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As chair of the family medicine department of Abington – Jef-ferson Health, John J. Russell,

M.D., acknowledges the “challenges”associated with keeping people safein the midst of an unprecedentedpandemic. After all, Abington – JeffersonHealth serves approximately 110,000 patientsper year in its Emergency Departments (atAbington Hospital and Abington – LansdaleHospital) and admitted more than 35,000inpatients in fiscal year 2020. A large networkof physicians in more than 70 locationsserves residents of Bucks, Montgomery,and Philadelphia counties.Dr. Russell understands the depth of

the challenge more than most; he wasamong the first doctors to work at Abington– Jefferson’s COVID-19 testing center, whichhas since completed “thousands and thou-sands” of tests. He can say he has beenheartened by his organization’s efforts tohelp keep the community safe. At the sametime, he knows some people may bechoosing to delay care until the proverbialdust settles. “People should feel safe to return,”

adds Dr. Russell, who also is the directorof the Abington – Jefferson Health familymedicine residency program. “We haverigorous protocols in place to make surethings are safe, and that’s in the hospitaland all ambulatory practices such asOB/GYN, orthopedic, neurology, and others.We’re adhering to all CDC guidelines, usingsocial distancing, wearing masks, andwiping down all equipment with a solutionthat kills the virus.

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by JENNY GRAHAM

Abington – Jefferson Health continues to go above and beyond to ensure patient safety in the time of COVID-19.

Confident in Care

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Abington – Jefferson Health offers morethan 70 physician practice locationsthroughout the suburbs, some located atone of seven outpatient campuses. Thesecenters, many of which offer lab services, radiology testing, and other services, arelocated in Blue Bell, Lower Gwynedd, Montgomeryville, Elkins Park, Warminster,and Willow Grove. A campus in Horsham was recently opened.

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“We solved problems,” he continues.“We had residents in the ICU, in the hospital,taking care of sick folks, but very fewemployees have gotten sick. We’ve hadenough PPE, and it has really worked. I’mvery proud to be part of Abington – Jefferson.I’m more frightened about catching the virusin a retail facility than at work.”

Abington – Jefferson Health has steadilyevolved its safety protocols since the outbreakbegan earlier this year. Staving off the virushas been no small feat, yet it has not foughtthis battle alone. Jefferson Health has mounteda coordinated response across its network of14 hospitals and more than 40 outpatient andurgent care centers throughout Philadelphia,Bucks, and Montgomery counties in Pennsyl-vania, as well as in Camden and Gloucestercounties across the river in New Jersey.

“When this all started, we didn’t knowmuch about the virus or what was working,”shares Keith W. Sweigard, M.D., associatechief medical officer and senior vice presidentfor Jefferson Medical Group. “Initially, wethought it was spread just through droplets.We are learning that it can be an aerosol,and we have learned that asymptomaticpatients can infect people before they aresymptomatic.”

As a first line of defense, Jefferson Healthinitiated daily communication among theleadership teams of all facilities. These linesof communication helped Abington – Jeffersoncome up with a multipronged plan to helppatients stay safe, particularly at AbingtonHospital and Abington – Lansdale Hospital.

Protocols such as face shields for staffand screening patients on multiple levelshave helped to reduce COVID-19 saturationat the hospital. Community measures suchas facemask compliance and social distancinghave played a significant role, too. Dr. Sweigard

suggests that while these efforts to protectpatients and staff have been “working well,”the health system continues to learn andevolve as new information and more granulardata emerge.

Other safeguards have included limitingpatient-to-patient interactions in all Abington– Jefferson Health facilities. To begin with,doctors have decreased the number of patientsseen each hour. In addition, patients do notlinger in the waiting room; rather, they proceedfrom the front door to the exam room, andmany appointments that were once doneface to face have been migrated to telehealth.

Telehealth is nothing new to Abington –Jefferson Health—the JeffConnect telehealthsystem has been in use for several years—but its use has boomed of late; doctors con-ducted as many as 1,000 telehealth visits perday in the first two weeks of the pandemic,according to Dr. Sweigard. Looking ahead,he foresees roughly 20 percent of the workof primary care physicians being done viatelehealth.

“I certainly don’t think telehealth willreplace in-person visits, but if someone is stillnot comfortable coming into the office, weinvite them to call their doctor to ask abouttelehealth,” Dr. Russell adds. “With an iPhoneor computer, you can see your doctor andyour doctor can see you, and can certainlyreview any labs needed, preventive healthtests [such as colonoscopies and mammo-grams], and even conduct an annual wellness

visit—a free service to Medicare recipients,thanks to the Affordable Care Act.”

What Lies AheadAs summer draws to a close, Dr. Russell sug-gests people should start thinking aboutgetting an influenza shot for the upcomingseason, which tends to peak in February.Likewise, he recommends a pneumococcalvaccine for everyone over the age of 65, aswell as people under age 65 with certainmedical conditions and those who smokecigarettes.

“Everyone is talking about a COVID virusvaccine, but in truth, only about 50 percentof people get flu shots,” he says. “We’reworking on setting up drive-through flu vac-cination this year.”

Even with the uncertainty surroundingCOVID-19, Drs. Russell and Sweigard wantthe public to have confidence as they seekout health care at Abington – Jefferson. Dr.Sweigard says the programs and protocolsput in place “have been effective in keepingpeople safe.”

“Very few staff have contracted the virusthrough a work environment, and the PPEimplemented have been very effective,” headds. “Our screening process is very clear.It starts over the phone, then continues atthe door and in the office. We are alwayslooking to manage the level of visitationthat can solve a patient’s issue with themost safety.” ■

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ABINGTON – JEFFERSON HEALTH, including the latest on safety protocols, COVID-19, and more, visit JeffersonHealth.org/Abington.

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SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM|17JULY 2020

Abington – Jefferson Health has adoptedrigorous safety protocols to protect

patients and staff in all of its locations.

Abington – Jefferson Health has adoptedrigorous safety protocols to protect

patients and staff in all of its locations.

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