment is developed from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients and then administered to hospitalized patients who have life-threatening COVID-19 disease.

The overall goal of the trial is to determine if blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can improve the chance of recovery for people severely-ill with the disease.

Prisma Health is participating in the national coalition established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). COVID-19 patients who meet certain criteria established by the FDA are eligible for the treatment. Mayo Clinic serves as the lead institution, with blood banks helping to collect the plasma and distribute it for use in COVID-19 patients in approximately 100 sites across the country, including Prisma Health. A unique partnership with Prisma Health and The Blood Connection, based in Greenville, will ensure local plasma is available for South Carolinians. The University of South Carolina will provide lab testing, as needed.

Recovered COVID-19 patients are encouraged to donate blood plasma for this FDA-authorized treatment for critically ill patients who may benefit from coronavirus-fighting antibodies. The donated blood plasma could be made into convalescent serum and given to approved patients within days.

Prisma Health’s Jeffery Edenfield, MD, Medical Director, Institute for Translational Oncology Research, is the project’s principal investigator, said he was excited to offer this treatment for patients. Currently, serum therapy is only approved for the most ill COVID-19 patients.

“The immune systems of recovered patients have created the antibodies needed to clear the virus from the body. These same antibodies can be collected from them in a process much like giving blood and then given to others who are still struggling with the disease,” said Edenfield, a hematologist and oncologist at Prisma Health Cancer Institute-Upstate.

“We are hopeful that using the treatment will help more severely ill people recover more quickly,” said Edenfield. This investigational treatment has shown promise in outbreaks of similar viral respiratory infections, Edenfield added.

Prisma Health patients who were confirmed as positive for COVID-19 and who have recovered and tested negative will receive a letter inviting them to donate plasma for this effort when fully recovered. Any recovered COVID-19 patient who has testing documentation from their physician may be eligible to donate plasma.

Robert Rainer, MD, helped bridge the collaboration with The Blood Connection, a regional blood bank.

Rainer, who is both a blood bank pathologist for Prisma Health and medical director for The Blood Connection, said the blood bank will “help collect a local supply of antibody-rich plasma for South Carolina patients with immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections.”

“Prisma Health is always excited to collaborate with our academic partner University of South Carolina. With help from our UofSC research colleagues in genetics and pharmacology, we are able to quickly process any additional lab testing that may be needed to ensure the treatment is appropriate for the patient,” said Helmut Albrecht, MD, a specialist in infectious diseases at Prisma Health and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the UofSC School of Medicine in Columbia.

How to donate
If you have recovered from COVID-19 and wish to donate, please contact The Blood Connection (864)751-1168 to make an appointment. The Blood Connection is based in the Upstate area. In addition, donation times and locations will be scheduled in the Midlands based on the number of interested donors who meet the criteria.

Positive test documentation/results can include the following:

  • A copy of the donor lab results showing a positive test for COVID-19 which shows the date of the positive test.
  • A document from their healthcare provider stating that the donor had a positive test for COVID-19 and the date of the positive test. This document must be on the letter­head or prescription pad of the healthcare provider and must be signed and dated by the healthcare provider.
  • Please note that The Blood Connection does not test for COVID-19.

For more information about COVID-19 and Prisma Health’s continued response, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

Prisma Health launches iPad initiative to reconnect patients with their families during COVID-19 pandemic

Press Release

Amy Kinard, a patient at Prisma Health, was able to “see” her husband Tony for the first time in a week last Friday, thanks to an innovative initiative to help equip patients with iPads so they can keep in touch with families and loved ones despite current visitation restrictions.

Mrs. Kinard, hospitalized and needing liver and kidney transplants, used the iPad to tell her husband of 23 years that she loved him. Said her husband of their “visit,” “It was a great thing. (Seeing) your loved one’s face when she’s telling you she loves you … is something we take for granted…. And it’s really hard when you can’t.”

The Kinards were some of the first patients and families able to visit thanks to “Prisma Health iVisit: Connecting Patients and Families Fund.” Prisma Health, like many other healthcare systems nationwide, initiated limited visitation for hospitalized patients to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Christy Keyes, MD, and her Prisma Health colleagues were motivated to find an alternate way for patients and families to communicate after seeing the impact that the inadvertent isolation was having on patients.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Keyes, a Prisma Health emergency physician. “It’s isolating and very frightening for patients not to be able to see loved ones. It’s a missing piece of what brings us comfort, what helps us to heal.”

After researching every aspect from technology needs and patient ease of use, to infection control-mandated cleaning requirements, Prisma Health opted to use iPads on rolling stands, a technology already in use in other areas. The collaborative effort quickly took shape under the direction of Harmony Robinson, Prisma Health’s director of nursing informatics.

“For patients to be able to virtually see and talk to their families during this time gives them a sense of comfort when their loved ones can’t be present at the bedside,” said Robinson. “It helps provide reassurance to patients when they’re alone and afraid. We’re all proud to be part of this effort.”

Nursing, information technology, infection control and other areas worked together quickly to develop a plan for safely deploying the iPads and stands to where they are most needed. Care teams at the bedsides will help assist patients in making the video calls if necessary.

“Our team worked swiftly to get this project off the ground. We are living our purpose to inspire health, serve with compassion, and be the difference,” said Carolyn Swinton, the system’s chief nursing officer.

The first 70 iPads went out for patients to use last week in both the Upstate and the Midlands. Each iPad is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between uses. Additional iPads and stands are being configured to go to more patients throughout the system, said Robinson.

Support quickly stood up the Prisma Health iVisit: Connecting Patients and Families Fund to help fund and expand the project, which is entirely funded by donations and grants. Keyes and colleagues jumpstarted the effort, raising $23,000 in 24 hours by reaching out to family and friends.

“Separation in a crisis is everyone’s nightmare,” said Keyes. “Whether a healthcare worker or someone in the community, we are all moved by the idea of not being able to be there for those we care about. I hope we all embrace this project. Virtual connections are not nearly as warm as a physical presence and a comforting hand to hold, but being able to see the face and hear the voice of loved ones is a pretty good leap across the gap.”

The community can help connect patients to loved ones by donating to the iVisit: Connecting Patients and Families Fund at PrismaHealth.org/iVisit. Please note, Prisma Health cannot accept donated iPads.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

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Prisma Health participates in clinical trial for new COVID-19 antiviral treatment

Press Release

Phase 3 trial tests effectiveness of remdesivir to weaken the virus in hospitalized patients

Prisma Health is participating in an international clinical study of the drug remdesivir as a potential treatment for moderate and severe COVID-19 patients.

Remdesivir is an antiviral medication developed by the U.S. biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rapid review and approval for clinical trials, the company launched Phase 3 clinical studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the medication for hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19.

Edwin Hayes, MD, infectious diseases specialist, is the principal investigator for Prisma Health Richland Hospital’s participation in the study, which was authorized to enroll patients beginning April 7.

“Because COVID-19 is a new disease, remdesivir is one of very few investigational treatments available,” said Hayes, an assistant professor with University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. “Matching the treatment to the patient requires a carefully balanced approach to meet both the clinical care needs of the patient and the strict requirements of the study.”

Hayes added, “When patients are too sick to speak for themselves, a spouse or designated family member can provide consent or decline the treatment on behalf of their loved one.”

Remdesivir was first used as an experimental treatment for Ebola virus disease (EVD). In later testing it was shown to be active against the viruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Remdesivir mimics a molecule needed by the virus and interferes with the enzyme that allows it to replicate itself in an infected patient. It is designed to slow the infection of healthy cells in a patient’s body.

“It is still too early to judge how useful this treatment is for patients, and we are carefully monitoring each patient and gathering data that will be significant in this international study.” He believes the extraordinary teamwork and dedication of everyone on the frontlines of research and patient care is reason for optimism.

Hayes acknowledged there have been some media reports about successful outcomes for patients receiving the treatment in other parts of the country. But he strongly cautioned, “Anecdotal reports are not data, especially without the control arm of the study.” He worries that such premature reports could lead patients or their families to have unrealistic expectations without all the facts. Hayes said, “It’s like giving a rock to someone and telling them it will keep tigers away. If they don’t see any tigers, it isn’t necessarily because of the rock.”

“Being there for the patients, their families, and each other is what keeps everyone focused — we are all living this crisis, and at the same time we are writing the playbook for coronavirus,” said Hayes. In addition to his role as principal investigator for this study, Hayes is mindful that he is working as part of a team of women and men who are dedicated to helping every patient get better.

While Prisma Health Richland Hospital is the only Prisma Health hospital approved to participate in the study, Hayes is hopeful that soon other Prisma Health hospitals will be approved to participate.

Prisma Health is also participating in a COVID-19 convalescent serum clinical trial. Learn more here.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

SC distilleries turn alcohol into hand sanitizer for Prisma Health

Press Release

Prisma Health employees recently got more than 8,000 gallons of liquid product from South Carolina farms and distilleries, but it’s to be used for disinfectant – not consumption.

Prisma Health has partnered with Anderson-based Palmetto Distillery and Helena Island-based Seaside Grown to purchase hand sanitizer made from denatured ethanol, which is exactly the same as normal ethanol but contains a small percentage of denaturing agent to make it undrinkable. In late March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave temporary approval for entities not currently regulated as drug manufacturers such as distilleries and farmers to produce hand sanitizer if they followed certain protocols.

“Our S.C. distilleries are providing a product that we can’t get anywhere else, and that’s a major benefit right now,” said Matt Parker, the manager of Consolidated Pharmacy Services at Prisma Health–Upstate.

Chris Powell, manager of Engineering and Supply Chain, Prisma Health–Midlands, who worked with Seaside Grown agrees. He said, “We appreciate the collaboration of South Carolina vendors. It is a testament to how the community is coming together during COVID-19 to make sure that our healthcare team has what they need.”

Palmetto Distillery is best known for its mason-jar moonshine, with flavors such as white lightning, peach and apple pie. Seaside Grown is known for its farm-to-table Bloody Mary mixer.

Palmetto Distillery delivered 5,000 gallons of its hand sanitizer last Friday. Prisma Health plans to put the hand sanitizer into one gallon jugs with pumps that can be used to refill smaller containers as well as fill more than 4,000 one and two ounce personal bottles for staff and guests in the Upstate.

Palmetto Distillery changed over its production three weeks ago as part of the effort to battle COVID-19, said Trey Boggs, one of its owners. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sanitizer requires the use of alcohol at 60% or higher to be effective. Sanitizer produced by the distilleries contain 80% alcohol, making it a suitable disinfectant for healthcare workers and the general public alike.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do. We understand the importance of coming together to help our community in any way possible, especially in times of crisis. We use alcohol from the still as sanitizer around the distillery on a daily basis, so when there became a dire need for the product, we knew we had an obligation to help our neighbors,” Boggs said.

While Palmetto has been selling one-gallon jugs by preorder, it delivered its supply to Prisma Health Friday via 55-gallon containers.

Meanwhile, Seaside Grown, a subsidiary of a more-than-100-year-old family farm on St. Helena Island, delivered 3,000 gallons of sanitizer a month ago via 9,500 16-ounce bottles, 1,500 spray bottles, 300 five gallon buckets and 60 55-gallon drums of the sanitizer, said Ross Taylor, founder of Seaside Grown.

Seaside Grown had been making about 8,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week for other companies but focused completely on Prisma Health’s order to make sure it was filled.

“This is about us trying to help each other right now,” Taylor said. “When Prisma Health called, they became our number one focus.”

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 32,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds, and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. The organization was formed in late 2017 when Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health came together, officially becoming Prisma Health in January 2019. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

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